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

Stressed out about your at-risk teen? As a parent advocate I am always receiving emails and phone calls on a variety of schools and programs from parents and students that have first hand experiences. My personal experiences are with Carolina Springs Academy that is now closed, however was under the WWASPS umbrella that still has programs operating in the United States such as Cross Creek, Red River Academy, Horizon Academy and most recently I am hearing about River View located in La Verkin, Utah. Diamond Ranch Academy , sadly, though I don't have first hand experiences, I am receiving more negative feedback about them. This week I receive another negative call.  Usually after 3 complaints, that run similar, I raise a red flag.   They asked me to listen to Bipolar Nation Radio . It reminds me of the days when we were fighting against WWASPS - and I can hear the frustrations and the pain in the mother and know the pain the parents are going through when you fee...

Only Oprah can go to places that many can't or won't dare. On February 8th, she took the airwaves with: A Special Report: Oprah and a No-Holds-Barred Conversation with Child Molesters . First, 90 percent of child molesters know their victims. Most are not strangers who lurk in the bushes, waiting to kidnap children. "We're talking about family friends, uncles, fathers, brothers and neighbors," Oprah says. "Less than 10 percent of molesters are the strangers who are abducting kids who you see on the news." Although this is a very sensitive and difficult topic to speak about, Oprah explored areas of why these men molest children and offers advice to parents and children about how to protect themselves and things they need to know. "I was raped at 9 and molested from the ages of 9 through 14, and because of that, I've always wanted to be able to sit down and talk to a group of child molesters and ask them why and how they do what they do,...

Did you just send your child/teen off to college for the first time? Be prepared as a parent for how your child is feeling, experiencing how they are coping. Here are some great parenting tips. Source: Connect with Kids “College is stressful. You’re trying to look what you’re going to be in the future, and you don’t really think about that in high school. When you’re in college you’re trying to be someone, get somewhere, and I think it’s a little bit stressful trying to get to where you want to be.” – Jennifer, 18 years old Throughout the summer, many high school graduates were eagerly counting the days until college, when they would begin a new life away from their eyes of their parents. But now that they’re in college many are discovering a dark cloud. High school senior Sarah has been busy narrowing down college choices and writing applications. She’s excited but also a little worried. “I think it’s going to be difficult to, you know, make all those new friends and adjust to it s...