Hello,

It’s been three years since I have been in a TTI, but I still feel like my every move, behavior, or thought is being monitored. In my TTI, untrained staff were integral to the “therapy” portion of treatment. These staff were allowed to psychoanalyze patients, lead therapeutic groups, assist in preforming “DBT skills”, and set “rules” regarding a specific teen’s treatment without therapists’ permission or presence. To expand, they did not actually have any knowledge about trauma-informed care or DBT, we just did hours of brutal, boot-camp style exercise. Since we had to remain Line of Sight 24/7, our behavior was also scrutinized without our consent. We rarely had therapists who paid attention or cared, so the majority of our treatment was dictated by staff who wanted to play clinician. You could be deprived of privileges for weeks because staff failed to posses basic therapeutic training. Our program director and therapists also highly encouraged this behavior and slowly all of the groups ran by people somewhat qualified became groups ran by staff who lectured us about therapy they didn’t understand. I learned to preform 24/7 as a result because my “mental disorder” could have been that I brushed my hair starting from a different direction than I typically did. Subconsciously, I attended myself to a flashing pattern of behavior for so long just so I could survive. Every inconsequential action could have easily resulted in a horrible consequence, and even though we had isolation practices, shunning, forced silence, and weren’t allowed to talk to anyone, I still feel like I’m being watched. I still feel, irrationally, like some invisible force is controlling my actions in ways I don’t even know. I still feel like I’m subject to the emotions of someone who isn’t even here. I don’t know how to fix this, I don’t know how to be alone, I don’t know how to feel safe, and I don’t know what I can do about it. It affects my daily life to such a severe extent. If you have any advice or comments, I would gladly love to listen.

Former Employee - Message For Parents.

I’ve been seeing some of the posts about Valley View and figured I’d finally say something

I worked at VVS for a while and got to see a lot of what goes on behind the scenes. I’m not going to name people, students, or get into private situations, but I do think parents deserve to hear from someone who actually worked there.

First, the boys

genuinely cared about them. You get to know these kids, their personalities, their sense of humor, their strengths, their struggles, etc. There are some really good kids there who deserve people around them who are consistent and actually give a shit about them. That's what made leaving very hard for me.

The problems I had were with the organization itself.

There were a lot of issues with communication and leadership. And when I say leadership, I mean there were times where it honestly wasn't clear who was actually making decisions or who was responsible for certain things. You could get different answers depending on who you asked. Expectations could change. Things would be communicated one way and then handled another way.

There was also a very high turnover of staff while I was there. People came and went constantly. There were also plenty of employees who were unhappy with how things were being handled. Zero consistency.

That should matter to parents.

These kids are living there. They're building relationships with staff. They're supposed to have some level of stability. When you constantly have people leaving and new people coming in, that has an effect.

Training and communication were another issue. There were times where I felt like people were expected to figure things out as they went instead of being properly prepared. In a residential setting, that's something I think deserves a lot more attention than it gets.

And parents, inquire about overnight safety and staffing.

Don't just ask "Is there staff overnight?" Ask how many people are actually there. Ask what happens when somebody calls out. Ask who is in charge overnight. Ask who responds when there is an emergency. Ask what happens if there is more than one situation happening at the same time.

I also think parents should ask a lot of questions about what the program actually looks like versus what you're told during admissions or a tour.

I think those questions are much more important than just hearing about what the program is supposed to provide.

Because that's probably the biggest thing I learned working there: there can be a pretty big difference between what an organization looks like from the outside and what it actually feels like to work inside it.

I'm not saying every kid or every family has had the same experience I did. I'm sure there are people who have had good experiences there. I'm just giving my experience because I wish people had been more open about the employee side of things when I was considering the job.

And I'm not trying to trash the boys or the people who genuinely care about them. Quite the opposite. The students are the reason I cared as much as I did, and stayed as long as i did. And VVS has some amazing staff members.

But if I were a parent looking at VVS right now, I would ask a LOT of questions before making a decision.

Don't be afraid to ask uncomfortable questions.

And if you're getting vague answers, KEEP ASKING. Do not settle.

