okay lets just try to move right along. Save your daughter the trauma of going here. Confidentiality does not exist, girls will disclose to their therapists about something and will be punished for it. After researching this facility we had the impression this would be a nurturing and supportive environment for our child to continue her growth and development as she was exhibiting depression and anxiety. I got in severe trouble for going against the rules and acting out. Someone had to sit next to you while you ate to make sure that you finished ALL of it even though you were not required too. Often you would then be late to wherever you were going, which resulted in you receiving a minimum negative consequence of -5000. Girls are still suffering there and need your help. Treating people in a bubble and then expecting them to survive in the real world is laughable. , i went to eva carlston for 14 and a half months. A handful of family teachers were abusive and used shame and humiliation in addition to an extreme focus on "negative consequences". Has anyone tried to sue them for these conditions?? I am 25 now and this place still causes me extreme emotional distress. okay so all in all. Happiness rating is 62 out of 100 62. okay. Some of these sessions turned violent. The girls are punished for complaining and rewarded for reporting other students' infractions. Our team provides opportunities, challenges, and mentorship to help girls overcome these restrictions so that they can discover their own preferences and passions. so an example would be (a family teacher gave me this once which triggered me extremely because I am a victim of rape) youre alone with a boy and he tries getting in your pants. Overall this place is fucking sneaky and staff dont know what the hell they are doing. The staff make girls work out every day, yet dont feed us enough food. Kay recalls that one of the most insidious parts of her time in the program centered around eating. 338. She described one that took place early on in her year-long stay as being particularly disturbing. so I told my closed friend about the delusions and then it eventually got spread across the house and everyone was treating me like I was crazy which I was already treating myself like that. For some people that was enough food and for some people it wasnt. 22 Voice Acting jobs available in Sheridan, UT on Indeed.com. If you ever disagreed with a consequence you were asked to wait 10-15 minutes to disagree appropriately. You must start with a statement like I understand, give an empathy statement, re- state what they said to you, and then accept their decision. She previously worked as a Team Lead at Solstice RTC. I wanted to keel over and die. They suffer from severe PTSD, drug use, depression and eating disorders from the abuse at the hands of Eva Carlston. The Version table provides details related to the release that this issue/RFE will be addressed. This so called treatment center was a controlled environment that demoralized, demeaned, intimidated and caused emotional harm to me. experienced mental illness since she was a young girl. We utilize a wide-range of clinically validated interventions to help students try new activities, develop new skills, get involved in their community, and increase problem-solving skills and independence. Theyre best described as really, really intense therapy, more like brainwashing. Hubbell says Courtney ran the trainings, which they also call feedback heavy. She called me up and essentially forced me to expose my deepest, darkest trauma, they say. I must speak my truth even if this comment is deleted my Kristi Ragsdale . Once, when she was nearly faint for lack of food, she begged staff for a snack the Family Teacher on shift gave her 3 Wheat Thins to assuage her hunger. I also had my wisdom teeth removed while I was at ECA. I write this review in hopes of reaching parents who are considering sending their depressed, anxious daughters to this program. Even our daughters therapist snuck in food for her to eat during therapy sessions. A lot of times I would be really hungry during the day and I struggled to manage my emotions because of that. Eva Carlston did not respond to Refinery29s request for comment about interventions or under-feeding residents, citing HIPAA laws. After being very suicidal my parents felt there was no other option but to send me to wildernessyadda yadda I actually enjoyed wilderness believe it or not but then I found out I wasnt going to just go right back home for my senior year of high school(I was on a 3 time national champion varsity cheer squad mind you) but that I was going to an ALL GIRLS RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT FACILITY WOOHOO!! But staff wouldnt let me have it. It was the second program I was sent to after enduring the hell that is Eva Carlston Academy in Utah. After researching this facility we had the impression this would be a nurturing and supportive environment for our child to continue her growth and development as she was exhibiting depression and anxiety. If you so happen to make eye contact with a random boy, youll be forced to write essays in the basement about it for weeks or months. My parents and I thought I would be mentored and guided with appropriate therapy so I could grow and heal. If any former ECA students see this, know that I am so sorry for what you went through and for any role I played in it. We were told to change the topic if it sounded like we were complaining or being negative. I knew if I went to the hospital, I would be able to talk to people., "There's nothing more that we're afraid of than not being believed.". LeadCandy provides Full Profile, verified Email Address, Social Profile links, and Mutual Contacts of Eva Carlston Academy employees. My last night before my parents picked me up I went out of instructional control which means i got 50,000 negatives for not doing something they asked of me for once. If we did not eat everything on our plates we were given a severe negative consequence. You got 500 points for every good thing you did like going to workout in the morning, raising your hand in school, introducing yourself to someone new, doing your room chore in the morning(holy shit I need to come back to that part later wowwwza). so when you get there, youre on the daily level, its the first level of four. Our students are encouraged to support one another despite possible differences, and to interact in a way that fosters mutual growth and healing. The students live in a constant state of fear and dont tell their parents the truth because they are afraid of further punishment. , I