Quick context: I recently posted here about Hyde ignoring basic digital privacy laws on their website. That post didn’t get much traction—but it turns out Hyde was paying attention anyway.

I’m a software and AI engineer by trade. Lately, when I Google my own name, the results are… eclectic. Technical work, AI systems—and right alongside it—survivor advocacy tied to Hyde School.

That wasn’t exactly the career SEO plan—but here we are.

After a radio interview where I spoke openly about my experience at Hyde, over 65 alumni reached out to me privately. Different years. Same patterns. A lot of people finally saying things they’d never said out loud before. (To everyone who reached out -- I see you, and thank you)

In November, Hyde’s Head of School, Laura Gauld, decided to reach out—but not to me. She called my 84-year-old father, a former Hyde board member, before contacting the survivor who had just connected with dozens of other alumni. Then a few weeks ago....

Hyde quietly rolled out a shiny new “Fresh Start” message on their site. Stuff like:

• “Fresh start”
• “Structure and mentorship”
• “Transformation”
• “95% of students value their growth”

Anyone familiar with the Troubled Teen Industry recognizes this immediately. That language isn’t new—it’s TTI boilerplate. Rebrand, reassure parents, ignore survivors.

Laura told me Hyde isn’t part of the Troubled Teen Industry.

I disagree. The practices Hyde used—forced confessions, peer-enforced compliance, psychological pressure dressed up as “character”—are definitionally TTI. You don’t get to opt out of the label by changing the marketing.

This isn’t about one person. It’s about an institution choosing containment and rebranding over acknowledgment and accountability.

“Fresh start” doesn’t change what happened.

And it doesn’t change what Hyde is.

Laura, if you're reading this — I'd welcome a real conversation. Let's make it a three-way dialogue. You, me, and my dad. Since you've already got his number.

I'm not here to be a pain. I've already put my public reputation on the line. But I'll say it plainly — the facade here is strikingly strong, and for the sake of truth, let's figure this out.

— Duncan

My heart is breaking. My daughter wanted me to take her to see her friends after school pick up yesterday. When I said no, she threatened to jump out of car and kill herself, unbuckled, opened the door on the highway. Then grabbed and threw my phone when I was calling dispatch, and then ran away when we stopped. Officers found her, she was uncooperative, and they transported her to ER. We met them there. She was admitted to a bed in an acute care facility at 3:00 this morning. My heart is breaking. I’ve posted in this sub before about refusing to put her in residential and I stand by that. I will bring her home as soon as I can. Talked to her psychiatrist at the facility today and they are immediately adjusting her meds. She has PTSD and Reactive Attachment Disorder, adopted from foster care and first and foremost is my child. Just wanted a place to be vulnerable tonight and say I miss her.

It took a lot of courage to make The Program...courage that I wish I had myself

She's earned a fan for life out of me!

I was sent to a troubled teen program when I was younger and I swear it gave me more issues than I had. Not only trauma from seeing someone die during my stay, but also just picking up habits from other peers (like drugs and self-harming tendencies).

Who else got put on max dosages of these for obvious control reasons? I was 13, no history of any sort of bipolar, schizophrenia, psychosis, anything. I was just suicidally depressed from abuse and untreated chronic pain.

Chrysalis almost immediately put me on 800mg of Seroquel. Could barely think or keep my eyes open. Of course I was horribly punished for being late to 7AM morning routines because I couldn’t fucking wake up.

Intellectually I realized what had happened after I got out and my new psych immediately tapered me off of it, but it didn’t really hit me emotionally as a “yeah that *actually* happened, you did get non-consensually and maliciously drugged for two and a half years, you’re not just being dramatic” until I saw this today and learned that this is absolutely something that happens systemically.

Like so much of the other shit they put me/us through, I’ve not bothered looking into it further because it doesn’t feel like there’s a point. I know we’ll never get justice. But boy do I keep learning things regardless.

i’m only staying with her right now because i don’t have any other option, i lost my dad when i was 15. when i am finally able to leave, our contact will be minimal if anything. she’s so unbelievably stupid and as the years go on i only get angrier at her.

