Help at Any Cost
Encyclopedia
Help at Any Cost: How the Troubled-Teen Industry Cons Parents and Hurts Kids is a non-fiction
book by Maia Szalavitz analyzing the controversy surrounding the tough love
behavior modification
industry. The book was published February 16, 2006, by Riverhead Books
. Szalavitz focuses on four programs: Straight, Incorporated
, a copy of the Straight Inc. program called KIDS, North Star wilderness boot camp, and the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools
. She discusses the background, history and methodology of the troubled teen industry, including techniques drawn from attack therapy
, Erhard Seminars Training
and Synanon
. She uses first-person accounts and court testimony in her research, and states that no evidence exists proving that these programs are effective. The book also includes advice for parents and an appendix with additional resources on how to get responsible help for teenagers.
The book received positive reviews in academic journal
s, literary journals, and in the media. Psychologist
Steve K. D. Eichel
reviewed the book for Cultic Studies Review
and called it a "must read", psychologist and psychiatrist
Robert John McAllister described it as "an excellent and informative book on the subject of the 'troubled-teen industry' " in his book Emotions: Mystery Or Madness, and a review in Psychology Today
described Szalavitz's work as "a meticulously reported and thoughtful investigation". The book also received positive reviews in Publishers Weekly
, Booklist
, and Newsday
. The book later led to an investigation into the troubled teen industry by the United States House Committee on Education and Labor of the United States House of Representatives
, and Representative George Miller
held hearings on the matter in October 2007 and April 2008.
behavior modification
programs since the 1960s. Many of these programs take place in the wilderness in the style of military recruit training
(also known as boot camps) and the teenagers are subjected to rigid discipline, including mandatory marches, physical abuse
, solitary confinement
, and deprivation of food and sleep. These programs have little to no oversight from the United States federal or state governments. Teenagers' claims of abuse at these facilities have not been investigated because the programs are not regulated.
(stats.org), a media
watchdog
organization which monitors news coverage of statistics and science. She has served as a researcher for journalist Bill Moyers
, a part-time contributor to Psychology Today
, and has written articles for The New York Times
, The Washington Post
, Reason
, and The American Prospect
. Szalavitz is the co-author of Recovery Options: The Complete Guide with Joseph Volpicelli, and The Boy Who Was Raised As a Dog with Bruce D. Perry
.
, a copy of the Straight Inc. program called KIDS of Bergen County, North Star wilderness boot camp, and the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools
. Some of these programs cost parents over US$
2,000 per month. She discusses the history of the troubled teen industry and its origins in a controversial group founded in 1958 called Synanon
. Synanon claimed that it could cure addiction to heroin, and its methodologies such as attack therapy
, forced confessions, and imposed powerlessness spread throughout the United States. After a rattlesnake
was placed in the mailbox of an attorney suing Synanon, the group's founder was convicted of conspiracy
to commit murder. Synanon later went bankrupt, but Szalavitz maintains that it influenced organizations related to the troubled teen industry. In addition to Synanon, Szalavitz argues that the tough love teen industry was influenced by other controversial groups with confrontational tactics including Werner Erhard
's Erhard Seminars Training
, also called "est".
Szalavitz notes that according to a 2004 statement released by the National Institutes of Health
, teen programs using "fear and tough treatment" are not successful and evidence shows that they can worsen existing behavioral problems. Many of the children that enter these programs suffer from mental illness
, and already have a history of prior trauma
and abuse
. Szalavitz uses first-person accounts from teenagers that participated in these programs, and asserts that the programs have potentially serious negative consequences, including post-traumatic stress and deaths.
An emotional story in the book recounts the death of 16-year-old Aaron Bacon. Bacon suffered from a treatable ulcer
, and died after being out in the wilderness in Utah
for weeks while in the care of the group North Star. Bacon lost 23 pounds (10.4 kg) in 20 days, but was called "gay" and a "faker" when he complained of abdominal pain, and was punished by North Star supervisors—his sleeping bag and food were taken away from him. The individuals responsible for Bacon were charged with negligent homicide
, but did not serve any jail time.
In addition to these first-person accounts, she also incorporates court reports and testimony in her research. Szalavitz highlights controversial practices used by these tough love teen industry programs which the Geneva Convention banned as being too extreme for prisoners of war. She states that there is no evidence that any of the programs are effective. Portions of the book are addressed to parents and provide resources and advice on how to select better choices instead of programs in the tough love teen industry, and the book includes an appendix aimed at educating parents on how to find help for their teenagers.
