discovery ranch lawsuit discovery ranch lawsuit

I ended up running away from this program and deciding on a much better program that actually wanted to help people. The last few years of my life have felt unreal, Ive had migraines with frustration wondering how places like this exist, and how theyve gotten away with so much deceit. If you are at all struggling and/or would like to talk to someone who can relate, please do not hesitate to contact me through this post and Id be happy to exchange information so we can talk. When I came back to real life I had forgotten how to smile and had to train myself to make facial expressions that corresponded to the emotions I should have felt in various circumstances. My parents (his Mom and step-father) note sending him away added to his sense of rejection started by peer abuse even though they were desperate due to his issues at home and school. They love tossing kids emotional and mental state around for worse, or they will lie about problems that a kid doesnt have just to keep kids there longer.They will try to keep kids from telling you from what is really going on, the use their security measures as a punishment Instead of safety and they can, have, and will threaten kids. Listen to your child, what do they think they need? They often cause way more harm than good. Anyone is free to fact check this, and contact me with further questions [redacted]. It brought everything back because I lived that experience, except for ten months and it was real. The last few years of my life have felt unreal, Ive had migraines with frustration wondering how places like this exist, and how theyve gotten away with so much deceit. Sure, we said all the things our parents wanted to hear once we got out, it was certainly drilled into us every single day, but that faded into a deep anger/depression that raised months, sometimes even years later, & you find yourself in worse condition than you were before entering DR; battling a demon 98% of people will never know. They often cause way more harm than good. This website uses cookies and third party services. When we have the opportunity to get together, its a very special and meaningful time for all of us, we reminisce about the little funny stories that helped us get through the day during our time, we think about about all the suffering we endeared and how we survived, and we always take the time to honor our close friends that didnt and have passed. Im happy to say that she is leading a normal life and leaving DR was the best thing that happened. Josephine (Yelp), 11/26/2013: (SURVIVOR) I try to think positively about it but honestly this shithole gave me PTSD. He will be expected to maintain a healthy lifestyle which includes daily exercise and well-balanced meals. I still maintain close relationships with both girls and boys who are around my age (23-27) that have gone through exactly what you are going through now; so whether its easier to talk to a guy or girl or someone with a similar case to yours, I can put you in contact with them if youd like (Free of charge too! For example, in an employment law case, a fired employee will want to see their personnel file, and through discovery, an employer would likely be required to provide those documents. Paris Hilton just came out with a documentary on her experience at another abusive program just down the street from DR. Im scared to mention my real name because Discovery Ranchs aftercare program still controls my life. It is marketed as a Residential Treatment Center for teenage boys aged 13-18 with emotional and behavioral issues. DR does not accept transgender males. san andreas fault, palm springs. Your teen is struggling. And the horrible part? My parents sent me there because I was depressed, doing poorly in school instead of getting straight As, got caught shoplifting a pack of gum from 7-11, spent too much time on the computer, and was too angry and defiant. If you absolutely need mental support for your child, I suggest something that is close to home, and something that does not limit their ability to see and interact with the outside world. Youre parents will love that, Ha!). worked as a Therapist at Discovery Ranch. First, let me begin by stating that sending your kid anywhere is a traumatic experience they will have for the rest of their life. This is not just a couple of resentful people. As per Discovery, intruders have appeared on the land at Blind Frog Ranch in many forms. , family visits, and Parent Day Seminars. They would yell at us and use excessive force. If Im in the car with someone and they make a wrong turn or something I will flip out and start having a panic attack because all I can think about it oh my god where are they taking me theyre locking me up again. But I fucking wasnt. But, the couple was later outspoken on social media about the extent to which they were helped by the Raney family. Grand Ledge Courts. The tuition is reported to be anywhere between $6,500 to $12,000 per month. discovery ranch lawsuit. Discovery Ranch combines the power of traditional and experiential therapies to create a clinically sophisticated, relationship-based residential treatment center for boys ages 13-18. It makes me fucking sick that this place, along with HUNDREDS of others, still exists, quietly protected under the umbrella of the state government of Utah, and that