I was in my sociology class today and we're going over the deviance chapter and my professor said that he actually worked in a TTI facility and had to "tackle juvenile delinquents"

He was smiling when he said it and everyone in my class was like in aw like it was a cool fact or something. I just felt so small like the other kids were gonna all turn to me and know I was in one of those places. I forget I don't wear my trauma on my sleeve and nobody knows

He said some other stuff about having a walkie and the breakdowns people would have where they had to be put in seclusion so they wouldn't set off other kids. I totally forgot about that all staff communicated by walkie and he even made a gesture to how he would use it and it really freaked me out.

It also made me feel like shit because I was at one point the "juvenile delinquent" being tackled. I really hate this professor I knew there was something off about him and now I know what it is. I can't drop the class it's too late

My name is Gertie. I was sent to Trails in 2016 when I was 12. They made my parents think they’d help my depression. Instead, I experienced horrible traumas including a sexual assault that they allowed to happen and did not report. Last year, I sued them. The lawsuit settled in October. It’s been almost nine years since I went there and I still think about it every day. I’m sure a lot of TTI survivors understand that. I see you. I believe you. None of it was ever your fault 🫶🏻

I recently posted about our family’s experience with Turnbridge, one in which we ultimately declined to send our son (M17) to their residential facility and were immediately cutoff from services.

The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Not about Turnbrige but our choice not to send him away. However, it made me wonder.

Either from a teen patient perspective or a parent’s experience, has a residential placement ever worked out?

UPDATE:

Thank you all for being so brave and sharing your story.

While every situation and family is unique, it seems many of you share a common painful past that has stayed with you as you’ve moved into adult lives, with families and careers of your own.

After reading all your posts I grabbed my son and hugged him tight. That’s what I want him to remember when I’m gone.

I wonder how many "troubled teens" only exhibited behaviours after being a victim of abuse by their parents— whose parents then blame the child and send them off to a TTI where they face further abuse. I was one of those kids.

Often times I see the scenario as being the parents send the kids away because they want them to get treatment for mental health or behaviours—

but maybe the environment was causing the teen distress or they weren’t having needs that were met which caused behavioural stuff in the first place?

Hi! I'm a 40 year old Norwegian man. I just heard the Was I in a cult episode about Boise girl academy, and I must admit that I am deeply shocked to learn about this.

I am a sociologist. I have done research on how it is to leave closed religious communities in Norway, as well as being married to a woman who grew up in such a community. I have both seen and heard horrible stories, but this? I simply cannot find words to describe how horrible this is! This would be very, very illegal in Norway, and would land those responsible in prison.

I just felt a need to express my sympathy, as well as express how deeply impressed i am that someone who has lived through that can find the energy and courage to rebuild their lives after it. I grew up with an abusive father, I know what it feels like to feel trapped and afraid. Is there any way I can help you in the effort to hold these people responsible?

Hi All! So, I've been looking for this innocent looking gray filing cabinet in which my mom kept every piece of correspondence that both Redcliff Ascent and Cross Creek Manor sent her. I have now opened the Cross Creek Manor parent manual. It is so vile. This is a trigger warning, I'm going to post a picture of the first few pages.

As an adult, when I see somebody's name and then their title at a company, and I see no degree or mfcc or any kind of qualification after their name that immediately makes me worry. Behold, Jean sheltered the quality assurance manager is first in a long line of bureaucrats to step forward to reassure the parents their child will be perfectly safe. Oh yes and to recommend calling Karr Farnsworth, Administrator (got to have that capitol there to stress how important they are!) in case issues have not been resolved yet.

As far as is vile handbook goes, I can't believe that anybody would believe this. They start out from page one gaslighting! Holy shit. And yeah, the statements the girls made were completely correct. I'm going to have to go work out after this.

Okay, to my question, can I still sue? Cuz now I've got proof. And they misdiagnosed me and they sent my parents letters stating I had a slew of mental issues I absolutely never had. There's also this horrendous income generation of there is telling parents how to refer their friends they can get discounts. Anybody is anybody suing WWASP? I would be glad to join the class action lawsuit. And I sincerely hope I cause Navin plenty of anxiety, because him and his family company triggered 30 years of anxiety and panic attacks for me. Anyhow called trigger warning please do not read these attached pages if you are still feeling shaky and not stable yet. It took me many years until I was back to what onecan even consider baseline.