, psychologist
Steve K. D. Eichel
pointed out that Szalavitz contrasts the troubled-teen industry (TTI) with multisystemic therapy
(MST), motivational interviewing
(MI), and cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT), but that she fails to note that "success rates for these interventions are still disappointingly low". Eichel concluded his review with a positive recommendation, commenting: "This minor failing aside, Help At Any Cost is still a must-read for those interested in adolescent treatment in general, and in how an iatrogenic therapy program can degenerate into a therapy cult."
In his book Emotions: Mystery Or Madness, psychologist and psychiatrist
Robert John McAllister highly recommended Help at Any Cost, and called it "an excellent and informative book on the subject of the 'troubled-teen industry' ", and "important reading for any parent who is considering sending a teenager to a tough love program, a boot camp, or a wilderness program". In a review of the book in Library Journal
, Linda Beck commented: "This book is excellent owing to its whistle-blowing approach: it exposes an unregulated industry and alerts adults to the severe harm inflicted by these 'schools.' " She called the book "chilling" and "Highly recommended for public libraries."
In a review in Mother Jones
, Nell Bernstein highlighted the sources given for parents at the back of the book, commenting: "Help at Any Cost winds up with an appendix that helpfully outlines "evidence based" alternatives to the tough-love approach." Steve Weinberg of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
gave the book a positive review, and described Szavalitz as "a talented, relentless investigator". He noted: "Her outrage surfaces frequently as children die, as once-loving families are atomized and as troubled-teen entrepreneurs escape criminal prosecution while using legal maneuvers to prevail in civil court lawsuits seeking damages", and characterized Help at Any Cost as "an important book about an industry that sometimes helps troubled youth but causes harm way too often."
A review in Psychology Today
called the book "An alarming exposé of the burgeoning business of boot camps and drug rehab centers that promise to reform troubled teens", and described Szalavitz's work as "a meticulously reported and thoughtful investigation". Vanessa Bush of Booklist
characterized the book as "a revealing, at times horrifying look at the troubled-teen industry." Publishers Weekly
noted: "With a useful appendix discussing when and how to get responsible help for a troubled teen, this book, filled with first-person accounts, should be required reading in Parenting 101", calling the work "a courageous—if horrifying—study of the tough-love industry".
Karen Karbo, author of The Stuff of Life, gave the book a positive review in Newsday
, writing: "Maia Szalavitz's brisk investigation of America's so-called "tough love" treatment programs, which bill themselves as the last hope for out-of-control, drug-taking teens, would be the stuff of a bad TV movie, if it weren't so smart, well-researched and even-handed." Mark Sauer of The San Diego Union-Tribune
noted: "Some of the stories reveal physical and psychological abuse that rivals tales from Iraq's Abu Ghraib Prison
."
in the troubled teen industry. On October 10, 2007, the United States House Committee on Education and Labor of the United States House of Representatives
held a full committee investigative hearing chaired by Representative George Miller
on "Cases of Child Neglect and Abuse at Private Residential Treatment Facilities". The Government Accountability Office
presented findings from an investigation into the troubled teen industry, and parents of teens who died under care of these organizations testified at the hearing. Maia Szalavitz attended the hearing as well.
After the book's publication, Szalavitz continued to write about the controversy surrounding the troubled teen industry for Statistical Assessment Service, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Reason, and The American Prospect. The House Committee on Education and Labor held additional hearings on the matter on April 24, 2008, again chaired by Representative George Miller.
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
book by Maia Szalavitz analyzing the controversy surrounding the tough love
Tough love
Tough love is an expression used when someone treats another person harshly or sternly with the intent to help them in the long run. The phrase was evidently coined by Bill Milliken when he wrote the book Tough Love in 1968 and has been used by numerous authors since then.In most uses, there must...
behavior modification
Behavior modification
Behavior modification is the use of empirically demonstrated behavior change techniques to increase or decrease the frequency of behaviors, such as altering an individual's behaviors and reactions to stimuli through positive and negative reinforcement of adaptive behavior and/or the reduction of...
industry. The book was published February 16, 2006, by Riverhead Books
Riverhead Books
Riverhead Books is a division of Penguin Group .Notable books and major bestsellers published by Riverhead include Journals by Kurt Cobain; The Art of Happiness by His Holiness the Dalai Lama; The Color of Water by James McBride; Native Speaker, A Gesture Life, and Aloft by Chang-rae Lee; Fever...