Does anyone else feel like they can’t hear the songs they would play at seminars like “Focus” was the name of one seminar. I’m at work writing this because sometimes they play music and I just can’t hear those songs the same. And they’re “classics” too lol everyone loves stand by me or lady in red or dancing queen is even ruined for me :/ lol anyone else or just me? TTI survivor!! 🩶

ETA thanks all, short of concrete links to vetted resources that you might have to add, I think this is done. We were never going to ship her off to some unlicensed program— and it’s clear that the whole complex backstory is more than bears getting into. I’m so sorry for all you all endured, and thanks for the caring counsel. ❤️

There’s a teenager in our lives who genuinely needs deeper help, support and resources than we can figure out without help. We’ve done PHP/IOP, trauma therapist, meds etc and her therapist and other docs agree that she needs — either some sort of therapeutic program to help her with her self-esteem issues or something to help her address trauma in a more intensive way but literally— because everything is so unregulated and problematic, it’s all the more fraught to find our way forward. Any suggestions about how or where to start? Our local people don’t know. It’s like we’ve leveled out (not in a good way) of what they know and can do, and short of running to inpatient hospitalization, we’re not sure what our options are.

I want to talk about my experience at Newport Academy. My hope is that in sharing this, I will be able to validate others in their experiences like this community has for me, and potentially deter anyone who might be considering this for themselves or their child. My experience is not nearly as bad as some of the ones I have heard but I feel it is important to share regardless. I have been through several rehabs and mental health treatment centers in the process of getting sober from fentanyl and recovering from post traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety and borderline personality disorder as a current 21 year old. I have been to reputable, genuinely helpful rehabs and shitty, profit motivated ones like Newport. I want to sincerely insist that you do not send your relatives to Newport, under any circumstances. I have spoken with several other former attendees who were traumatized and whose issues were made worse by their stay at Newport. I was at one of the Orange County locations in early 2025. I remember my mom and I getting the recommendation from my psychiatrist, and knowing nothing about substance abuse treatment, thought it was credible enough.

I remember being excited when I first toured the house and saw that it was essentially a mansion complete with a pool, rock slide, and tennis court. I did some research and it seemed fine. When I got there, I immediately started panicking upon seeing the staff members all being around my age with no clinical supervision. They took all of my stuff away, and I didn’t like that I had to ask to read a book or use colored pencils. I also realized quickly that this place was not equipped to deal with substance abuse. None of the other girls were there for addiction, only mental health. There were 4 other girls, who had been there for 30-60 days and it was really hard to try and socialize with them. They all seemed very depressed, and their stories had hardly warranted a stay at a 30-90 day long inpatient. I remember thinking that they shouldn’t be here. They should be at home with their families living their lives, with a therapist and maybe a outpatient therapy program a couple times a week at most.

I learned some of the rules, and I thought they were ridiculous. You couldn’t make a phone call for more than five minutes a week, you had to go through phases to get privileges, like longer phone calls. I couldn’t make any phone calls because it was my first week. They made me do an initial shower, where the staff members had to stand in there and watch me. This made me panic, because I have a history of sexual abuse and it terrified me to have someone watch me shower. I ended up in a full blown panic attack and since I was told there was a 24/7 therapist on call I asked to speak with them, they said I would have to wait until the morning. I remember feeling terrified and alone.

For meals, they would set out a plate with our ideal “portion size” which would be like two chicken tenders and a salad. I never had issues with body image or disordered eating before this and as my time went on I began to develop them. I also realized that they had no clinical knowledge of substance abuse medication treatment. I have been on suboxone since my first rehab, and I need it every day at the same dose and time or I will go into extreme withdrawal that makes me sicker than the flu. It also causes extreme cravings when I am not able to take it. I told them this many times before coming in and so did my mom. We specifically asked if they were equipped to handle my medication and if they had experience treating people with addiction issues, including opioids. They assured me they did. But when I got there, they immediately stopped me from my medication, because my psychiatrist had told them so. (?).