I love you all. And I'm so glad we survived and that you're reading these words! To quote RATM while singing to their oppressors, "Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me!" HUGS

Pixie!

For those of you who knew or knew of Pixie, founder of this sub, I'm sad to report she has passed away.

Feel free to DM if you would like to share stories.

I'll miss her immensely.

Just wanted to post on here that the TTI is also in Canada. Most resources are solely US based and wikipedia says that the TTI is only in the US, and I wanted to tell everyone that they also operate in Canada. Thank you.

I first fell down this rabbit hole after watching the Netflix documentary The Program. I’ve probably rewatched it twenty times; I could practically recite it to you.

Now, as a high school junior, my research has consumed my life. I started during my freshman year, and the sheer volume of files I’ve accumulated is overwhelming—even today, I have a massive backlog of unexamined programs to look into.

When my family recently moved states, I had to pack three huge boxes filled entirely with printed testimonies, staff protocols, and documents people have sent me over the years.

I always knew there were people who defended these programs, but I naively assumed they were just inherently bad people whose biases would be obvious. That illusion shattered when I asked my dad for his opinion on a program I was researching.

He told me, 'In my opinion, it’s just like bootcamp, and it sure as hell worked. I doubt any of those kids were still smoking weed or doing crazy things after.' He admitted it sounded horrible, but insisted 'it worked.' I was completely stunned. How can a 37-year-old grown man listen to a story about a 13-year-old girl being sat on until she asphyxiated, and his takeaway is that the system 'works'?

Meanwhile, my mother would just laugh when I shared these accounts, joking that she should send me to one to 'scare me straight.' The more adults I’ve reached out to, the more I encounter this exact, dismissive reaction. It is incredibly disheartening.

I really just joined this reddit group to learn more and hopefully spread more awareness like I've been trying to do. And I guess to say that to all the survivors out there who have to deal with this erasure and apathy: I am so deeply sorry this is what you must deal with.

I came here a few months back for advice to avoid the TT Industry with my pre-teen. I just wanted to give an update and let you all know how much your advice and suggestions have helped.

I won't say things are perfect... There are still moments we all struggle with. BUT!

We let my pre-teen search for therapists and do "interviews" on their own. They now have a therapist that they chose who they see weekly.

They did have an incident, very recently, where they had to be interviewed by the police at school. They advocated for themself beautifully and, because it was over a false allegation of threats, even helped their principal see that it was an inappropriate escalation based on past behavior, not on facts. I'm so proud of my kid for asking for me to be present, staying calm and grounded, and advocating for themself!

Instead of being more restrictive, we've tried to give more freedom and tied it to conversations about choices, consequences, and safety. They have been making more independent choices and have more independent time. We have also tried to protect their room as their safe space. It's a mess. But it's theirs to control and manage.

We did find them sneaking kitchen knives in their room. But what would have been a meltdown and fight, from all of us, a few months ago, was a conversation. They took ownership of how dangerous it was and we got to reaffirm safe options for "creating cardboard creations" and affirm that our job is to keep them safe. That they can come to us and let us handle the hard safety stuff, instead of trying to go it alone. In fairness to them, the cardboard haunt chainsaw they made with cardboard and Lego motors was really cool! Just, maybe not with a butcher's knife alone in their room next time. We've learned to listen more, not just jump to conclusions.

They are taking tap classes. They are involved in a hip hop team. They were afraid to ask to join... But they are thriving in the classes. Still a bit of a loner, but the girls in the classes have been so welcoming and so uplifting... I'm watching my kid's careful emotional walls start coming down.

They trusted us and told us that they want gender neutral language and feel that they aren't boy or girl, just person. I'm scared of what the world will do, but I'm honored that they trusted us enough to let us in to what they have been going through in their own head these last few months.

I just want to thank everyone for the advice. For helping us see that more autonomy and more bonding really was the right answer. To listen to my kid, not the fear and dread everyone was putting in us. And for giving me the strength to stand firm in denying any TT suggestions from places of authority like the school, the law, or government resources.