. Szalavitz focuses on four programs: Straight, Incorporated
Straight, Incorporated
Straight, Incorporated was a non-profit drug rehabilitation program in the United States that existed from 1976 to 1993 and served clients ranging in age from 13 to 20...
, a copy of the Straight Inc. program called KIDS, North Star wilderness boot camp, and the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools
World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools
The World Wide Association Of Specialty Programs and Schools is an organization based in Utah, in the United States. WWASPS was founded by Robert Lichfield and was incorporated in 1998...
. She discusses the background, history and methodology of the troubled teen industry, including techniques drawn from attack therapy
Attack therapy
Attack therapy is a controversial type of psychotherapy evolved from ventilation therapy. It involves highly confrontational interaction between the patient and a therapist, or between the patient and fellow patients during group therapy, in which the patient may be verbally abused, denounced, or...
, Erhard Seminars Training
Erhard Seminars Training
Erhard Seminars Training, an organization founded by Werner H. Erhard, offered a two-weekend course known officially as "The est Standard Training"...
and Synanon
Synanon
The Synanon organization, initially a drug rehabilitation program, was founded by Charles E. "Chuck" Dederich, Sr., in 1958, in Santa Monica, California, United States...
. She uses first-person accounts and court testimony in her research, and states that no evidence exists proving that these programs are effective. The book also includes advice for parents and an appendix with additional resources on how to get responsible help for teenagers.
The book received positive reviews in academic journal
Academic journal
An academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research...
s, literary journals, and in the media. Psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
Steve K. D. Eichel
Steve Eichel
Steve K. D. Eichel is a psychologist known primarily for his work on destructive cults, coercive persuasion, mind control, brainwashing, and deprogramming...
reviewed the book for Cultic Studies Review
Cultic Studies Review
International Journal of Cultic Studies is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by the International Cultic Studies Association.- External links :* , Don Lattin, San Francisco Chronicle, Religion Writer, February 13, 2001...
and called it a "must read", psychologist and psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
Robert John McAllister described it as "an excellent and informative book on the subject of the 'troubled-teen industry' " in his book Emotions: Mystery Or Madness, and a review in Psychology Today
Psychology Today
Psychology Today is a bi-monthly magazine published in the United States. It is a psychology-based magazine about relationships, health, and related topics written for a mass audience of non-psychologists. Psychology Today was founded in 1967 and features articles on such topics as love,...
described Szalavitz's work as "a meticulously reported and thoughtful investigation". The book also received positive reviews in Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
, Booklist
Booklist
Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
, and Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
. The book later led to an investigation into the troubled teen industry by the United States House Committee on Education and Labor of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, and Representative George Miller
George Miller (politician)
George Miller III is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1975. He is a member of the Democratic Party. From 2007 through 2010, Miller served as chairman of the Education and Labor Committee, formerly known as the Education and the Workforce Committee.-Early life, education, and early...
held hearings on the matter in October 2007 and April 2008.
Background
Teenagers have been participating in tough loveTough love
Tough love is an expression used when someone treats another person harshly or sternly with the intent to help them in the long run. The phrase was evidently coined by Bill Milliken when he wrote the book Tough Love in 1968 and has been used by numerous authors since then.In most uses, there must...
behavior modification
Behavior modification
Behavior modification is the use of empirically demonstrated behavior change techniques to increase or decrease the frequency of behaviors, such as altering an individual's behaviors and reactions to stimuli through positive and negative reinforcement of adaptive behavior and/or the reduction of...
programs since the 1960s. Many of these programs take place in the wilderness in the style of military recruit training
Recruit training
Recruit training, more commonly known as Basic Training and colloquially called Boot Camp, is the initial indoctrination and instruction given to new military personnel, enlisted and officer...
(also known as boot camps) and the teenagers are subjected to rigid discipline, including mandatory marches, physical abuse
Physical abuse
Physical abuse is abuse involving contact intended to cause feelings of intimidation, injury, or other physical suffering or bodily harm.-Forms of physical abuse:*Striking*Punching*Belting*Pushing, pulling*Slapping*Whipping*Striking with an object...
, solitary confinement
Solitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is isolated from any human contact, though often with the exception of members of prison staff. It is sometimes employed as a form of punishment beyond incarceration for a prisoner, and has been cited as an additional...