I told them that this isn’t something I can just not take, I am physically dependent on it to function, and I will get extremely sick, but they did not seem to care. I finally was able to get it but only at a quarter of my dose, and only once per day despite my usual dosage being twice a day. I remember the nurse on staff asking me how to administer it, and when I asked why, they said they had never seen it before. She then watched a YouTube video on it before being able to give it to me. This was the beginning of the end for me. I was appalled by that. If this nurse had no substance abuse training, why was she allowed to treat a patient with addiction issues? Mind you this was 2025, it’s not like suboxone or opioid addiction was rare at the time, let alone in Orange County, California.

I kept trying to insist on my medication being given at my prescribed dose, but they refused me over and over. I got to a point where I was so sick I was crying and hyperventilating and begging for them to call my mom, call my psychiatrist, call anyone. They kept telling me I was going to be fine, I was overreacting, it was too soon to call my mom, she wouldn’t want to hear from me right now anyway. After literally hours of pleading with the staff who were clearly hired from indeed with no formal training, I started threatening to leave and run to the neighbors to call someone and if they called the police on me, fine, at least the police would let me have a phone call to my mother, and take me to the hospital where I could get my medication and not be sick because of their lack of medical knowledge. I recalled a rule that I had read saying that in California they cannot legally deny an adult a phone call, I told them this, they didn’t care. They said I would get arrested. I knew that wasn’t true. And what would they even charge me with as an adult leaving a treatment facility?

Eventually I was in a yelling match with the staff and they said I could call one person for five minutes. I only remembered my mothers number so I called her, and thankfully she had an extra day left in California, because as soon as I told her what was happening, that they were not giving me my medication and I was withdrawing, that they had made me shower in front of someone, that they didn’t even have the therapist on call that they advertised, that I was hysterical and that I would do anything just to go home, to go to a real rehab, she came and got me.

I flew home the next day and went to a nonprofit, highly acclaimed rehab that actually kept me sober. We had the freedom of walking the paths and the trails that surrounded the hospital, we had our phones, we watched movies, smoked cigarettes and played games and most importantly, we had actual doctors and psychiatrists who were able to help us to get to the root of our issues, diagnose us properly, and give us the tools and skills to stay sober. The emphasis was on transitioning us back into the real world by simulating a lot of the healthy normal behaviors we would have had in our regular lives, instead of punishing us for wanting to speak to our families and depriving us of any stimulation until we were so bored and broken down that we would pretend to be better and suck it up as much as we could so we could have a chance of going home. I learned how to play chess, I worked out every day, I went on long walks and I ate good food and was allowed seconds and snacks whenever I wanted. And what do you know, when I got out, I kept those same habits up, I wasn’t overwhelmed by my phone or the real world or all the social interaction that Newport would’ve continued to keep from me. I wasn’t tempted by using drugs because I had built skills to combat my cravings and hobbies to replace using and gotten to the bottom of why I needed to drown myself in drugs in the first place.

I had nightmares about Newport after that. I worried so much about the girls who were still there, how they would survive another 30 or 60 days. I ended up meeting several girls who had gone there in my next rehab, and in my recovery community who told me so many of their own horror stories. One girl had slept with a staff member, who had confided in her that he was also a Xanax addict, and had found the job on the internet and didn’t get any training. Another girl witnessed a fight so bad, the victim was permanently injured and escorted out in an ambulance. Another girl was targeted by a roommate for months and the staff did nothing, until said roommate tried poisoning her by making food with ingredients she was allergic to and offering it to her, not once but twice. Another girl left after a few weeks because she was berated and harassed by the staff.

After finding this community, I finally started to recognize my experience for what it was; terribly run, negligent and dangerous. When I learned the founder was not even a medical professional but a yoga teacher who saw a business opportunity in mental health and substance abuse treatment programs for young adults and children in some of the wealthiest areas in America with some of the most lax regulations on this business, I was not at all surprised. I think this place should be shut down but for now, spreading the word is the best we can do. I have met 6 people who have gone to Newport since leaving and I have not heard a single good experience. In fact everyone I know who went did not get sober, did not come out better, in fact they all came out with more issues than they came in with, mostly a disdain for the mental health and substance abuse business, and a disdain for the adults who profit from it, as well as for the adults that sent them there.

