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I am a pediatrician and a parent of a former student. Do not send you child here.
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I absolutely do not recommend this school for troubled teens. I am a pediatrician, a child abuse physician, and a parent of a former student.
These "Christian" non-medical schools should be permanently closed. They operate in a grey area. Neither parent nor the State can provide oversight since they operate as a religious facility and not as a medical facility. Accordingly they can use unlicensed and unqualified staff to conduct "psychological" therapy on your teen. Parents must "sign over" their child to the school so parents do not have recourse.
So why did we pick this school for our daughter? We chose the school because they told us about the intensive psychological therapy they provided. We were very clear that our daughter needed intensive mental health counseling as directed by her hometown PhD therapist.
My daughter told me she received less than an hour a week of therapy over 8 months. Therapy as my daughter experienced it consisted of being told how to think and what to feel on a daily basis. If you did not repeat what the "therapist" said then you would be punished.
The "therapist" was NOT a mental health counselor but a staff member who did not hold a mental health degree or licensure.
Once we "signed" her over to LGA and learned she was not receiving therapy as promised we had no recourse. They control your daughter and you cannot speak with them unless the school provides permission.
All calls are closely monitored when you did speak with your child. If my daughter said something that was damaging to the school the phone call would immediately end and she would be punished.
My daughter attended the school in 2020 when a girl died while under their care. My daughter heard this young girl dying from the next room while the staff "prayed" for her. The DCF report cites inadequate supervision and medical neglect as the reason for this young lady's death. The school did not allow this girl to seek medical attention for a month and until it was too late. My daughter says she was complaining for a month and told the staff she was having really bad nightmares days before she died.
I called the school and asked to speak with my daughter on an unmonitored line after the program director sent the parent's an email telling us about the death of a previously healthy girl at the school. Dan (the program director) called me back and said I was not allowed to speak with my daughter. I said a death occurred in a previously healthy teen and as a pediatrician I know healthy teens do not suddenly die. I again reiterated my need to speak with daughter on an unmonitored line. Dan replied that if I did not like what he had to say then I could withdraw my daughter from the school. The problem with doing that was I was bound by contract for all payments even if I remove my child. I would have owed the school ~$30k at that moment. I had no recourse if I did not want to pay. Dan did eventually permit the call but on a monitored line. My daughter was not free to speak openly.
Fortunately shortly after this incident and after I raised many questions as a pediatrician and a child abuse doctor my daughter was expelled.
My child lived in fear at this school. There are much much better options for your troubled teen. Do not make the same mistake we did.
Read about this girl's unnecessary and unfortunate death and the DCF report here:
wtsp.com/article/news/lo...)
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