We are not adding any new comments to this page but you can still read some of the comments previously submitted by readers. Tamie, Phoenix, AZ
My daughter is also at Casa by the Sea and has
been for 14 months now. Casa is not a 'boot camp". It is a behavioral modification
treatment center and boarding school. Kids do not wear military style clothing, they wear uniforms,
much like you would find at any private school. You know, khaki pants,
long sleeved shirts with button down collars and ties. Secondly, they do not use physical activity as a form
of discipline. And finally, Casa, and all of the WWASP schools, do treat
the underlying emotional problems of the child and the family. They promote whole and healthy families through education,
growth and change. The students and parents attend seminars seperately and
together. Students attend group therapy on a regular basis and may also
get individual therapy as needed. In addition to treating their emotional
issues, students continue their education through an American accredited
Academy. Janice, Riverside, USA As a parent sending a child to a school like this is
very hard, but until you have been in that place yourself, dealing with
an out of control teen who is on the path to self destruction, you should
not judge. My son has truly changed his life, he now has a vision
and a goal for his life and intends to live it with gratitude and love.
He is ready to take challenges and contiue on his journey. Also, he has graduated high school at Casa by the Sea
six months early, that alone is a great feat as he was 18 months behind
his grade level when he entered the school. On the day we brought him home, he sincerely thanked
us for sending him to Casa. Annon I am British, but live in the States and my daughter
is at Casa by the Sea. For three years we saw her spiral downwards into a life
of drugs, heavy drinking, dropping out of school, trouble with the law
etc. I feared for her life and wondered if she would ever pull out it,
seeing as she intended to leave home as soon as possible. We tried every avenue of help available and nothing worked.
In the end she went to Casa. Yes, it works on behaviour modification. And the problem
with that? It is a warm and caring environment. My daughter is clean
and sober and working on getting back on track. They don't wear army fatigues
or run around carrying logs. She seems relieved to be taken out of the destructive
spiral she was in, where she was losing everything she ever cared about.
She is making up the education that she lost. She has
made great friends, has many happy days and doesn't hate us. We did it because we love her enough to risk losing her
love in order to save her life. Perhaps if a few more people would take responsibility
for their children when they lose themselves, we'd have a few less problems
in our society. Annon My daughter had started to get into trouble at the beginning
of 7th grade. I took her to a psychologist, but this outlet didn't make
any difference. She began to hang out with kids who at her age were already
in drug and alcohol rehab programs. By February 2001, my daughter was
going to rave clubs. We learned of runaway plans the week of March 9,
2001, and shortly thereafter we had her escorted to Casa by the Sea. We did not send her there to "break" her, and she is
not "broken." She was broken before she got there. She became whole at
Casa. She examined what her values were, determined what it
meant to live her life according to the values that SHE developed, decided
what she wanted her life to look like, and developed a strategy to get
to that life. We've seen tremendous changes in her since March 2001,
and are very proud of her. She just finished precalculus in the accredited
educational program and now says she wants to be a physicist. | 
Inside Out - Yorkshire & Lincolnshire: Monday 6th January, 2003