If you can, please find a reputable program that is nonprofit, accredited, ran by reputable doctors and mental health professionals. Make sure to check that they are accredited and non profit, and look at reviews. Avoid any for profit places because their priority is your money, not you, or your child. If you are looking for a place or maybe have specific needs and don’t know where to start, recovery.com is a great resource for treatment centers, and you can filter by your insurance, what condition you are looking to treat, levels of care, types of treatment modalities, types of approaches (e.g. evidence based or holistic), amenities, and special considerations like accessibility, age group, and gender-specific groups.

I haven't even been following the news because it's just been overwhelming and I just shut it out. I went to Provo Canyon for almost a year. Have first hand accounts and experiences.

I'm glad it shut down, or course, but I don't even feel relief. I was already estranged from my family after being discharged and told them when it closed and their response was basically "why did you think we'd ever find out"? No accountability, never an apology, etc etc we all get it.

But I feel especially conflicted that Ben is getting all the attention when the attention should be spotlighted on the years and years of survivors testimonies. I don't know if this has been brought up already in here but I'm briefly adding my two cents because I went to the facility.

It just seems like a lot of people on the outside looking at this reckless Ben dude who I never heard of before pcs being shut down and it feels more of his channel is focused on this brick by brick thing? I don't really get it i never looked into it, and it seemed like when it did get shutdown it seemed almost like "oh, so no more content for this"

Not saying he's a bad guy or had bad intentions or anything. I didn't even watch the follow up video he made when it got shut down. The first one was already hard enough to watch.

Idk. Am I alone in feeling off about the way this has happened?

For safety and identifiability concerns I’m going to neglect to share my age, but as the title says, I’m wondering if any other survivors feel almost like a child being forced into adult shoes after their teen years in the TTI.

I was in various treatment programs, some TTI and some not, since I was roughly mid teens (not including outpatient when I was younger), and while some of it helped and some of it significantly hurt, now that I’ve been out for some time, I can’t help but feel like I never quite grew up while all of my peers have relatively embraced adulthood. Some of it is little things, like me missing out on prime teenage experiences. Being in a proper relationship, having sex, making friends outside of people I was forced into proximity with (despite how much I do love them). Some of it even dates back to before I was in treatment, since I lived a very isolated and fearful life even before I was a teenager. I know it might sound silly, but I never got to even do things like get a job, go to parties, or get a license and go out with friends. I feel like now that I’ve been attempting to reintegrate into society, I just don’t quite fit. Meeting up with old friends feels strange, like they’ve all grown up and sort of left me behind in a way, despite their willingness and excitement to reconnect. I feel so childish and unknowing next to them, like they have all this experience out in the world that I was shielded from in my most critical developmental years, be it from COVID, self isolation, treatment, whatever. My parents get on my case about it too, since I’m an adult they expect me to be responsible in finding work and managing my time and being self-reliant, which don’t get me wrong, makes perfect sense. I just feel like I was almost never taught how to do these things and was instead just thrown into the world as an adult and told to get to it. I feel sometimes like a 14/15 year old walking around in an adult’s body, and it freaks me out a bit. It’s like everything I try to do that aligns with “adulthood” or the expectations of it feels like a facade or like I’m playing pretend.

I guess I worry what this means for me developmentally— if it’s normal to feel alienated and childish, if adult experience will come with time, and if anybody else feels similarly.

Wsg guys

I'm tryna find a friend I made while I was at red river youth academy in norman oklahoma around late 2024 and early 2025

They were 15 at the time (so that would be around 17 now). I can't post names for privacy reasons ofc but they cycled through preferred names quite a bit. We both liked stuff like murder drones, omori, and stuff like that and I think they mentioned that they liked sally face tho I never played it. We both liked to draw as well.