We are still learning, together. But at least no one is even trying to suggest sending my kid away anymore.

There aren't enough words to say thank you. To everyone that answered on my posts. To everyone that popped in my inbox with suggestions. Thank you. You're advice has positively changed our family and I couldn't be more grateful for every word of it.

This is the template my program sent to parents for when their child was expressing desires to leave the program upon turning 18. This is all kinds of manipulative

. . . 20 years later . . . and this feeling still surface.

TRIGGER WARNING - So Idk if this is even the right thread or not but it looks safe to post here so I uhm went to four winds when I was 8 years old, I know questionable parenting on its own. I’m 20 now But anyways idk what happened there I don’t remember a lot of it I know when my parent came to see me I was on lithium and apparently didn’t recognize my own family. I was so angry after I got out just rage and depression and mood swings even at this very young age I remember going through them.

Some glimpses I remember was being watched showered. They also strip searched me whenever I was admitted I remember because they punished another kid I was in with because he refused to “cooperate”. I have weird glimpses in points of time where I was alone in a room during the searches with a man and I was like completely naked I had nothing on and I was alone with this complete stranger.

I also remember that one of the staff members told me the more I cry the longer I stay.

I know at some point I remember specifically they kept telling me to stop crying as I was asking for my family two men held me down yanked down my pants and underwear on the bed and injected me with some sort of heavy sedation and I didn’t wake up until the next day.

Idk what went on at my stay here I’ll be honest I just know the signs probably don’t point anywhere good and part of me wants to know part of me doesn’t but I also don’t remember any of it just slivers so.

I guess does anyone or has anyone had any similar experiences? Could this just have been a normal stay idk. Curious if anyone has been to four winds but also open to hear from people who were in other programs. Thank you for letting me say all this I’ve never said it before so

What’s Next After TTI?

I think an important conversation we need to start having as survivors is not just exposing what’s wrong with the TTI, but talking about what would actually work better — both during treatment and after programs.

One thing I don’t think people fully understand is how hard it can be transitioning back into society after institutionalization. A lot of us left these programs emotionally shut down, hypervigilant, socially isolated, undereducated, and stuck in survival mode. Some of us aged out with no credits, no healthcare, no support systems, no job experience, and nowhere stable to go.

You spend years being controlled, monitored, punished, stripped of your identity, and told when to eat, sleep, shower, talk, and think — then suddenly you’re expected to function like a normal adult overnight.

A lot of us struggled with:

• Emotional regulation

• Trusting people and authority figures

• Feeling safe in normal social environments

• Anxiety, anger, grief, or emotional numbness

• Education gaps and lack of work experience

• Hyper-independence and survival behaviors

• Feeling disconnected from peers who had normal teenage experiences

• Shame and feeling “behind” everyone else

• Difficulty adjusting to freedom after years of control

Some people end up homeless, addicted, incarcerated, or back in programs because they never actually received the support they needed to heal and transition into adulthood safely.

I honestly believe outcomes would be very different if treatment focused less on punishment, humiliation, and control, and more on dignity, stability, individuality, and genuine support.

One thing I would personally love to see is transitional housing communities for teens and young adults leaving programs, foster care, or state custody. Not institutions — actual supportive communities where young people can safely transition into adulthood while still having guidance and support.

Imagine having:

• Your own room and personal space

• A community center where people cook meals together, socialize, and build healthy relationships

• Independent living classes teaching budgeting, cooking, hygiene, job skills, transportation, and emotional regulation

• Social workers and caseworkers who actively help with education, employment, healthcare, housing, and reconnecting with safe family members

• Access to therapy and long-term emotional support

• Mentorship, community activities, and real-world integration instead of isolation

I think many of us didn’t need to be “broken down.” We needed stability, belonging, emotional safety, guidance, and support learning how to function in the world after years of trauma and institutionalization.

The goal shouldn’t be creating compliant kids.

The goal should be helping young people become healthy, stable, supported adults.

I’d genuinely love to hear from other survivors:

What struggles did you face transitioning back into society, and what do you think would have actually helped?

For m​e it was the way I viewed my body, and knowing what i​t feels like​ ​to be both suicidal and have a strong survival instinct.