am a former employee of Eva Carlston Academy. The level system consists of four levels, the first of which is called Daily. Any and all alleged/suspected abuse is reported to our state regulatory authorities, law enforcement, and Child Protective Services immediately as required.. When I asked for tofu or soup they got mad at me and I got in trouble. They pick favorites and basically say screw everyone else. The level system consists of four levels, the first of which is called Daily. Therapists would raise medications due to specific situations. One day a girl had asked several times to use the restroom but was denied. Aswell as we were force fed. I had to quit after only a short time because of the cruelty I witnessed there. oh story time, so a girl got on focus system which is like a major consequence. Please reach out to us at 801-449-0089 . SODAs stand for situation, options, disadvantages, advantages. Some survivors are calling for total abolition of the system. Therapists are in and out, and staff are fired if they show empathy or sympathy to the girls. I could write a book about this place. We were stuck in the house every single day expect for maybe a couple hours on saturday and like an hour on friday. It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to experience., Another technique Rayburn recalls being used during group therapy sessions at Eva Carlston Academy was called sculpting. A person would get up and they would take several people in the audience to act out certain things in their life, Rayburn says. The fact that our daughter was not allowed to express herself, robbed us from the opportunity to remove her from this extreme and abusive program. One day a girl had asked several times to use the restroom but was denied. also with girls there with severe eating disorders, they need the proper food intake. They didnt allow me to take any pain meds or even Advil! When Refinery29 asked Eva Carlston to comment on Kyra and Friedrichs claim that Kyra was removed from therapy, a spokesperson said, No student would be punished by being excluded from a group, however there may be situations where a student is not being respectful of other group members and would be asked to utilize their individual therapist until they are ready to engage productively in a group setting. Eva Carlston did not respond to Refinery29's request for comment about whether they use EMDR at their facility. And I would just sit at meals with this bucket next to me and just throw up in it. Staff members wouldnt let Kay go to the bathroom alone, either, she says: The staff really treated us like cattle. We had to eat every bit of food on our plates in a specified time frame, for example breakfast was required to be finished within 10 minutes including preparation. But youre usually about a week or two from graduating at this point anyway so who gives a shit? We know what this vile industry is like, and I'm sorry to say that your testimony is 'classic TTI'. Staff promised that they would get me a smoothie after my surgery. It was the worse 11 months of my life. Its like you can either get with the program or not. Nobody likes it there. And the sad part part about Eva Carlston is that everyone who works there thinks that everything they do is in the interest of the girls. I have seen girls ask staff for emotional support and be rejected, being told that there were more important things for the student to do. Not one word that you've written is remotely new to us; the same thing happens day in, day out, across many hundreds of facilities in the U.S. We were referred to this program by a highly-experienced and well-regarded educational consultant. We were given no choice with regards to the daily workout; we were forced to participate in the preselected program or we would receive negative consequences. This led to severe emotional harm as I was restricted in telling my parents what I was experiencing and was manipulated to hold it in. 530 followers. I was in a juvenile detention center before ECA and I can honestly say I got treated better there and had more rights. Many of our girls have limited or restricted their involvement in activities because of negative life experiences or emotional and social difficulties. I drank 13 (yes, around 13) bottles of water every 24 hours just to fill how hungry I was. I was kind of experiencing active trauma, so it was hard to do that, I guess. She was at Eva Carlston the same time as Kyra, and remembers Kyra being taken out of the specialty group. She left Uinta in 2005 to work as a Therapist at Solstice RTC, before leaving to work at Eva Carlston. All family members are encouraged to take responsibility for their role in familial problems as well as their resolution. Salt Lake City, UT Residential Treatment Center History and Background Information Eva Carlston Academy is . In order to refrain from receiving these negative consequences our daughter felt she had to hide her feelings and couldnt open up and be honest about her emotional state. My ridiculous plan was to jump off the balcony and injure myself so I could go to the hospital and get out of there. Eva Carlston treats mental health like a gardener treats a dandelion/weed. Talk about insanity! on Fridays (and sometimes thursdays) we went on outings. It was signed into law in April. I still have panic attacks if I hear the words "residential treatment" or if I have to clean anything while on a time limit. Find people working at Eva Carlston Academy. This process helps them develop and maintain healthy relational skills that will transfer to life after treatment. Something was just gnawing away at me for years and I could not put my finger on it. okay so in school you could get consequences for getting below a 70% on a quiz / test. to earn your privileges, (dessert, listening to music, socialize, watch tv, having free time) so if you didnt have your privs, you have to do SODAs. I encourage everyone who is considering sending their daughter to ECA to read these negative and exposing reviews that are buried under the many success stories that the academy advertises. if youre not going to read this long ass paragraph, just please listen to these next three things. The NPI number of Eva Carlston Academy is 1427330968 and was assigned on September 2011. Maya Friedrich attended Eva Carlston Academy from December 2014 to April 2016, and tells Refinery29 being put into EMDR therapy with the clinical director was a pretty common experience. EMDR has been recommended to treat PTSD by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Psychiatric Association (APA). its like a weird subtraction system