, and deprivation of food and sleep. These programs have little to no oversight from the United States federal or state governments. Teenagers' claims of abuse at these facilities have not been investigated because the programs are not regulated.
Author
Maia Szalavitz is a senior fellow at the Statistical Assessment ServiceStatistical Assessment Service
Statistical Assessment Service is a non-profit educational organization, based in Washington, DC, which analyzes and critiques the presentation of scientific findings and statistical evidence in the news media.-Overview:...
(stats.org), a media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
watchdog
Watchdog journalism
Watchdog journalism aims to hold accountable public personalities and institutions, whose functions impact social and political life. The term "lapdog journalism", for journalism biased in favour of personalities and institutions, is sometimes used as a conceptual opposite to watchdog...
organization which monitors news coverage of statistics and science. She has served as a researcher for journalist Bill Moyers
Bill Moyers
Bill Moyers is an American journalist and public commentator. He served as White House Press Secretary in the United States President Lyndon B. Johnson Administration from 1965 to 1967. He worked as a news commentator on television for ten years. Moyers has had an extensive involvement with public...
, a part-time contributor to Psychology Today
Psychology Today
Psychology Today is a bi-monthly magazine published in the United States. It is a psychology-based magazine about relationships, health, and related topics written for a mass audience of non-psychologists. Psychology Today was founded in 1967 and features articles on such topics as love,...
, and has written articles for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, Reason
Reason (magazine)
Reason is a libertarian monthly magazine published by the Reason Foundation. The magazine has a circulation of around 60,000 and was named one of the 50 best magazines in 2003 and 2004 by the Chicago Tribune.- History :...
, and The American Prospect
The American Prospect
The American Prospect is a monthly American political magazine dedicated to American liberalism. Based in Washington, DC, The American Prospect is a journal "of liberal ideas, committed to a just society, an enriched democracy, and effective liberal politics" which focuses on United States politics...
. Szalavitz is the co-author of Recovery Options: The Complete Guide with Joseph Volpicelli, and The Boy Who Was Raised As a Dog with Bruce D. Perry
Bruce D. Perry
Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D., is the Senior Fellow of The ChildTrauma Academy in Houston and an Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern University in Chicago...
.
Contents
In Help at Any Cost Szalavitz investigates the teen rehabilitation industry and focuses on four programs: Straight, IncorporatedStraight, Incorporated
Straight, Incorporated was a non-profit drug rehabilitation program in the United States that existed from 1976 to 1993 and served clients ranging in age from 13 to 20...
, a copy of the Straight Inc. program called KIDS of Bergen County, North Star wilderness boot camp, and the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools
World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools
The World Wide Association Of Specialty Programs and Schools is an organization based in Utah, in the United States. WWASPS was founded by Robert Lichfield and was incorporated in 1998...
. Some of these programs cost parents over US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
2,000 per month. She discusses the history of the troubled teen industry and its origins in a controversial group founded in 1958 called Synanon
Synanon
The Synanon organization, initially a drug rehabilitation program, was founded by Charles E. "Chuck" Dederich, Sr., in 1958, in Santa Monica, California, United States...
. Synanon claimed that it could cure addiction to heroin, and its methodologies such as attack therapy
Attack therapy
Attack therapy is a controversial type of psychotherapy evolved from ventilation therapy. It involves highly confrontational interaction between the patient and a therapist, or between the patient and fellow patients during group therapy, in which the patient may be verbally abused, denounced, or...
, forced confessions, and imposed powerlessness spread throughout the United States. After a rattlesnake
Rattlesnake
Rattlesnakes are a group of venomous snakes of the genera Crotalus and Sistrurus of the subfamily Crotalinae . There are 32 known species of rattlesnake, with between 65-70 subspecies, all native to the Americas, ranging from southern Alberta and southern British Columbia in Canada to Central...
was placed in the mailbox of an attorney suing Synanon, the group's founder was convicted of conspiracy
Conspiracy (crime)
In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
to commit murder. Synanon later went bankrupt, but Szalavitz maintains that it influenced organizations related to the troubled teen industry. In addition to Synanon, Szalavitz argues that the tough love teen industry was influenced by other controversial groups with confrontational tactics including Werner Erhard
Werner Erhard
Werner Hans Erhard is an author of transformational models and applications for individuals, groups, and organizations...
