If I could give ZERO stars I would. After 5yrs of a custody battle the judge referred my "ex" and I…read moreto Jonee Donnelly, as a co-parenting counselor, and a 5 star wonderful one she is. When our 15yr old daughter was caught taking the family car & showed signs of abusing drugs unfortunately rather than face the consequences of her behavior, she accused dad of letting & encouraging her to do those self destructive things and mother seized that opportunity to initiate legal action in family court & the criminal court against Dad. In the midst of the fall out of that chaos, it was recommended that we contact the Bodin Group. I initiated the contact and made the 1st 3way call with mother, Doug Bodin & I.
When we asked about his firms role, he explains that they help us choose a safe program that fit the child's needs, because there had been some press about wilderness camps and academies that were abusive to the kids. A few days later according to mother it was no longer necessary to consider sending the rebellious 15yr old away because she had a change of heart & told her therapist that she wanted to put her life back on a healthy path.
Fast forward 3mo, Dad gets an email from mother, she & Bodin had unilaterally shipped not only the 15yr old, but also our 13yr old son out of state to "lock down" wilderness camp programs. I never received one phone from Bodin! But then mother was paying the $500/day+ fees for each child's 60 to 90 days wilderness "experience"... for both kids $30,000/month. Shipping your children off to "behavior modification" programs is clearly as much a rich man's game as is a 5yr custody battle to try to remove father from the lives of 5 children. I call Doug Bodin immediately, to ask how could this happen without any involvement from father??? Yes, at the time mother had 100% physical custody, but I was still legally their father! And what had happened to the "turn around" attitude in my daughter in the 3 intervening months? No answer. And where were they... out of state? No answer.
Since then I've essentially been told "no retainer fee paid to Bodin, I can't talk to you". It's clear to me that the parent with the $$$'s is the client, not the other parent & not the teenager. How could it be in a teens' best interest to be admitted in such extreme programs and neither Bodin or the institutions selected INSISTing that father be involved w the staff of those institutions, if nothing else than to get a holistic therapeutic assessment?
I find out that my daughter is at an "Academy" in Utah, and my son is in South Carolina. I spend a few hours writing an email to "Uinda Academy" where my daughter is and attaching documents which clearly PROVE she was admitted with a one sided perspective from mother that conveniently fits her campaign to remove father from the children's lives. Their reply?
"...I have cc'd your requests to [your 'ex"], and she will get a hold of you via the legal system in order to let us know how we can correspond with you...".
I replied
"...As a parent with joint legal custody of ___, please clarify why your institution's communication with me as her father would be restricted or in any way be less than that afforded to her mother? Given the nature of the facts I have presented you with, and the incorrect assumptions which ___ admission and treatment have been based upon, please clarify why your institution's position would be to do anything other than consider BOTH parents perspective on an equal basis moving forward... I have a time urgent interest and a legal right to be well informed about __ status & well being. I believe access to records, being kept informed of progress & a dialogue with the staff... is the legal right of both mother & I..."
Their reply??
"...I am sorry we cannot get into a dialogue yet. I need specific writing from a judge saying we can do that..."
Wow!!! My daughter is in not only a "lock down" institution, but a "lock out" one! I started researching these "Academies" and was shocked at what I discovered. The one my son is at thanks to Bodin & my "ex" has a Director that lost their license for "inappropriate sexual conduct with a patient"! This industry is big $$$'s and has a very dark underside, their are support groups for people recovering from having been sent to these progams, there are many children that have died or gone missing, & clearly there is a pattern of manipulative parents in divorces using the system to extract the other parent from a child's life. See for yourself. Do some research before rather than working things out as a family using local resources, defaulting "raising your child" to people you & Bodin really don't know.
http://www.facebook.com/notes/stu-carson/signs-of-abusive-teen-treatment-centers-wilderness-program-academies/10151178786951451
http://www.facebook.com/notes/stu-carson/squirm-in-seat-take-a-pill-rebellious-teen-ship-of-to-a-behavioral-modification-/10151182551501451
