Friday, March 21, 2008

Sue Scheff - Wit's End - Parents Universal Resource Experts


"Wit's End is the shockingly gripping story of parenting a troubled teen and how the author turned her mistakes -- and her relationship with her daughter -- around. This highly practical and prescriptive book includes all of the advice that the author now offers other parents who are at wit's end through her nationally recognized organization, Parent's Universal Resource Experts (P.U.R.E.). A much-needed guide to help parents navigate the choices and methods available to them and their child, this book also serves as a cautionary tale that will help parents empower themselves -– and their children -– toward healing. Wit's End is an action plan for parents to learn how to be active and empowered participants in their child's therapy.

As a single mother, Scheff offered her daughter Ashlyn gymnastics courses and the finest and most exclusive private schools -- striving to make up for a fatherless household. But when her beloved child became a teenager, everything changed.

Ashlyn embraced disturbing beliefs and behavior, made friends with a strange and maladjusted group at school, and refused to abide by rules. At times, Scheff believed her daughter would harm herself or others, if she didn't seek professional help for her daughter. In desperation, Scheff turned to a residential treatment facility to instill discipline into her daughter while providing her with therapy and structure. The exact opposite turned out to be the case. After spending thousands of dollars and seeing troubling behavior in her child, she heard chilling stories of Ashlyn and classmates being kept in inhumane conditions, as well as of beatings, sexual abuse, forced starvation, neglect, and suicide. The daughter she had turned over to be helped by the residential treatment facility returned broken, depressed, and suicidal.

As Scheff struggled to find justice while fighting off lawsuits from the very institution that damaged Ashlyn, she found the strength and determination to found P.U.R.E. (Parent's Universal Resource Experts, Inc.), an advocacy group that draws parents together and helps them find ways to protect their children from destructive influences, educating them about the issues their particular child and family faces and creating a safe environment to revive familial bonds. Using the same criteria P.U.R.E. uses to research residential treatment centers around the world, Wit's End, provides positive, prescriptive help for families who want only to put their children on the road to a safe, healthy, happy, and independent adulthood.

A chilling and fascinating journey into a damaged family and its path toward renewal, his cautionary tale, coupled with advice the author learned "the hard way" shows how one woman and her daughter found common ground again by standing up to the system and listening to their shared instincts and fought for safe alternatives for themselves and began to heal -- an example that every family struggling with trauma can relate to."

Visit http://www.witsendbook.com/ for pre-orders and more information.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Carolina Springs Academy - The Story of Wit's End!

For those of you that don't know my story - it all began when I was struggling with my daughter through her teenage years. Read: http://www.aparentstruestory.com/

After placing her in an abusive environment - in my daughter's experiences - (Carolina Springs Academy) - thinking I was going to get help - quite the opposite happened.Litigation followed - I won victoriously, not once but 3 times. I defeated WWASPS aka Carolina Springs Academy in August 2004 in a jury trial in their home state of Utah. I further defeated them in the Supreme Court of Appeals in June 2006. In September 2006 I won an unprecedented jury verdict for damages of $11.3M!

Teen Help Sales Reps, such as Mark Peterson, Lisa Irvin, Jane Hawley and many others (their marketing is second to none in my opinion) continues to attempt to discredit my victories as well as my experiences. I guess is what they call Spin - They are creative in spinning the story to meet their needs or make their sale.

Several months ago - I was actually contacted by a former employee of Carolina Springs Academy - this person told me that many of the staff have no clue I won, and this person told me so much more is still going on. But due to fear, people are silenced.I wasn't silenced - my story is here - and a jury heard it and I won.

My book - Wit's End! - which is being published by the same people that brought you the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series, will not only share our experiences at Carolina Springs Academy - it will give you hope and inspiration if you are struggling with your teen today. People will hear my daughter's voice for the first time since her time in Carolina Springs Academy.


For more information - Click Here.