's Erhard Seminars Training
Erhard Seminars Training
Erhard Seminars Training, an organization founded by Werner H. Erhard, offered a two-weekend course known officially as "The est Standard Training"...
, also called "est".
Szalavitz notes that according to a 2004 statement released by the National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
, teen programs using "fear and tough treatment" are not successful and evidence shows that they can worsen existing behavioral problems. Many of the children that enter these programs suffer from mental illness
Mental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
, and already have a history of prior trauma
Psychological trauma
Psychological trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a traumatic event...
and abuse
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
. Szalavitz uses first-person accounts from teenagers that participated in these programs, and asserts that the programs have potentially serious negative consequences, including post-traumatic stress and deaths.
An emotional story in the book recounts the death of 16-year-old Aaron Bacon. Bacon suffered from a treatable ulcer
Peptic ulcer
A peptic ulcer, also known as PUD or peptic ulcer disease, is the most common ulcer of an area of the gastrointestinal tract that is usually acidic and thus extremely painful. It is defined as mucosal erosions equal to or greater than 0.5 cm...
, and died after being out in the wilderness in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
for weeks while in the care of the group North Star. Bacon lost 23 pounds (10.4 kg) in 20 days, but was called "gay" and a "faker" when he complained of abdominal pain, and was punished by North Star supervisors—his sleeping bag and food were taken away from him. The individuals responsible for Bacon were charged with negligent homicide
Negligent homicide
Negligent homicide is a criminal charge brought against people who, through criminal negligence, allow others to die.Negligent Homicide is a lesser included offense to first and second degree murder, in the sense that someone guilty of this offense can expect a more lenient sentence, often with...
, but did not serve any jail time.
In addition to these first-person accounts, she also incorporates court reports and testimony in her research. Szalavitz highlights controversial practices used by these tough love teen industry programs which the Geneva Convention banned as being too extreme for prisoners of war. She states that there is no evidence that any of the programs are effective. Portions of the book are addressed to parents and provide resources and advice on how to select better choices instead of programs in the tough love teen industry, and the book includes an appendix aimed at educating parents on how to find help for their teenagers.
Reception
In a review of the book in the journal Cultic Studies ReviewCultic Studies Review
International Journal of Cultic Studies is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by the International Cultic Studies Association.- External links :* , Don Lattin, San Francisco Chronicle, Religion Writer, February 13, 2001...
, psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
Steve K. D. Eichel
Steve Eichel
Steve K. D. Eichel is a psychologist known primarily for his work on destructive cults, coercive persuasion, mind control, brainwashing, and deprogramming...
pointed out that Szalavitz contrasts the troubled-teen industry (TTI) with multisystemic therapy
Multisystemic therapy
Multisystemic Therapy is an intensive, family-focused and community-based treatment program for chronic and violent youth...
(MST), motivational interviewing
Motivational interviewing
Motivational interviewing refers to a counseling approach in part developed by clinical psychologists Professor William R Miller, Ph.D. and Professor Stephen Rollnick, Ph.D. The concept of motivational interviewing evolved from experience in the treatment of problem drinkers, and was first...
(MI), and cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT), but that she fails to note that "success rates for these interventions are still disappointingly low". Eichel concluded his review with a positive recommendation, commenting: "This minor failing aside, Help At Any Cost is still a must-read for those interested in adolescent treatment in general, and in how an iatrogenic therapy program can degenerate into a therapy cult."
In his book Emotions: Mystery Or Madness, psychologist and psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
Robert John McAllister highly recommended Help at Any Cost, and called it "an excellent and informative book on the subject of the 'troubled-teen industry' ", and "important reading for any parent who is considering sending a teenager to a tough love program, a boot camp, or a wilderness program". In a review of the book in Library Journal
Library Journal
Library Journal is a trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey . It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional practice...
, Linda Beck commented: "This book is excellent owing to its whistle-blowing approach: it exposes an unregulated industry and alerts adults to the severe harm inflicted by these 'schools.' " She called the book "chilling" and "Highly recommended for public libraries."
In a review in Mother Jones
Mother Jones (magazine)
Mother Jones is an American independent news organization, featuring investigative and breaking news reporting on politics, the environment, human rights, and culture. Mother Jones has been nominated for 23 National Magazine Awards and has won six times, including for General Excellence in 2001,...
