I did my internship for my Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology at a behavioral modification academy. As a graduate student, you can't be picky with your choices so when I was accepted I took it. This was the summer, fall, and winter, of 2012 at Gerard Academy in Austin, MN. The levels of abuse at Gerard were extreme and undoubtedly led to permanent trauma . They are run like a cult. The therapists are forced to follow strict guidelines which they are not allowed to deviate from in anyway. The therapists purposely insulate themselves from how the children are being treated away, from therapy. I personally witnessed attack or "confrontational" therapy twice. I was myself traumatized by what I saw. Literally it was like a dog fighting pit, with therapists and staff goading the children with sharpened sticks. I refused to work in that unit once that happened, and changed to a different age group. I confronted staff about forcing children to sit for hours on end without being able to utter a word. I was basically told "Your an intern, STFU." I also confronted the director about basic psychological principles that he clearly was misusing/abusing, which got me nowhere. Children were mainly sent there for reasons stemming directly from parental overreach (neglect or abuse), or simple things like accessing porn. The Psychiatrist's gave blanket diagnoses for every child, and thus gave everyone the same meds... The Psychiatrists were all of the old guard and not open to any research, or new information from their days being trained in the 70's. At the time I was at Gerard EVERY child had "Asperger's." Returning to the cult theme: The tests, measurements, and metrics used for treatment plans were treated like the Scripture. Even though they lacked serious credibility, peer review, and used catch all labels and diagnoses. The founder of the school was viewed as a God. The director and governing body were treated as divinity.
Essentially everything at the school contradicted all the undergraduate and graduate education I had received in my life. As an intern I had no agency, no efficacy, or effective means to change anything. I couldn't trust anyone, so I had to keep my mouth shut as children were misdiagnosed and maltreated.
I did research into reporting the school. There was ONE (Alderman) inspector to examine my claims, against an entire academy and the multimillion dollar conglomerate that owned several of these schools. The only result of reporting them would have been the cancelation of my internship, and the promise of never getting another one.
If you care about your kids don't send them here! read more