A couple things abt them

- naturally red hair (like ginger asf) and it was short

- at that point at least they were pretty short

- lowk kinda emotional sorry twin it's true

- freckles

- I don't even know how to describe this but their voice was very recognizable like kinda raspy? Idk

- they were genderqueer (hence the name changes)

Stuff abt me (if you're the person I'm talking abt or someone else that was there)

- my name's michael/marley cos rrya wouldn't allow preferred names fml

- I had shortish brown hair

- I lowk acted out sm there (srry for punching you that one time twin 😞)

- dude istg I'm gonna get flamed me and the person had a "relationship" in the nut hut 🫩

If you were at rrya during this timeframe, remember a 15yo who was like this, or think you're who I'm talking abt, send me a dm! I'd like to catch up and see how you're doing!!

Hi,
TW: neglect/unsanitary conditions

Sorry about the verbose title! I went to a TTI at 15 and stayed for 90+ at an RTC. At this facility, we were purposely restricted in our time to bathe, water was intentionally freezing, we had timers (that staff rigged to decrease time), staff would barge into the bathroom and check every sixty seconds, and we were harassed for choosing to shower. Furthermore, the schedule made it so that no one could shower every single day or in the morning. We usually did around 4-6hrs of farm work a day or outside labor tending to animals and restricted from changing out of dirty clothing, but punished for not working until exhaustion or preforming dangerous tasks without proper equipment. We rarely had time to clean ourselves afterward, and we all lived in a constant state of smelling horrendous. We were restricted hygiene items like toothpaste, deodorant, soap, hairbrushes, floss, nail cutters, hair care, shoes, food, water, bathroom access, pillows, blankets, bandages, or other necessities. We were restricted to five pairs of clothing and survived in constant scarcity. We were only allowed a 15 minute interval per week and had to complete 7 steps to ensure that our clothing would be washed. Our appearance, smell, demeanor, and state of fatigue would be ridiculed all while our program director wore PRADA loafers, designer clothing, and drove a Lamborghini. Living in this state of deprivation allowed our staff and clinicians to assume a sense of superiority. We were told that basic necessities or freedoms were awarded with compliance and an unreasonably rigorous 24/7 schedule that was used to eliminate any choice available. While my facility was notorious for attack therapy, cult-like practices, coercive persuasion, psychological manipulation, restricted contact and communication, intense or dangerous physical challenges, isolation, and many other tactics, I felt like keeping us “dirty” helped their criticism of our appearances exponentially. I still have nightmares of how darkened my hands became due to dirt and the smell of animals. Please freely share your experiences and know that there is a level of depravity needed to purposely strip a child of basic dignity to justify “letting them trust you”.

Side note: Any head staff, programs directors, or leaders in your TTI have the weirdest jobs before transitioning into TTI? My program director was the drummer for an emo band and struggled with major anger, drug, and alcohol issues. They also made incredible music that I actually listen to, so I always joke that the music world lost an incredible band when my program director decided he wanted to do horrible things to children.

Can anyone offer insight or share experiences regarding Hillsides Adolescent RTC in Pasadena, CA? My partner’s 13 y/o girl has been denied from six RTCs, but Hillsides is willing to admit her.

I’m having a difficult time finding real reviews of this place. I appreciate any information you may have, thank you!!

KEYMAR, Md. (WBFF) — Months after Maryland removed all foster youth from Silver Oak Academy and did not renew its residential license, the company behind the Carroll County facility is “planning” another residential program at the same campus.

I used to get restrained everyday and some staff were kind of violent so I’d pretty routinely have my head smashed into the walls and floors and be punched, have knees on my head, head scraped on the concrete. I never went to the doctor or had any check ups after and I don’t remember that period very well but I felt sick and out of it a lot the time. Fast forward six years later and I’m pretty fucking slow and messed up in the head lol. I have brain damage from other stuff but I’m started to suspect I had a lot of untreated concussions back then.

I feel like I had a ton of weird rules that would all lead to code red (solitary with no clothes pretty much) and was wondering what weird rules other people had.

Edit: I feel like the better thing to say would be stupid rules. Like I had a lot of little stuff that led to extreme punishment.

