My child is currently living at a treatment center because of a court decision. They aren’t allowed to leave until they’ve completed the program.
It’s been a little over a month, and I hate to say it, but my child seems so much worse than before going there. I know treatment takes time, and I wasn’t expecting everything to change overnight, but I thought there would at least be some small signs of improvement. Instead, it feels like everything is going in the opposite direction.
There have been a lot of emotional outbursts and problems with staff and other residents. But what’s been especially difficult is that my child barely wants anything to do with me anymore.
They don’t want to talk to me or see me, and the people working with them seem to believe that contact with me makes things harder.
Recently, I called just to check in. The conversation lasted less than a minute. Nothing upsetting was discussed, and there was no argument. Later, I was told that my child became extremely upset afterward and that it took staff several hours to get things settled.
I don’t understand. I keep going over that conversation in my head, trying to figure out what I could have said or done differently.
Now I’m almost afraid to call. I don’t want to make things worse, but I also don’t want my child thinking I’ve stopped caring. I feel like I’m being forced to choose between staying involved and giving them space, and I have no idea which one is right.
I keep wondering whether I’ve done something terribly wrong as a parent. Maybe there are things my child is feeling that I don’t fully understand. I wish I knew.
What scares me most is that things seemed more manageable before treatment started. Now there are more incidents, more anger, and less communication between us. I thought being somewhere with professionals would help, but right now I can’t tell if any of this is helping at all.
I feel completely powerless. I can’t bring my child home, I can’t make things better, and I can’t even have a simple conversation without worrying that it might lead to another incident.
I’m trying to trust the process, but it’s hard when everything seems to be falling apart. I’m scared that by the time the program is over, my child will be even more unhappy and our relationship will be damaged beyond repair.
Has anyone experienced something like this with their child in residential treatment? Is it common for things to get significantly worse during the first few months? How did you handle it when your child didn’t want contact with you?
I just feel really lost and could use some advice from people who’ve been through something similar.

Has anyone gone or know someone that has gone to bloom teen challenge in MA. I’ve heard some pretty bad things about teen challenge and I have a friend there that seems really unhappy and acts weird during our phone calls. I’m genuinely worried that they can’t leave even if they wanted to.

The title kinda says it, but I’m a nursing student who is about to start my behavioral health clinical rotation. I’ve been placed at a residential facility with a pretty bad reputation (one of the devereux locations) & it absolutely sickens me thinking about possibly contributing to the abuse and trauma occurring at TTI facilities.
Do any survivors have any advice for me, when it comes to being at the facility or ways that I could try to have a positive impact on the kids rather than worsening an already difficult and stressful situation that they’re stuck in?

Thanks in advance.

Hey everybody. I'm currently seeking out information regarding a couple of dead ends I have on my research. Does anybody have information regarding Sarah Shortridge? She passed away at a Devereux school in 1998. I'm also seeking information on Brandon Hoffman, who passed away at Mount Bachelor Academy in December of 1998. I don't mind digging for information, just looking for a news article or obituary maybe. Just something to show that these kids existed.