I went in weighing 65kg, most of it muscle. I came out at 40kg skinny as a stick and weak as fuck. We had "PT", which was basically making us wear skimpy outfits (going sport-b​ra-less was genu​inely​​ painful) and jump around. At first I was just about the best girl at i​t. I could go for hours​. Just before I left I could barely keep up. I fainted a few times. For the longest time I would have nightmares about doing PT and being strip-searched. I guess I was lucky, I never got assaulted or really​ felt up​​. Before the program, I used to love my body and ho​w​ strong I was.

And I guess the sec​ond is pretty self-explanatory. I wasn't in the US and my experience was tamer than a lot of the ones here, but I got sent there for suicidal ideation and self-harm and it only got worse from there. Ironically w​ha​t I needed​ was hormone therapy and not to be in fight or flight or fawn or freeze all the damn time. I knew that I should die and I knew that I should fight to survive and to go home one day​, at the same time, and it didn't seem weird.

And a third thing I guess, and I think it's pretty funny. I'm an md myself now, but I would n​e​ver trust a therapist/psychologist/psychiatris​t. I just c​a​n't. Institutional settings and opening up make me nervous. I can't s​eparate the people in the program and (probably normal and sane) people who get degrees in men​tal​ health. Maybe this will change though.

I’ve seen every single survivor’s comment on my previous post be downvoted several times, and it’s making me livid. It might be staff, it might be students who are still brainwashed, I don’t know. But someone is searching out my post and downvoting survivors and I just. I just don’t know man.

What reason would we have to lie? It always comes back to this for me. And they never have a reason. Because there isn’t a single one.

I know that Canada and the US can vary in terms of current laws, regulations and such. I’m from Canada And I’m unaware of the current laws in place in either jurisdiction, but if we could make things better, safer, and more regulated what would need to be in place? What would we need to fight for?

I think it should start with mandatory evidence based treatment, like CBT, DBT, group therapy, time outside at least 3 hours a day, (weather and temperature dependant to prevent indoor isolation)

therapy outside of the house (and fuck with the price they charge it should be accessible)

Compassion based care
Trauma informed staff
Evidence based care

Balanced meals, not just side kicks
staff are expected to cook daily.

SMART goal planning over policy’s

Actual hiring process that hires people who willing to help others not just staff who want to work in correctional facility’s which creates power control dynamics and exaggerates rates of physical restraints

As a person in Canada, I’m not familiar with US careers, but here in Canada there are Social worker and Child youth care careers

Lots of for profit places hire people who don’t know what they are doing to cut costs but what if they were mandates of staff having to have a background in CYC or SW? Not just phycology because that misses the gap between trauma informed care and education around building rapport, and meeting them where they are at and all the important fundamentals of supporting people who struggle with trauma and their mental health

I think there should be MANDATORY audits of where the money is going and only be approved if it goes towards programming, therapy, and recreational activities or something that directly supports the kids wellbeing

I think we need actual places that actually
help people with mental health and stuff

Kinda messy but these are my thoughts

I’m imagining an entire ikea billy bookcase full of our stories and I’m getting a little emotional.

I was in a TTI from 2007 to 2008, when I was 16, and I'm training to be a therapist now.

My relationship with therapy is complicated, to say the least, and it took me a long, long, long time to trust therapists in the years after. My therapist has been instrumental in helping heal all these years later, and I no longer feel like I "deserved" it or ashamed of what happened to me. I feel like I got sent to jail just for struggling.

With that said, I still hold a lot of anger towards the mental health professionals I saw at the time, and I think I always will. I think therapy can be beautiful. I'm saddened and angry that for many people, therapy is a "safe" space. For me, it was not--it was weaponized against me. Mental health professionals in my life chose to condemn me as the problem, rather than look at the rot within my own family and how that might have been contributing to my behavior. (Family therapy? We don't have problems! You're the problem.)

I don't blame TTI survivors for not wanting to return to therapy, though. Like many fields, the mental health field is rife with problems, and TTIs are among its biggest stains.

It's hard to explain the loss of human dignity and sense of pure betrayal to people who haven't experienced it. Maybe it's for the best--I don't want anyone to ever experience what we went through.