Lone Star Expeditions
Lone Star Expeditions was a behavior modification program using the concept of wilderness therapy. The target group was teenagers between 13 and 17. The program was founded in 2002 <Ref>Info about the program on NATSAP</Ref>.
Indholdsfortegnelse
Program
The program was 28 days minimum.
In the early years they kept about 8 detainees in their groups, but in October 2008 they announced that they will encrease groups to 10 teenagers.
Phases
They used a level system, where the newly arrived teenager was kept from other the other detained teenagers during the settler phase until they broke down and accepted their banishment from their family and friends.
The Levels are as following:
| Level | Program purpose | Focus of the detained teenager |
|---|---|---|
| Settler | Assesment | Accept their situation |
| Pioneer | Habits & Patterns | Personal responsibility |
| Explorer | Skill development & internalization | Relationship skills |
| Tracker | Ownership | Ledership |
Each week consisted of 5 days of hiking and camping. One days was done with ropes courses and finally a day in a cabin where they could wash their clothes and take a shower.
October 2008 they announced that they will continue to use this 5-1-1 model and therapy will conducted on the day where the groups are conducting rope courses in order to reduce costs.
Hiking days
A typical day when hiking consist of:
| Morning | Noon | Afternoon | Evening |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wake up | Arrive at new campsite | Set up camp | Camp chores |
| Personal hygiene | Hand washing and lunch preparation | Academic work or therapeutic assignments | Personal Hygiene. |
| Breakfast | Lunch | games and possibly crafts | Dinner preparation and clean up. |
| Pack up equipment and clean up campsite following Leave No Trace principles | Lunch clean-up | Phase work | Letter and journal writing. |
| Hike | Group processing session | ||
| Crafts | |||
| reading or personal time | |||
| Bed |
Therapy Days
When the detained teenagers were not hiking they were put through a stict regimen of group therapy session as well as individual sessions with counselors. These therapeutic interventions were typically on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Communication
The detained teenager was restricted from all other means of communication than letters. The parents spoke with a therapist over the phone once a week. At the end of the expedition the parents could choose to spend a day or two at the faciliy where they participated in a number of exercises with the teenager before they graced the teenager back into the family.
In the news
One of the detained teenager - Matthew Meyers died september 19, 2004. The case number at Trinity County District Court is 19631 and it was filed on July 31, 2006 <Ref>Lone Star Expeditions - Thread about the death - Fornits Webforum</Ref> <Ref>Former Alvin High student dies at camp, The Facts, September 23 2004</Ref>.
In January 2007 the program have received a warning for not testning the water quality according to regulations <Ref>Written warning</Ref>.
October 2008 they announced that they would lower rates and reduce their clinical focus <Ref>Lone Star Reduces Tuition By Reducing Clinical Focus, press release on strugglingteen.com - industry marketing firm</Ref>.
March 2009 it was announced that they will close April 6 <Ref>Aspen Education Group - Returns To Its Roots, press-release on strugglingteen.com - industry marketing firm</Ref>
External links
Info pages
- Info: Program homepage
- Info: Why are Kids Sent to Boot Camps?, youtube (Program is mentioned)
- Info: Can Wilderness Camps Kill Your Kid?, Family section, Momlogic, June 22, 2009
- Info: Killer Camps: Another Troubled Teen Dies, by Gina Kaysen Fernandes, MomLogic, September 25, 2009
Survivor groups
- Survivor group: Group for survivors of wilderness program, who are alive to tell their story, Myspace
- Survivor Group: Wilderness Program Graduates, Facebook
- Survivor Group: I Survived Wilderness, Facebook
- Survivor Group: ×º× I §u®vívéd LSE ׺×, myspace
- Survivor Group: Lonestar expeditions, Facebook
Message boards
- Forum: Aspen Forum on fornits
- Forum: Aspen Education Group Programs - subforum on the message board of Fight Institutional Child Abuse Network (FICAN)
- Forum: Aspen - subforum on the message board of Community Alliance For the Ethical Treatment of Youth (CAFETY)
References
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