I was 13, turning 14, in my last few weeks at my time at Eagle Ranch Academy, “a therapeutic boarding school” I was sent to after having a significantly traumatic childhood. Experiencing abandonment and abuse from drug addict parents.
I was sent by my aunt and uncle, who had taken me in, when they felt they could no longer help me.
I was one of the youngest patients in the program. Most of the other kids were 16/17 and struggling with substance abuse issues.
Shoes, chairs, outside time, quality of meals, freedom to express yourself, were all privileges that had to be earned. Physical restraint–to the point of assault–individualized personal attacks, made in front of other patients, etc, were parts of daily life. We had to shower in seven minutes. Contact with the outside world, including family members, was not allowed. All of the boys’ heads were shaved, and the staff were under-trained, barely in their 20s, often freshly graduated, who constantly changed.
The program director was known to pick and choose favorites. Allowing certain kids privileges and freedoms to watch television, have outside food, etc. Certain staff drank and/or did substances with students.
The education program was a practically non-existent online school, for a couple of hours, in silence, per day.
The program only furthered my lack of self-understanding and increased self-hatred. I was fat-shamed, made fun of by homophobic staff and charges, and their primary focus was on their success story kids. They kept everyone else medicated and used band-aids to stop them from acting out, so they could keep taking huge amounts of money from the families. They do not offer better therapy than other outpatient programs. They are for parents who gave up or, frankly, are too lazy.