Sunday, December 29, 2013
Justice delayed is justice denied
Comrades, survivors, and friends. I know it has been two years. Oddly enough, my views on this program and its people have changed. I am a clinical mental health provider; I love people and want to help them. I honestly think all of us involved with the Second Chance program should come together and file a class action lawsuit. Some might ask why, especially after a decade or two. However, I think it comes down to the fact we were wrongly imprisoned, humiliated, and were cash cows for the Cassidy family. They made millions off our pain,fear, and false imprisonment. I am going to start looking for a class action law firm because these people made far too much on our misery. Join me. Justice demands they answer for their crimes.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Update
October 22nd marks a day of reflection and remembrance for a woman who touched the lives of many. We will be meeting in Memphis for a celebration of Mrs. Jean Cassidy's life. For those interested, I will be taking contact info and basic information. Whether your experience was horrid, ambivalent, or joyful, the stories from all sides need to be told. This is your chance to reflect and have an input on a work that if ultimately published (putting together a work of this magnitude is a daunting task that will likely take years to complete) may be read by counselors and clinical personnel, in addition to those who were involved in some way. In short, your experiences aren't just important; they are essential.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Second Chance Ministries - The Project Begins
16 years is a significant amount of time on the human timescale. Most days, I do well to remember where I was the day before, much less where I was 5, 10, or 15 years ago. But on this day in 2010 in the pre-summer heat on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee I am thinking back to the people, places, and experiences I had from the early 1990’s. I am thinking about a place called Second Chance Ministries, which was a unique Christ-centered alcohol & drug abuse treatment program founded and operated by Reverend Scotty & Jean Cassidy from the late 1980’s until it closed in 2001.
Back in 2010, I order a combo plate of ribs and chicken; barbecue to be precise. I hear jazz music coming from the stage below, and I am seated in B.B. King’s Blues Club on historic Beale Street. I order a Fat Tire, and believe you me, realize the irony right away. Nevertheless, it is Beale Street and I refuse to have a barbecue dinner at B.B. King’s without some sort of appropriate libation. As the cold, soothing liquid pours down my throat I think about why I drove 4 hours to get here, and others even more; some flew halfway across the country. At first glance, a spouse or friend might ask, “Why do this?” Why travel all this way to meet up with people you knew from nearly two decades ago and a place some would like to forget?
Indulge me for just a moment, and I will explain. In between mouthfuls of ribs that are “so outrageously superior I remember why I haven’t liked them anywhere but Memphis” I will impart my dreadfully biased opinions and views on Second Chance.
Treatment centers for alcohol & drug abuse are not unique to America or the world. For an outrageous fee that could bankrupt a small country, one can check into a treatment center for 30 days at a time and supposedly come out a changed individual; or at least, with the tools to face that demon called addiction. Second Chance was a radically different treatment center for teens and young adults, though based upon the traditional 12-step model. Unlike many places, it had a “you will be here as long as it takes” treatment duration. In some ways, it was downright revolutionary. According to some, it was cult-like and oppressive. This work attempts to make no indictments, nor justify what some might consider abuse. What it will attempt is to portray the events and experiences of those involved in a way only they could explain; the reader will make up their own mind.
In order to appropriately classify my views on this program, it is necessary to give the reader a perspective. Years after the program, I studied psychology & history and eventually completed a master’s degree in counseling. I subsequently worked in treatment centers for a number of years, and witnessed various models at work; nearly all of them were abysmal failures from a clinical point of view. I left that world for the shores of academia because of this. Second Chance was different from everything I studied and experienced, and I have longed to explore & analyze the program and its people in detail for quite some time. This work is my wholehearted attempt to do so.
I believe it is time for this work to be written. I also believe it is essential for the clinical alcohol & drug treatment community to consider the various methods used at Second Chance and improve upon those they deem truly helpful to their clients. My reasoning for this goes as follows. At the time of this writing in mid-2010, alcohol & drug addiction treatments have a failure rate of over 90%. Think about this…if I were a physician, and you had been diagnosed with a fatal illness, how would you feel if I told you the best treatment we have fails over 90% of the time? Would you say that we do not need any more research, and that the current treatment works so long as it is followed? Of course not! But friends, this is the current state of affairs in the addiction treatment profession. To those who hold their 12-step program dear, I mean no offense. However, I also make no apologies for pointing out how inadequate and resistant to change these methodologies and their disciples often are. In this respect, I encourage any clinician or counselor to approach this work with an open mind, and a heart dedicated to helping save the lives of those you serve.
