To whom it concern: I was a student at Mission Mountain School in Condon, Montana from June of 1995 until December of 1996.
I was a troubled youth and my parents felt that this was a good place for me. They have since apologized for sending me there and they have told me that they regret their decision.
When I arrived at MMS, I was quickly deemed the problem girl. I was scapegoated by many staff, but primarily by John Mercer, Colleen Mercer, Mike Finn and Deb Finn. The other girls were rewarded with praise when they would find issues about me to bring to those staff members. At group therapy, Mike Finn once pulled me off the ground by my shorts until my shorts and underwear were up my rear end and I was physically pulled into a building.
I was not allowed to read books, go to school, or participate with the rest of the group. Instead, I was forced to dig a countless number of stumps out of the ground for the majority of my six month stay. I also built them a new fence for their driveway, a corral for the horses that the students NEVER rode, and a fence around the horse area. I was fed the same amount of food as the other students and quickly lost enough weight so that I no longer got my period. I was not allowed to attend any classes with the other girls. This "work crew" experience put me one year behind in school when I returned home to California.
At the time I arrived at MMS, I was told by a doctor to use an inhaler when I needed to do so. The staff would not let me use the inhaler. There were several occasions in which I could not breathe and I was told by staff that I was "faking it". The staff members also used the students as their own personal gardeners and handymen. We would go to John Mercer's house, or Mike Finn's house to cut down trees, remove old growth, etc.
Not only was I physically abused at MMS, but there was also a great deal of emotional abuse. I was told that my parents were alcoholics (which they are not) and that I was a bad kid. No matter how hard I would try, the staff would always tell me that I was doing something wrong. I was not allowed contact my parents by phone on a regular basis. I believe that I talked to them 4 times the entire 6 months I stayed there. There were often times that when my parents were allowed to call MMS, I would not be allowed to talk to them. The staff would tell me that I was a sociopath and diagnosed me with multiple disorders, such as Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Bi Polar Disorder. None of these diagnosis were proven to be accurate or true. The staff were not even qualified to make ANY diagnoses!
I was constantly told that I was a problem, a slut, and hopeless. When I would make any attempt to behave or act the way that they wanted, it was never good enough. They took many opportunities to make an example out of me for the other girls. I was also told that I had an eating disorder. They never went into great detail with their "diagnosis" but it was always something new. I was not ever given one-on-one therapy with a qualified and certified therapist.
The other girls at the school were rewarded when they would tell the staff something that I had "done" or not "done". The staff would give these girls extra privileges and praise them in front of the entire school population. This created a scapegoating atmosphere. It was unhealthy, unhappy, and generally abusive. There were other girls I saw who had been given unreasonable tasks as punishment or "therapy". Some girls were taken "off talk" as I had been taken "off reading". They were not allowed to talk to anyone or they would be punished. One girl had to carry rocks with her constantly. This was an extremely heavy load and she had to bring them on 40 mile bike trips, cross country skiing expeditions and every other place to which she went. It was supposed to represent her burden and issues that were dragging her down, but it caused bruising all over her back.
MMS was the lowest time in my life. I would like to take this opportunity to say that there was one staff member who seemed to have my best interest at heart. I remember that his name was Gary, and he was the only staff member that would not unfairly punish me or use physical force with me.
Now I am a teacher in California. I am married, a college graduate, and a successful member of society. MMS called me a sociopath and kicked me out after 6 months. I thank God every day that I was kicked out of there.
Red Cliff Ascent (which was the next program that I was sent to) saved my life. While I attended that program, MMS had told my family that if I did well, I would be allowed to come back. I was left at Red Cliff Ascent, a survival wilderness boot camp, for 83 days while they made the decision not to take me back. I lived outside from Christmas Eve of 1995 until the end of March of 1996.
At the time, I perceived completing MMS and making them happy to be my only ticket back home. When I was told that I would not return, I was scared and worried about what would come next. Well, I went home because my father could see such a huge difference from the time I left MMS to the time he picked me up at Red Cliff. I was not told I would be sent away until Christmas Eve; that day I was excited about the next day's celebration. Instead, I spent my 14th Christmas with people who I did not know in a different state. I feel that although this may not be classified as emotional abuse, it was just one more punishment that I did not deserve.
I am not saying that I was a well behaved or an easy child, but I do feel that I, and many other girls, were abused and mistreated at MMS. They advertise themselves as a qualified treatment facility. That is just not the case. I would warn any parent thinking of sending their daughter to MMS to think twice.
I still have nightmares involving John Mercer. His "power" in the school was undeniable and he used it every chance that he had. I know that I have many scars from my time at MMS, physically and emotionally. I would like to ask the government to take a closer look at these treatment facilities for troubled kids. These places, especially in Montana, need some regulation to make them safe. There needs to be rules about who is on staff and what actions they are allowed to take. The safety of these kids needs to be evaluated. All staff should be qualified, educated, and trained in the field of psychology. There is not any reason why another girl should be forced to go through the experience that I went through.
Sincerely,
Kerry Keenan
References:
Datasheet from the Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora
The original statement
No comments:
Post a Comment