parents are paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for their children to be tortured and driven insane or into obedient, soulless sociopaths. , DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILD TO DISCOVERY RANCH IF YOU CARE ABOUT THEM! We were victims of abuse. I had been raped when i was 12 and was unable to tell my male therapist or parents about this happening because my family is very Catholic. This merit system was easy for some kids to abuse, in one circumstance during my stay, a child was repeatedly raped, and was threatened with the merit system to get him to keep quiet. Discovery ranch was hell on earth for me. They picked favorites and we were treated like garbage. ), I witnessed a 15 year old boy be sodomized by a broom handle and have the living shit beat out of him because he tried to run away and watched a girl punch a window and slit her wrists in front of me because she couldnt take it anymore. They want the parents to say only what they tell them to say. Although there are no support groups for people like us and since the program is so small & were from all over the country, it feels and looks very real that you may be alone, YOU ARE NOT. Its funny, almost all of the kids that left as a level 5 or 4 ARE DOING DRUGS AND ARE DOING WORSE AT HOME, goes to show how little the program works. Staff refusing to let kid use the bathroom, and making him pee/poop himself. No one deserves what they really do to people. The teenagers at Discovery Ranch as forced to adhere to a strict set of rules at all time. BE CAREFUL OF THEM. James (Yelp), 2019: (SURVIVOR) This place is sickening. They dont want to discuss whats actually wrong. Therapy was more like brainwashing than therapy. My son, although he enjoyed his stay, refused to be brainwashed, and therefore got nothing therapeutical out of his stay; only resentment and anger, and he gained knowledge how to manipulate therapists to his benefit. My mind sometimes uncontrollably cradles and turns to static when I hear the same radio noise as the staff used at DR. There thieves taking advantage of parents dispositions and they should be shut down , After my daughter was here for here for 2 months her condition worsened and she started having suicidal thoughts which had never happened before.When I met with her Dr. You are a survivor of an abusive environment that is very similar to a prison. Any minor infraction is punished severely. I was 15 years old. We were victims of abuse. The level-system consists of five levels, which the boys progress through by earning points for good behavior while avoiding demerits for negative behaviors and rule infractions. My brother noted some of the staff was wonderful and he used their tips to get through challenges after his father died (my Moms 1st husband). Paris Hilton just came out with a documentary on her experience at another abusive program just down the street from DR. If they mention these sorts of things to parents (over heavily monitored phone calls and letters in the mail), contact between student and parent would be cut off. The trauma Ive witnessed, and seen other kids witness was unbearable. Brent Hall is reported by survivors to have run the facility. The decision you make for your child will stay with them forever. A free inside look at company reviews and salaries posted anonymously by employees. They tear children apart, and they come out broken. 25 votes, 28 comments. Please save your child from this place. Jason (Google Reviews), 6/10/2016: (SURVIVOR) Terrible place dont send your child here. We have created this bond because unless you went through a detention center such as DR, you will not understand. Overpriced, over rateddo not send your child there if you care about them. Individual, family, and group therapy all take place within a residential treatment setting. They will dream about it years after, waking up in the middle of the night from nightmares about being back there. The chidren cant even have open discussions with other inmates there for fear of being punished and losing privileges. Aside from the obvious prejudice and discrimination, many of these conditions are not legitimate clinical impairments, and those that are require individualized care, which this facility does not provide., In February of 2015, a former resident at DR and his family filed a lawsuit against the school reporting that the boy was violently and repeatedly sexually assaulted by another resident at the program. I stopped feeling emotions and didnt for two years. It is marketed as a Residential Treatment Center for teenage boys aged 13-18 with "emotional and behavioral issues." DR does not accept transgender males. Kids are constantly getting restrained and put on drugs to keep them under control. I still have insomnia and night terrors of being at that place. The boat bought with funds by Discovery Ranch was not once used for the kids, the owners just use it for personal use. In this, experiential, safe, and supportive environment. Are they just being a teenager? Allegations of abuse that have been reported by survivors include: According to a Thesis published in 2015 by Catherine Kushan, Discovery Ranch, a treatment center located in Mapleton, Utah, provides an empirical example of how this industry rhetorically manipulates legitimate psychiatric conditions to solicit clients. We have all