Enough time has passed to allow for a true analysis and reflection of the effectiveness of the Cassidy’s program; to allow the varying views from clients, staff, families, and clinical personnel to be heard. Their story needs to be told. Like I wrote earlier, despite distance and 16 years of time, many of us still feel such a powerful emotional connection to the program and people that we are happy and willing to make the trip and reconnect with our old friends. I personally became very attached to my foster family in Second Chance, and remain so to this day. In the pages that follow, we will describe the structure, history, and theories behind what the Cassidy’s did and allow the staff, clients, and family members to tell their stories from their perspective. The last chapter is dedicated to a clinical and statistical analysis of the data available. All client & staff names have been changed to respect confidentiality, and in places where personally identifiable information was potentially revealed we speak in generalities to protect our comrades; while God forgives, humans sometimes do not. So for what it is worth, I present to the reader the fullness of our experiences. The good, the bad, and the truly ugly will be shown for all to see and interpret for themselves.
Back in 2010, I order a combo plate of ribs and chicken; barbecue to be precise. I hear jazz music coming from the stage below, and I am seated in B.B. King’s Blues Club on historic Beale Street. I order a Fat Tire, and believe you me, realize the irony right away. Nevertheless, it is Beale Street and I refuse to have a barbecue dinner at B.B. King’s without some sort of appropriate libation. As the cold, soothing liquid pours down my throat I think about why I drove 4 hours to get here, and others even more; some flew halfway across the country. At first glance, a spouse or friend might ask, “Why do this?” Why travel all this way to meet up with people you knew from nearly two decades ago and a place some would like to forget?
Indulge me for just a moment, and I will explain. In between mouthfuls of ribs that are “so outrageously superior I remember why I haven’t liked them anywhere but Memphis” I will impart my dreadfully biased opinions and views on Second Chance.
Treatment centers for alcohol & drug abuse are not unique to America or the world. For an outrageous fee that could bankrupt a small country, one can check into a treatment center for 30 days at a time and supposedly come out a changed individual; or at least, with the tools to face that demon called addiction. Second Chance was a radically different treatment center for teens and young adults, though based upon the traditional 12-step model. Unlike many places, it had a “you will be here as long as it takes” treatment duration. In some ways, it was downright revolutionary. According to some, it was cult-like and oppressive. This work attempts to make no indictments, nor justify what some might consider abuse. What it will attempt is to portray the events and experiences of those involved in a way only they could explain; the reader will make up their own mind.
In order to appropriately classify my views on this program, it is necessary to give the reader a perspective. Years after the program, I studied psychology & history and eventually completed a master’s degree in counseling. I subsequently worked in treatment centers for a number of years, and witnessed various models at work; nearly all of them were abysmal failures from a clinical point of view. I left that world for the shores of academia because of this. Second Chance was different from everything I studied and experienced, and I have longed to explore & analyze the program and its people in detail for quite some time. This work is my wholehearted attempt to do so.
I believe it is time for this work to be written. I also believe it is essential for the clinical alcohol & drug treatment community to consider the various methods used at Second Chance and improve upon those they deem truly helpful to their clients. My reasoning for this goes as follows. At the time of this writing in mid-2010, alcohol & drug addiction treatments have a failure rate of over 90%. Think about this…if I were a physician, and you had been diagnosed with a fatal illness, how would you feel if I told you the best treatment we have fails over 90% of the time? Would you say that we do not need any more research, and that the current treatment works so long as it is followed? Of course not! But friends, this is the current state of affairs in the addiction treatment profession. To those who hold their 12-step program dear, I mean no offense. However, I also make no apologies for pointing out how inadequate and resistant to change these methodologies and their disciples often are. In this respect, I encourage any clinician or counselor to approach this work with an open mind, and a heart dedicated to helping save the lives of those you serve.
Enough time has passed to allow for a true analysis and reflection of the effectiveness of the Cassidy’s program; to allow the varying views from clients, staff, families, and clinical personnel to be heard. Their story needs to be told. Like I wrote earlier, despite distance and 16 years of time, many of us still feel such a powerful emotional connection to the program and people that we are happy and willing to make the trip and reconnect with our old friends. I personally became very attached to my foster family in Second Chance, and remain so to this day. In the pages that follow, we will describe the structure, history, and theories behind what the Cassidy’s did and allow the staff, clients, and family members to tell their stories from their perspective. The last chapter is dedicated to a clinical and statistical analysis of the data available. All client & staff names have been changed to respect confidentiality, and in places where personally identifiable information was potentially revealed we speak in generalities to protect our comrades; while God forgives, humans sometimes do not. So for what it is worth, I present to the reader the fullness of our experiences. The good, the bad, and the truly ugly will be shown for all to see and interpret for themselves.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)