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

  UPDATE - February 21, 2021 Wood Creek Academy Wood Creek Academy  sent me a Cease and Desist letter to remove this blog.... so I will edit it - since they believe it was defamatory. The letter is below. I can't believe it's been over  17 years since my nightmare  with WWASPS.  WWWASP as officially disbanded now. Sadly I still receive emails (in 2021) from students struggling to overcome the emotional trauma they endured during their time at a WWASPS facility, as well as many simply looking for help in seeking academic credits. Neither which I can help them with, however it never ceases to amaze me that there are so many victims that have been effected by these people. The blessing is that many parents are doing their due diligence and learning how to educate themselves before placing their child into a residential therapy school or program.   They are asking the right questions, and digging deeper into the past of the program.  If your gut is tw...

  Why Parents Should Listen to Paris Hilton’s Story   I get it, it’s Paris Hilton, socialite, reality star and entitled child that seemed to have it all.  Why would anyone take advice from or even want to listen to her? Well, I’ll speak for myself, as a mother – Paris is not someone I would consider a role-model or even someone I ever thought I could learn from as a parent, but I was wrong.   In the weeks leading up to the “ This Is Paris ” documentary, I was initially frustrated at why anyone needed to hear from her in the middle of a pandemic when many are struggling with unemployment and just trying to make ends meet – not to mention back-to-school and all the difficulties online learning brings.   Then on a Sunday morning, there she was on a reputable morning show I always watch, being interviewed by a respectable journalist about “This Is Paris”. I was taken aback when I realized this wasn’t a spoiled brat wanting more airtime (or should we say fac...

Summer programs and camps can be an excellent time to give your teenager a boost of self-esteem as well as helping them with  grade recovery  if they have been underachieving during the school year. If your teen has been making bad choices for a while, chances are good it will take longer than 6-9 weeks to undo this negative behavior. However since making the decision to leap into a  residential treatment center or therapeutic boarding school  is not only an emotional one, it’s also very expensive — starting with a good  summer program  can sometimes be a way to determine if your teen is a fit for the longer-term program. After attending a summer program, you can determine the following: 1. They come home and go back to school in the fall. 2. They continue with the residential therapy educational program. 3. They come home, go back to school and if things don’t go so well, you know that he/she can go back to that program and finish it. ...

Have you been told your teen needs a wilderness program? As a Parent Advocate and Family Consultant in the Teen Help Industry since 2001, there’s no secret -it’s a  big business . On a weekly basis we receive calls from parents that have parted with thousands of dollars after a conversation with someone that advises them that their teenager needs a wilderness experience. But how do you really know this? Take time to consider the following. Wilderness programs,  why are some people always so quick to say, “ Your teen needs a good wilderness experience .” Do you really understand what a wilderness program is? Do you understand that the majority of participants are asked to continue on to a Residential Treatment Center (RTC) or Therapeutic Boarding School (TBS) – which means your teen will be starting all over again with a new therapist as well as  you   paying  all over again for start-up fees? Why not start and finish in one place? Well, ...

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...

Summer is almost here and parents are searching for summer programs to help their struggling teens.  Many hope that a good summer programs will make a difference in their negative behavior. Today parents will complain about the following issues with their teenagers: Underachieving.  Capable of getting A's yet satisfied with C's and D's. Dropping out of their favorite sport or activity. Smoking pot -- occasionally - though parents may blame it on the friends, please keep in mind, it is your child making the decision to inhale that joint or pop that pill.   Drinking - again, it may be the friends you want to blame, but are they holding the bottle to your teen's mouth? Sneaking out of the house Defiance, lying, stealing Maybe they have changed their peer group this year? Let's face it, with a combination of any of these above, you could be traveling down a negative path. Chances are very good a short-term summer program will not address a long term...

