How Utah became the birthplace of the once-lucrative wilderness therapy industry for ‘troubled teens’

QuantumSpecter@lemmy.world to News@lemmy.world – 74 points –
How Utah became the birthplace of the once-lucrative wilderness therapy industry for ‘troubled teens’
sltrib.com
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And then came the real, licensed therapists screaming, “WTF, stop this! This is terrible! These kids need actual therapy, not this torture!”

Torturing “troubled teens” by forcing them through various gruesome and grueling tasks does not - much to the chagrin of sadistic monsters worldwide - somehow magically “fix” them. The concept of “gumption” or just “trying hard enough” doesn’t get a person though complex psychological problems.

A person can’t just “walk it off” when it comes to serious shit, and that’s why societies need serious support systems for everyone. And that begins with Universal Healthcare for everyone.

Programs took struggling teens from across the country and hiked them through Utah’s hot deserts, with the promise to parents that their approach would fix a child’s behavioral issues, substance use problems or other mental health struggles.

These are just conversion therapy camps for parents who won't parent. It's torture and child abuse. Like shipping your kid to military "school" or boarding school where they never see their parents again.

The 'trouble' that many of those 'troubled' teens were having, according to their parents, was being attracted to teens the same gender as they are.