suffered enough, its time to heal and create a system that works. , This place is horrible. In January 2104, the boy was placed in a dorm at Discovery Ranch with three other boys, one who began grooming him and another resident for "sexual victimization" until he was "violently sodomized," the family says in the lawsuit. The pain doesnt just stop, they dont forget what you did to them, regardless of your intentions. While at Discovery Ranch, your son will participate in a variety of outdoor activities. If any of you also went there shoot me a pm id like to hear about it. When the program opened, it housed both boys and girls on the same campus, but kept them completely seperate in different parts of the campus. Basically non-existent education. We do all this so that you can know your son is safe with us. Parents wont know or understand the gravity of impact this experience has had until after you get out and have openly talked about it, and although its very hard not to blame or take your anger out on them, you have to realize they made their decision out of love and ignorance. It wasnt until he left the program that people even found out about this happening!! And before you tell me that was a long time ago, I am a part of multiple survivor groups online for former students from DR and other abusive programs in Utah. (and have it be removed weeks later). I had no contact with the outside world except letters to my parents which were censored, and observed phone calls once a month. We were victims of abuse. Plaintiff Diamond Ranch Academy, Inc. (DRA) operates a residential youth treatment facility in Hurricane, Utah. They are there only to try and give the staff (who by the way have no training in psychology at all) an easier time. Dave Blackwell worked as a Therapist at Discovery Ranch. I literally cant live with these memories. In addition to taking part in the equine therapy and horsemanship programs, he will have access to the fully-equipped music studio. Their website lists the following conditions the program claims to treat: various mental illnesses including anxiety, depression, mood disorders, ADHD, and oppositional defiance the last of which is no longer listed in the DSM substance abuse and other addictions, eating disorders [] learning disorders and nonverbal learning disability [] social struggles, low self-esteem, adoption/attachment issues, and grief and loss The unadvertised conditions that I witnessed among detainees included being LGBT, Internet addiction, and one girl in particular was sent there for having a black boyfriend. If anything, kids got worse from being here. Therapy was more like brainwashing than therapy. They tear children apart, and they come out broken. Any complaints about the program and the abuse kids witnessed would be brushed off by program coordinators and therapists. A friend of mine stabbing his arm 15+ times with a pencil. You will also be able to observe your sons progress through our secure, password-protected parent portal. Please reach out to me for questions, I will do my best to educate you on what is happening and get you current information. Sanoy (Yelp), August 2020: (SURVIVOR) Kinda like a prison that just focuses on external behavior. He also worked for a time as the Director of NATSAP. They gave all the kids the same level of trust, none. When you try to induct real truths into the once a week, 1/2 hour, monitored phone call, the therapist redirects you to la la land. They tear children apart, and they come out broken. There are over 600 people in 2 different groups put together, and we are all in contact with many kids that just left. Discovery Ranch has been a NATSAP member since 2005. Every part of Discovery Ranch, from the amazing campus to the nationally accredited Academic Program, helps to promote growth and healing. He previously worked at the confirmedly abusive, organization. I am not the only victim. They tear children apart, and they come out broken. When you try to induct real truths into the once a week, 1/2 hour, monitored phone call, the therapist redirects you to la la land. There is not enough research of the negative effects places like DR have on a young person, people dont like to talk or hear about places like DR, the system is extremely flawed, its a corporation that works very hard to keep you there as long as possible for obvious financial reasons while hiring unqualified staff. I dont know why but when i was there I never wanted to leave. This is not just a couple of resentful people. Chad Ollinger and his brother, Duane, are gold prospectors in the Uintah Mountains of Utah. Privileges to some might sound like being able to talk to friends, or having free time. Although the system failed us, my peers and I have created somewhat of a little support group to cope and its helped us tremendously. Are they just being a teenager? While at Discovery Ranch, your son will participate in a variety of outdoor activities. However, the abuse overshadowed it. NAAS is an organization that has accredited many notoriously abusive behavior-modification programs, including many WWASP programs. Feel free to ask anything about my stay I'm an open book. They are very abusive and they will lie to you. The reason I am writing this now is because I ended up becoming an alcoholic and drug addict once I went to college and had finally had complete freedom.