that I never got on and it never made sense to me. I have since learned that the Eva Carlston model was created for treating manipulative, lying girls and I do not know the efficacy of the program for that population. This place will steal your soul. u/Iloveflowersandboobs (Reddit), April 2020: (SURVIVOR) Eva Carlston Academys website has been carefully designed to depict their residential treatment center as a caring and nurturing environment where teenage girls can feel physically and emotionally safe enough to process and recover from trauma and mental illness. I am now almost 22 and still dealing with the after effects of this program. we all had to keep our mouths shut in order for anyone to stay safe. However, I doubt anyone there currently will tell you the truth because you get in trouble for doing so. if you started crying when they gave you negative points, they would progressively increase the number you got. its like a weird subtraction system that I never got on and it never made sense to me. ECA bases its campus culture, or milieu, on the Family Teaching Model made popular by Boys Town. Eva Carlston Academy is a drug rehab facility in Salt Lake City, Utah. A consequence was -2000 points on the daily level and those consequences were given for things like forgetting your water bottle for morning workout, not opening your blinds in your room in the morning, not making your bed neat enough, having holes in your socks, the list of minute stupid tiny little baby fucking joke bad things you could get a consequence for goes on and on. I speak from my own experience and as someone in college studying psychology. There were very few staff that genuinely cared and they left because they said there were sketchy things about Eva Carlston they did not want to be around. I was shivering and extremely insecure as some other stranger told me to lift up my arms, squat, cough, and walk around in a circle. Between 2005 and 2017, when social media usage grew . Girls were forced to starve themselves because everyone had to take measuring cup servings. I think I failed every single test there except maybe three because they wouldnt listen to me about my way of learning. I did EMDR for one session with [the clinical director] and then I was like, Why am I doing this? It is very scary forced to increase powerful psychological medications for expressing feelings or having a bad day, not for diagnosis purposes. Ask a friend of yours to ring her and inquire about ECA and see for yourself! All residents are fed a highly low-fat diet with strict portion control. Eva Carlston Academy | 184 followers on LinkedIn. okay last big part of this. She was often lightheaded from hunger and unable to focus in class. Usually they are busy and dont respond right away so you have to wait. I have seen many girls, including myself, graduate and very quickly relapse into old, or even new and more severe, behaviors. The only part of this program that was helpful was the individual therapy. she didnt mean to lose her dad. When I asked for tofu or soup they got mad at me and I got in trouble. she then didnt run or anything she just had an anxiety attack and searched and searched for the majority of the time of her visit. They also didn't tell me why., When Refinery29 reached out for comment on this matter, Eva Carlston said: Providing the best possible care for teens and families who are struggling is the priority for Eva Carlston, and the vast majority of our clients have a positive experience. Your readers and viewers can hear directly from some of our students and parents by visiting our Spring Ridge Academy YouTube Channel., Neither Rae nor Hubbells stories are outliers many former residents of Troubled Teen programs report similar experiences with questionable therapy techniques, some of which are reminiscent of Synanons The Game. it was never an appropriate time to express any emotion that wasnt submissive obedience. This was certainly not the case. Although Hilton hasnt been the first survivor to come forward, her huge platform guarantees that the message shes sharing is widely heard, and can encourage others to speak out. If we didnt make a certain amount of points a day we couldnt talk to people really for 24 hours and we had to sit and write essays. If you want to learn more or to make a formal complaint about your experience, or your childs experience, you can reach them by calling: 801/538-4242. Group members will learn to identify their addictive behaviors and thinking errors, and will master techniques to manage triggers. Then I asked to speak to the authorities and they told me I would have to find a phone which there were none and they told me I couldnt leave sooo wtf again. WHAT THE HECK DUDE!!!! or being more efficient with day to day activities. This type of cruel punishment made my anxiety triple. Students come to Eva Carlston with a wide range of emotional and behavioral issues. There was and is a girl there that has put other people in danger over and over again wether that be throwing windex at someones head. Utah's Office of Licensing inspects and regulates each facility, and sometimes finds neglect, child abuse or sexual misconduct. Instead I was shipped off to good old home of the Mormons Salt Lake City to what i was soon to discover as hell on earth, thats right, you guessed it, Eva Carlston Academy!! Often staff would pull us from school/classes to do yard work and shoveling. When I would sleep, I would scratch my skin to the point where it was bleeding and I had scars on my back. The dietary restrictions they place on these girls is not healthy. It's through a combination of sophisticated therapy, mentorship, the arts, and experiential learning that . but the other outings we went on were going to symphonies, art galleries, walking around the ginormous mormon church in downtown salt lake, and sometimes if we were lucky going to hockey games. Parents, do not let Eva Carlston Academy manipulate you into sending (or keeping) your daughter there if its not a good fit. , Interesting that my review was removed. Nothing from our visit with the students alerted us to the possibility of harm coming to our child. If you do not have enough points on your cards at the end of the night you are not given your night snack. I was on the slimmer side of normal. If you have after meal clean up you sweep/mop all wood floor, vacuum both rugs, wash dishes, clear and spray counters, have someone check it off to make sure it is acceptable. [Courtney] was very adamant that she was trained at a WWASP school, says Sara Hubbell, 22, who attended Spring Ridge Academy from February 2016 to August 2018.