Program survivors are being abused in survivor groups. “I survived the horrors of Aspen Ranch” Face Book group is a scam. : troubledteens

[–][deleted] 9 months ago*

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

permalink

[–]Dragonfly-gooneybird 3 points4 points5 points 9 months ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

[–]cherryeyes 2 points3 points4 points 9 months ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Wayne, As an admin of the group "I survived the horrors of Aspen Ranch" I feel that you are getting the wrong idea. I want you to know that I am not here to attack you or anyone else, I just think there is another side of the story that you are missing. Originally the group was started as a place where former students of Aspen Ranch could get together, share their stories & memories (whether they were good or bad), find friends they had made during their time there & share stories about how things in their life had changed or not changed since their time at the ranch. It was created to help former students, not to hurt them. It was a place where you could talk with other people who truly understand what you went through because they went through it too. It was intended to be a survivor group.

In the three years since the page has been opened it has changed slightly and sort of taken on a life of its own. When my friend Jordan(who you incorrectly refer to as "the worst of them all") and I started this page we did not intend for it to be a place where people talk shit about each other and continue the cycle of abuse we had previously been subjected to. We did not intend for it to be another place where people could judge, mistreat, abuse and hurt each other. And it was definitely not created to be another place where others can slander each other via the internet, i think we can all agree that is the last thing we need. That was not our intention at all. All people have their own opinions and beliefs and the opinions represented on the page definitely do not represent the ideas of everyone of its members or the opinions of the group as a whole.

If you wanted to hear stories, you should have just asked. I can assure you that had you just asked several people, myself included, would have happily told you our stories. Most of us want the truth to be known about Aspen Ranch and similar programs. There are many sides of the story of Aspen Ranch and many people got caught up in something they didnt quite understand or agree with and it left many people confused, hurt and angry. During my 6 1/2 months at Aspen Ranch I met a ton of people, both students, staff and parents, and I dont think any of them are bad people. Some of them may have done bad things or things you may call abusive, but i can honestly say that I dont think that was anyone's intention. The staff that I met who worked there were either working there because they needed a job, had previously been in a similar type of program and decided to work at one, or they were there because they wanted to try to help. But as we all know "help" is pretty much an opinion and differs greatly fro person to person. All most all of the students were there against their will and were just trying to get through it and make the best of a shitty situation. What most of us didnt know however is that when our parents signed us up for the program they signed over parental control temporarily over to the state, thus we, as minors, lost the right to some of our rights. Which is where some of this abuse you speak of comes from.

I certainly do not sympathize with abuse nor am I happy about some of the things that that happened during my time at the ranch both to me and other students, but i chose not to blame anyone for this and try to remain as un-biased as possible. And I am also not happy with what the group I helped to start ( I survived the horrors of Aspen Ranch) has become. But I can assure you, not all of the members of the group are "predators" or are there to hurt people or to abuse people. Many of us are just members so we can keep in contact and in some cases find other people who we met at the ranch. I am sorry to anyone who felt hurt, abused or preyed upon by other members of the group. We have since started taking measures to make the group a better place for former students of Aspen Ranch; for example making the group private and making it so people can't see the page unless they are members.

Again I am not doing this to attack or hurt anyone. I just wanted to set the record about the group and its intentions straight.

PH

[–]WayneKernochan2 2 points3 points4 points 8 months ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

When I was invited to join the Face Book group, "I survived the horrors of Aspen Ranch" it seemed simple. I had done it with similar program survivor groups, and had introduced myself as an Elan survivor who as a supporter of their cause, but it was clear right away that this Aspen Ranch group is different. I had heard about victims being attacked by pro program people, and ex staff members, and experienced it myself, but I had never seen a group run by them. It got bad right away.

The first post on the group was one by someone who said she had never done drugs before Aspen Ranch, and the first three people to comment had the same experience. The fourth comment disturbed me. Sallie Gill said this, "prolly cause you thought u were a bad ass when u were just a winey bitch who drove our whole team crazy. too bad you threw a great opprotunity away. but hey its your life to waste and you only get one." And then she said this, "glad all the fuck ups stay on the one side. makes it easier to do well in life."

I followed by asking her if she was an abuser. Her language and attitude warranted the question. Any survivor or reasonable person would agree. Sallie blocked me rather than answer, so her silence was answer enough for me, but it didn't end there. That was my introduction to Amber Speiss, (abuser) an ex staff member.

