The Blog of P.U.R.E. and Sue Scheff

Interview with Sue Scheff by Career Thoughts Sue Scheff  has spent over 20 years (since 2001) helping parents of struggling teens. She has based her business ( Parents’ Universal Resource Experts ) off of her own experience as a parent of an at-risk child, and is motivated by the goal of helping other parents who find themselves in the same situation she was once in. By listening to the problems that their teens are facing and providing a voice of reason, she is able to help parents better understand the needs of their teens, and identify programs that they can turn to for help. Sue has also written a  book  on the topic, and has told her story on many programs including The Today Show, Dr. Phil, Anderson Cooper, The Early Show, Mel Robbins, The Rachel Ray Show, and CBS Nightly News with Katie Couric. Sue was gracious enough to  share her story  with us, and we hope that it will be inspirational to you as think of ways that you could turn your own life experienc...

As I wrote in my previous Blog post, Syfy's latest new series, The Internet Ruined My Life representatives contacted me. I enlisted the help of Cyberwise to create The Aftershow to help educate viewers after watching the cyber-disasters that ruined lives. Sometimes people weren't even online! The series is an eye-opener for everyone! Twitterverse had this to say: Watch our final show with the Founder of STOMPOutBullying, Ross Ellis and from McAfee/Intel Security, Toni Birdsong.  My latest Huffington Post, Digital Shaming, You're Only A Click Away .

Midwest Academy: Ex-students say they were tortured - NY Post - program is shut-down Make no mistake, when parents reach their wit's end with their troubled teenager they can be vulnerable and believe just about anything when they are searching for help. I was there once. My story or should I say nightmare , seems to be repeating itself with the headlines coming out of Iowa -- with the alleged WWASPS affiliated program Midwest Academy  (now closed). According the the latest news report; Midwest Academy Is Accused of Locking Students in Tiny Isolation Boxes for Days or More This is not any different than we heard from students a decade earlier in their many other programs that are now closed. It's sad that we are now years later and this type of abusive behavior is still going on. This is why I created my organization to help educate parents about the big business of the teen help industry .   It's not about frightening you, as I firmly believe that p...

On a weekly basis we receive calls from parents asking about wilderness therapy programs. In many situations they have already parted with thousands of dollars to an educational consultant that has recommended this type of program for their child. Sadly, we've heard this scenario it causes us to wonder what the motivation is. In our opinion, they must have their reasons - which hopefully parents can figure out. In the meantime, this is not against the reputable wilderness programs that are in our country, it's more about the awareness that the majority of teenagers need more than 6-9 weeks to change the behavior that causes you to read this post or call that educational consultant. Learn more about wilderness programs and our thoughts here . Be an educated parent before you spend that extra $15-30K.

As I share with parents, residential therapy is a major decision not to be taken lightly.  It's not about teaching your child a lesson, it's not about punishing your teen or scaring them straight -- residential therapy is a huge financial and emotional decision that is made after you have exhausted all your local resources. Residential therapy is a choice made out of love to give your child a second chance at a bright future. Usually a parent has reached their wit's end ; they have been to local therapy, some have even tried having their teen stay with a relative.  Some have been through extensive out-patient programs but it isn't until you remove (residential therapy) the teen from their environment that they will be able to heal and gain an objective view on what is the root of the issues. In the majority of families that contact us, these are not bad kids, these are kids that come from good families - raised with morals and taught right from wrong, however...

One of my favorite parts of being a Parent Advocate is being asked to share great articles, tips and resources to help parents today.  When I was asked to share this one, I felt it would not only help parents of teenagers, but younger kids too.  11 Ways to Keep Your Kids Safe on their Cell Phones Each new generation of parents face obstacles and menaces with which the previous generation never had to contend. The changing times have brought with them a new, more complicated world in which our children must learn to live, to thrive and, most importantly of all, to survive. Contemporary problems arrive without guidelines on the best way to teach our children to stay safe and protect themselves or precedents to guide us in teaching them. It is our job as parents to define the method and provide clear guidelines our children can follow and live with. But when you are in uncharted waters whose depths and dangers frighten you, how are you supposed to steer your children to...

We have constantly said that although October is Bullying Prevention Month , we also consider it Cyberbullying Prevention Month , we have to continuously discuss awareness and educate our communities on curbing this type of cruelty - both offline and online 365 days a year. The fact is bullying is no longer limited to our playgrounds, school hallways, bathrooms or even the cafeterias - these bullies follow your kids home electronically through their devices. This is why it is imperative to continue to learn as much as you can about online abuse as well as offline. This past October we had some great experts, advocates and educators that contributed to helping parents, students and others learn more. I want to share some of my favorites here, as well as some that I have written for this month... there are many others, be sure to continue to share them on Twitter with me at @SueScheff or on Facebook. How Empathy, Kindness and Compassion Can Build Belongingness and Reduce Bully...

As I share with parents,  deciding on sending your child to a therapeutic boarding school  is a major decision not to be taken lightly.  It’s not about teaching your child a lesson, it’s not about punishing your teen or scaring them straight — residential therapy is a huge financial and emotional decision that is made after you have exhausted all your local resources. Residential therapy is a choice made out of love to give your child a second chance at a bright future. Usually a parent has reached their  wit’s end ; they have been to local therapy, some have even tried having their teen stay with a relative.  Some have been through extensive out-patient programs but it isn’t until you remove (residential therapy) the teen from their environment that they will be able to heal and gain an  objective  view on what is the root of the issues. In the majority of families that contact us, these are  not  bad kids, these are kids tha...