The holidays are over, school is back in session and your teen is still driving you mad! So many parents hope and pray, with each day - week - month - maybe after the holidays, after this or after that, things will get better.... Sometimes they do - however most of the time, the behavior seems to escalate. As a parent you will go back to trying local therapy, if you can convince your teen to attend - maybe find peer support groups.  Then maybe out-patient, in-patient - maybe they think a few meds will do the trick..... Yes, I am being a bit facetious.  I am not someone that is against medication when it is needed, but I see too often that teens are given mood stabilizers or anti-depressants so quickly.  (This happened with my own child) - when in reality we are dealing with kids today that have spoiled rotten brats - entitlement issues - and teens today that simple act-out when they don't get their own way? After parents have exhausted all their local resources,...

   Is your teen withdrawing from the family? Summer is here and some parents will be considering summer camps while others are in the midst of hoping their teenager passed the school year, or had enough credits to graduate. If you are the parent of a teen who is struggling with school and acting out, it can drive you to your wit's end.   Maybe your once fun-loving teenager who is good looking, intelligent, and has lots of good friends is now talking back to you, staying out late or sneaking out, defiant, and possibly sexually active? On the flip side, your once sweet child might be a teenage misfit who is acting out because of bullying, or is experimenting with sex, drugs, and/or alcohol in a desperate attempt to find acceptance. What happens when you have a teenager that decides they don't want to finish high school when they are more than capable? Perhaps they were consistently getting excellent grades and now they are just getting by or failing...

Summer is almost here and the calls are coming in from parents that are struggling with what to do with their at-risk teens. Some issues we are hearing: Failing some classes, when they are more than capable of getting passing grades, if not straight A's. Dropping out of their favorite sport or activity. Smoking pot -- occasionally - though parents may blame it on the friends, please keep in mind, it is your child making the decision to inhale that joint or pop that pill.   Drinking - again, it may be the friends you want to blame, but are they holding the bottle to your teen's mouth? Sneaking out of the house. Defiance, lying, stealing...... Maybe they have changed their peer group this year? Let's face it, with a combination of any of these above, you could be traveling down a negative path.  Chances are very good a short-term summer program will not address a long term solution. It can irritate me when I see parents get sucked into these very expensive W...

Post Newtown tragedy and we as a society not only mourn the loss of precious lives, we are debating what we can do from to prevent this from happening again. The conversation of gun control and mental health will continue for a long time. As someone that works with parents of struggling teenagers, I am faced on a weekly basis with families that are at their wit’s end.  They have exhausted all their local resources, the therapy sessions are going nowhere (if you can get your child to attend), school has usually reached their limit with the student, and in some cases the local authorities are now involved. Over the past few weeks we have heard from parents that feel like their teenagers are holding them hostage in their own homes.  They will punch holes in walls, they will scream at their parents, the level of disrespect today is at an all time high.  Sadly, though we are only hearing about this in the media lately, it has been going on for years. Som...

At this time of year, it seems we are contacted by more and more parents that have an 18 year old or a 17 year old that is almost 18. If you have been struggling with your younger teen and like many of us, keep hoping and praying it will change , take a moment to think about if it doesn’t. Don’t miss an opportunity to give your child a second chance for a better future. Whether it is local therapy, a motivational out-patient program or a residential therapeutic boarding school - as parents we do what is best for our kids. “My 18 year old is out of control and I am at my wit’s end! What can I do?” Anonymous Parent . 18 – 19 year old teens can be the most difficult to address simply because they are considered adults and cannot be forced to get help. As parents, we have limited to no control. Practicing “ tough love ” is easier said than done, many parents have a problem letting their child reach rock bottom. As parents, we see our child suffering whether it is needing...

Is your teen smoking pot? You have about reached your wit's end , your teenager is driving you nuts over this holiday school break. The school grades have come in only to find out that your once honor roll student is now failing.  They have announced they are no longer interested in the sport they used to love or the instrument they used to play. Their group of friends are changing, their personality has gone from happy to withdrawn and secretive, not to mention the defiance. Typical teen?  Maybe, but what happens when it escalates to an extreme that parents feel like they are being held hostage in their own home? What happens when a parent discovers their teen is using drugs?  Just marijuana?  Just a few beers? Don't be a parent in denial.  Be proactive. There will come a time when the one hour once a week of therapy just isn't working.  Your teenager is manipulating the therapist - in some cases the therapist will just continue the game, aft...