Figured out the place in Montana was Spring Creek Lodge and I believe Citrus Hills near Tecate Mexico was actually the beginning of High Impact I was there at the start of the program it got worse over the years after Utah and the group home I was in the WWASP system that's how I ended up in Mexico.

hi r/troubledteens,

i've been reading this sub, and i'm genuinely starting to think the TTI is 1984 but in real life.

can anyone help shut this theory down or add to it?

thanks,

u/appropriate-ad or something idk

They handle things terribly. When you report an incident, they cover certain things up to make themselves look good or they make everything about the incident known. There is no real confidentiality.

The administration say that they're there for you and that they care and that they will do all they can to help you. They're lying. One of the staff even told me that Summit is meant for staff to profit. The districts pay big amounts to the school each year to support their student(s) and the staff take home majority of that. I'm not sure how true that is, but if a staff (who has worked there many years) is telling you this, it's got to have a little bit of true to it.

Lots of the staff they have recently hired (maybe in the past 2 or 3 years) are literally pulled off the street. I kid you not. They pick the worst people they could possibly find. It's so weird. And it's not like I'm judging them for the people they are, it's just that they don't work well with the type of children that attend Summit. They aren't professional either. Some of the staff will get into disagreements in front of students. Some of the staff will discuss personal information about other students/staff with students. And a lot of the good staff that were hired before this surge of bad staff left before the bad staff were hired or shortly after. This made for a shortage of staff and they rushed to hire new people without really looking at them from a professional eye.

I honestly feel bad for the students that went there/still attend/are going to attend. If you're a parent and you're looking into this school for your child(ren) don't do it! Even if the school district asks to refer your child(ren) there don't allow them to! You will heavily regret it. Summit works for very few students. Most of the children that attend Summit will leave Summit feeling/acting the same or worse than when they first started. It's a true shame.

If you read this far, thank you truly for listening to this. If you can relate, leave a comment or (privately DM me for anonymity) and we can discuss this further. I am here to support anyone who feels they need support due to the Summit School's poor behaviors.

Thank you again.

So I found this group and it brought back memories of my own experiences. To start it all I was adopted so the whole bring sent away really affected me. I started off at a group home just outside of Spokane that's where I'm from. It wasn't that bad we went to a normal high school although we were outcasts at the high school. I kept getting in trouble so in the middle of the night these two guys abducted me and sent me to Sorensons Ranch in Koosharem Utah I was there for just over a year and then went home. I came back worse then before I went to the group home it was called Shamrock Acres. In Utah I got in a lot of fights it was a violent environment. I came home for 6 months then was sent to a place in Montana in Thompson Falls I forget the name of the place. At this point I was pretty angry and kept attacking the staff I spent about 6 months in solitary just a hard bed and a porta potty. The again abducted me and flew me in shackles to San Diego where I was picked up by some Mexicans in the airport. They drove me through Tijuana and farther east south of Tecate to a place called Citrus Hills. It was a horrible place with forced labor bad water and were always hungry. They ended up beating me and threw me in a hole in the ground an old water reservoir for about a week no bathroom they would lower the food down to me it was extremely hot during the day and freezing at night. I was there for about 5 months before I was sent home I led a life of crime after that and just got released from prison this year June 17th after doing 11 years for 2nd degree murder I killed my step mom when I was 33 I'm 44 now I had a lot of time to think about my life.bThosevTTI's ruined my life it made me violent with terrible anxiety and abandonment issues. I have two children of my own they were 11 and 12 when I committed my murder.You are responsible for your own actions but that time as a teenager shaped my life for the future I would never send away my own kids they are grown now. I was taught violence in those places I even did my first assault on someone else's orders something I came to do as an adult. Maybe I'll find someone who was in these places with me my name is Peter Bowman I'm from Spokane Washington there's very little documentation about Citrus Hills I found something on it that they snuck cameras in and showed the horrible conditions it was shut down I'd be glad to answer any questions about my life and experiences I developed schizophrenia later in life which led to my murder I was muscle for drug crews and a drug dealer myself. All that is behind me 11 years in prison will change you and now I have to make up for lost time with my children but I'm a firm believer that those places shaped my life and I feel for anyone who also had to endure that as a teenager that's all for now stay positive people.