A quick search came up with this,. from Heal Online (a.k.a. Aspen Education Group--Confirmedly Abusive and Associated with the CEDU Cult Model) Amber Spiess (Bailey) Residential Supervisor has been with Aspen since 2000.

The horrors of Aspen Ranch are still going on. The group is nothing more than an attempt to lure in and silence survivors. The administrators support it and attack anyone who defends the victims. Jordan Moton is the worst of the bunch. # Amber Speiss (abuser) attacked me for saying that I was helping a former victim of Aspen to write a book. She didn't ask what the book is about, and didn't care, because she knows it is about abuse. How could it not be? Though there are people who say Aspen saved their life, there is a treasure trove of survivor stories online, so even if it did, it doesn't negate the experiences of those who were destroyed by it. Experts on brainwashing will tell you that people claim that prison saved their life.

Back to Amber Speiss (abuser) She started off with the usual program defense, that I was after a quick buck and had an agenda. I told her that I won't get a penny, and that I was only commenting on Sallie’s abusive post, calling people, "Whiney bitches" and "Fuck ups" but Amber called me a liar. I linked her to my book, A Life Gone Awry, and showed her that I won't even get money for that. The proceeds will go to CAFETY and Program Watch, to fight for the rights of children in abusive programs. Amber's response was typical. "But you're not affiliated with ANYONE, specifically CAFETY. Gottcha. Your story changes by the minute and I'm ending my part of this conversation. Too inconsistent. Stay objective, Wayne, let ALL the kids have their say, that you perp on."

[–]WayneKernochan2 2 points3 points4 points 8 months ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Amber thinks she's a good manipulator and liar, which is true, but only when applied to children. My agenda was to help abuse victims, and that enrages her. What does that say about her, and Aspen Ranch? Aspen was closed because of abuse. They pro Aspen bunch say it was because of decreased enrollment, but they forget to mention why enrollment decreased. The reason is because parents now have the internet, and they check out the places they are told to send their children. Aspen Ranch is closed because of abuse, end of story.

I left the group, only to be attacked and called a piece of shit, by a foul mouthed little girl from New Milford, Connecticut, named, Noelle Hutson. A psychology student at Baldwin-Wallace College. Noelle blocked me so that I couldn't see her remark, a typical internet troll tactic. When a friend defended me, she blocked him and deleted her comment. This is the action of a person who did well at Aspen. Another testament to its abuse and brainwashing.

Then there's Steve Burr (abuser). This was posted by one of Steve's victims. "Steve-you're a worthless piece of shit...I remember one time when blaze(small ass twelve year old) was so sick we had to help him walk to the dining hall .when he got there he couldn't lift his head off the table to talk to you ,the greatest person on earth in bum fuck Utah, that you and that dumb ass hoe robin (terrible cook) twisted his arms behind his back so hard he was crying in front of the main house for like an hour straight. You could hear the screams from the barn even. So fuck you you're a fat ass and haven't accomplished shit with your life except for tormenting children at a horrible place that lies completely to the parents and charges ridiculous prices...so fuck off." But what is the word of one survivor? It was enough to attract this response from another victim. "If yall only knew how bad it was when i was there. What you said happened to blaze was a daily thing."

Steve Burr hurt and abused children, and he joined the group to try to shut me up with his ridiculous program hogwash, but Steve (abuser) didn't know he was dealing with an adult who would bury him if he tried to twist my arm behind my back. He changed his tune when I told him I know he is living in Axtell, Utah, and I know where his wife works. The internet is a wonderful source of information.

The Face Book group, "I survived the horrors of Aspen Ranch" is abusive and hateful. A quick scroll down the group wall shows people being called, "Faggot," "Bitch," "Asshole," Crack whore," "Cunt," and more. Of course, you can't scroll down their group wall because as soon as I told Steve (abuser) that I was writing this article, they closed the group so that you can't see the truth, and the truth is that they behave hatefully, and are horrible to anyone they don't like. I can't close down their group, but since it is listed on Fornits Wiki as a survivor group, I won't stop trying to expose it, and I'm asking for your help.

Picture a Straight Inc, Kids of Bergen County, WWASP, or similar group, set up to do this exact same thing to you, and picture Miller Newton, Mel Sembler or Robert Lichfield calling you a whiney bitch, a Faggot or a baby, and ask what you would want someone to do for you. If you've never been to a program, you've certainly come across an internet bully or two. Ask yourself the same thing.

Please, for one day, spread the word about "I survived the horrors of Aspen Ranch," and help a survivor who may fall into the hands of these predators. It's the right thing to do.