Desert therapy tragedy sparks calls for reform

The death of a 12-year-old boy at Trails Carolina on February 3, 2024, has brought wilderness therapy into the spotlight and has survivors of the troubled teen industry calling for reform.

During May, which is Mental Health Awareness Month, News 13 took a special look at wilderness therapy.

NORTH CAROLINA WILDERNESS PROGRAM LICENSE ISSUES RAISE CONCERN FOR RELATED FACILITIES

“From the day I got there, I was crying, I prayed that I could talk to my parents, and the staff told me that this was not part of the program,” said Vic Mitterando, a former client of Trails Carolina.

FORMER CLIENT QUESTIONS QUIET THERAPY PROGRAM CLOSED AFTER REPEATED ABSENCES

The North Carolina Division of Health Services regulation said facilities that do not allow children to call their parent or guardian when requested violate North Carolina law. Situations like this are raising concerns about children’s mental health and treatment methods.

“So you might have somebody who’s medically unfit, but then behaviorally, if there’s a young person who has a lot of suicidal ideation, you probably don’t want to put them in a situation where they’re going to have access to tools. So rock faces, bodies of water, things where they can put themselves at risk in that space,” said Dr. Michelle Geiser, Program Director of the Hope Coalition. Geiser is also a mental health professional specializing in trauma.

LAWYERS CALL FOR NATIONAL STANDARDS IN THERAPY OF YOUNG PEOPLE AFTER ALLEGED ABUSE

Calls for industry reform have reached Washington, DC and federal lawmakers.

A March 2024 survey by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Division of Health Service Regulation found the first night at Trails Carolina, the program required all campers to sleep in a bivy wrapped in a tarp, a device which restricts movement. It’s the same type of device the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office seized as evidence as they investigate the death of a boy in the program when they arrived on February 3, 2024.

‘I feel bivia had a lot to do with it’ NEW DETAILS EMERGE IN CAROLINA TRAILS CASE

Staff conducting morning wake-ups found the New York boy unresponsive at 7:45 a.m. in a cabin with shuttered windows on the property. According to records, staff called 911 around 8 a.m. when the child did not wake up. The student could not be revived by emergency officials.

Law enforcement interviews detailed in the health inspection reveal the boy may have suffocated and was not visually checked several times during his first night in the program.

NC DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH NOTICES OF CAROLINA HEALTH VIOLATIONS, INTENT TO REVOCATE LICENSE

In two letters dated May 17, 2024, the Department of Health and Human Services notified Trails Carolina that they intended to revoke the program’s license to operate for its failure to comply with the provisions of the North Carolina General Statutes.

#Desert #therapy #tragedy #sparks #calls #reform
Image Source : www.wlos.com

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top