#suws

For people who preach accountability so intensely, you'd think they'd have a modicum of accountability themselves... but no every single one of them is a lying scumbag con artist. I hope they're as terrified as they made us, and I hope it lasts for.ev.er.

When I die

let my bones lay

in the carolina sun

let me rest in the shade

lay me under the pines

- unknown

I have spent the last 15 years trying to heal from the emotional and physical trauma SUWS put me through. I’m now a registered nurse & have a background with young teens, & specializing in behavioral health.

First let’s talk about how two grown men pulled me out of my bed at 3am, not telling me where I was going, only that I wouldn’t be able to tell anyone goodbye and if I resisted they’d ‘tie me up’. As parents, your children will look to you for safety and stability, having them professionally kidnapped will forever harm that relationship.

The program itself is set up and founded on outdated and damaging psychology. There is now decades of research and thousands of former ‘campers’ like myself coming forward to talk about how traumatizing and harmful these programs are, and it blows my mind that people are desperate enough to pay over 30k to send their child away but not ACTUALLY DO THERAPY with them.

Your children will be at high risk of developing an eating disorder. Your child may develop PTSD from being kidnapped. Your child might become more isolated. Your child WILL learn they can not ever fully trust you again. Your child will resent you.

The parents weekend they have when you pick up your child is all a show. Your child will not have the opportunity to shower regularly (I went 28 days without being allowed to bathe) your girls will be at such a risk for UTIs, they give them supplements to prevent, but not actual hygiene. Your girls have 2 pairs of underwear to last over 21 days with no shower, think about that. No deodorant, no shaving, so if you’re queer or female presenting, you may also develop some dysphporia.

The real kicker? The staff watching your child are not qualified to do so. The counselors are often early 20s people who like hiking, no mental health experience. The one therapist they see happens once a week, for under 45 min.

I didn't have any issues with not being fed or given enough water, but I can confirm the other reviews about the poor hygiene. In the 2 months I was there, I think they allowed us to shower 2-3 times in total. Even when we were back at the base camp, they usually didn't let us shower. Not being allowed to shower for 2 months is very unhealthy, and nearly caused me to get an infection. Guys know what can happen when you don't regularly clean down there. I was too embarrassed to bring it up to any of the staff, who I barely knew. Even without a full shower, they should have at least given us wet wipes or something to use daily to clean private areas.

There was essentially no privacy, except when using the bathroom or showering. Even when doing that, we had to yell out every few seconds so the staff knew we hadn't run away. We weren't allowed to have "private conversations" with each other. All conversations had to be within earshot of the staff, and they controlled what we were allowed to talk about. We weren't even allowed to know what time it was for some reason. They never really explained that one. Also, the letters we wrote to our parents weren't private either. They were first read by the staff before being sent to our parents.

Also, I was there during Hurricane Sandy. They knew the storm was coming, and didn't take us inside to the dry, heated cabins. Instead, we had to sleep outside in the woods under a tarp (not even a fully enclosed tent), while we got several inches of snow and ice with strong winds all night. Most of us didn't get any sleep from the noise, and because we were afraid a tree would fall on us from the strong winds.

Quiet a few teenagers found themselves being used as entertainment on the DR. Phil show. It is a show that criminalize the entire transition process from child to adulthood. In Denmark where most of the authors come from, we have managed to provide the teenagers a safe environment where they can socialize over beer and wine. In fact teenagers in Denmark can buy alcohol on their own once they…