, Nell Bernstein highlighted the sources given for parents at the back of the book, commenting: "Help at Any Cost winds up with an appendix that helpfully outlines "evidence based" alternatives to the tough-love approach." Steve Weinberg of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is the major city-wide newspaper in St. Louis, Missouri. Although written to serve Greater St. Louis, the Post-Dispatch is one of the largest newspapers in the Midwestern United States, and is available and read as far west as Kansas City, Missouri, as far south as...
gave the book a positive review, and described Szavalitz as "a talented, relentless investigator". He noted: "Her outrage surfaces frequently as children die, as once-loving families are atomized and as troubled-teen entrepreneurs escape criminal prosecution while using legal maneuvers to prevail in civil court lawsuits seeking damages", and characterized Help at Any Cost as "an important book about an industry that sometimes helps troubled youth but causes harm way too often."
A review in Psychology Today
Psychology Today
Psychology Today is a bi-monthly magazine published in the United States. It is a psychology-based magazine about relationships, health, and related topics written for a mass audience of non-psychologists. Psychology Today was founded in 1967 and features articles on such topics as love,...
called the book "An alarming exposé of the burgeoning business of boot camps and drug rehab centers that promise to reform troubled teens", and described Szalavitz's work as "a meticulously reported and thoughtful investigation". Vanessa Bush of Booklist
Booklist
Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
characterized the book as "a revealing, at times horrifying look at the troubled-teen industry." Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
noted: "With a useful appendix discussing when and how to get responsible help for a troubled teen, this book, filled with first-person accounts, should be required reading in Parenting 101", calling the work "a courageous—if horrifying—study of the tough-love industry".
Karen Karbo, author of The Stuff of Life, gave the book a positive review in Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
, writing: "Maia Szalavitz's brisk investigation of America's so-called "tough love" treatment programs, which bill themselves as the last hope for out-of-control, drug-taking teens, would be the stuff of a bad TV movie, if it weren't so smart, well-researched and even-handed." Mark Sauer of The San Diego Union-Tribune
The San Diego Union-Tribune
-Predecessors:The predecessor newspapers of the Union-Tribune were:* San Diego Sun, founded 1861 and merged with the Evening Tribune in 1939.* San Diego Union, founded October 10, 1868.* Evening Tribune, founded December 2, 1895.-Ownership:...
noted: "Some of the stories reveal physical and psychological abuse that rivals tales from Iraq's Abu Ghraib Prison
Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse
Beginning in 2004, human rights violations in the form of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, including torture, rape, sodomy, and homicide of prisoners held in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq came to public attention...
."
Aftermath
Help at Any Cost succeeded in bringing attention to deaths related to medical neglect and child abuseChild abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
in the troubled teen industry. On October 10, 2007, the United States House Committee on Education and Labor of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
held a full committee investigative hearing chaired by Representative George Miller
George Miller (politician)
George Miller III is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1975. He is a member of the Democratic Party. From 2007 through 2010, Miller served as chairman of the Education and Labor Committee, formerly known as the Education and the Workforce Committee.-Early life, education, and early...
on "Cases of Child Neglect and Abuse at Private Residential Treatment Facilities". The Government Accountability Office
Government Accountability Office
The Government Accountability Office is the audit, evaluation, and investigative arm of the United States Congress. It is located in the legislative branch of the United States government.-History:...
presented findings from an investigation into the troubled teen industry, and parents of teens who died under care of these organizations testified at the hearing. Maia Szalavitz attended the hearing as well.
After the book's publication, Szalavitz continued to write about the controversy surrounding the troubled teen industry for Statistical Assessment Service, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Reason, and The American Prospect. The House Committee on Education and Labor held additional hearings on the matter on April 24, 2008, again chaired by Representative George Miller.
See also
- Scared Straight!Scared Straight!Scared Straight! is a 1978 documentary directed by Arnold Shapiro. Narrated by Peter Falk, the subject of the documentary is a group of juvenile delinquents and their three-hour session with actual convicts...
- Stockholm syndromeStockholm syndromeIn psychology, Stockholm Syndrome is an apparently paradoxical psychological phenomenon wherein hostages express empathy and have positive feelings towards their captors, sometimes to the point of defending them...
- Elan SchoolElan SchoolÉlan School was a private, coeducational, controversial residential behavior modification program and therapeutic boarding school in Poland, Androscoggin County, Maine...
External links
- Help At Any Cost ~ by Maia Szalavitz, official website (Video of discussion with author) (Audio interview with author)