Teen Challenge Exposed!

Anonymous wrote:

Teen Challenge is corrupt and abusive. The Jupiter Teen Challenge staff is extremely under-qualified for what they do. I spent a long period of time trapped in the Jupiter Teen Challenge in Tequesta, FL. I have been emotionally scarred since leaving the place.
The directors solely want the tens of thousands of dollars you will end up wasting on this place. They will fool you into thinking that they care about you or your child.
If you are considering sending your adolescent to ANY Teen Challenge, please reconsider. There are other options out there. Teen Challenge is not a cure. It is not a safe place. It is a nightmare and a waste of time for you and your teen.

For someone who claims to know what goes on there - why would you think this was a place for "adolescent" children? Was it the name that fooled you? Funny to be named Teen Challenge and yet be an organization for adults.......

Shanon P wrote:

<quoted text>
I have been to the Ladies Teen Challenge Home in Milwaukee, WI on several occassions. I have also worked with a few Mission and Prison ministries and am currently a counselor for Life Choices ProLife pregnancy Center.
Let's face it people, it is meant to be "Tough Love" it is meant to be a "Hand up not a Hand out" I'm sorry a lot of them don't want to actually work for their own provisions and it would be more convenient for them to just cry "poor me" and have everything handed to them so they can continue their lives unchanged. It is called Victim mentality and it will get them no where in the long run. There is an awesome quote by Abe Lincoln about how we should not do for man, what they could and should do for themselves. What are we teaching people by enabling them?(that it is ok to be and act the way they do.) They will also have no motivation to do for themselves what is being done and handed out to them. And, by the way - the military boot camp type environment is to get past your pride and yourself so they can rebuild and restore you. The author of this post just didn't stick around long enough to see the results. And, all the pot shots at the staff..... being Christian does not make us perfect - it makes us Forgiven. We are still humans trying to be as Godly and Righteous as we can be, but sometimes we lose focus of Him and His will and we fall and yes the demons will come back 7 times as strong the next time you let them in - that is why we have to guard ourselves and our witness so much. Dear Jesus I ask for a hedge of protection around all the staff of all the Teen Challenge locations. I ask that You draw near to them and hold them close. Help them to keep their focus on You!! Amen and Amen!!

My son is in the men's center in Milwaukee. I am getting very concerned about some of the things that are being reported. He has been doing very well and has changed tremendously. The change was remarkable on a recent visit home. But I would like to know exactly when that building up process begins. It seems to me that the longer he is there the worse things get, not just for him, but for everyone. He has been there 6 months now. Thanks.

I AM A GRADUATE OF TEEN CHALLENGE,AND AM VERY UPSET THAT ANY WEBSITE OR LINK WOULD ALLOW THIS HEADING OF 'EXPOSURE OF TEEN CHALLENGE' TO CONTINUE.IT NOT ONLY PROVES THE LACK OF THIS SITES AUTHORITY AND REPUTATION,BUT DOES THE TEEN CHALLENGE ORGANIZATION A GREAT DISERVICE.I WOULD NOT BE ALIVE TODAY,NOR WOULD COUNTLESS OTHERS WHO HAVE FOLLOWED THE CURRICULUM OF TEEN CHALLENGE AND THEREBY BEGAN A WONDERFUL RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST.ALL ORGANIZATIONS,WITH STUDENTS SUCH AS THESE,(addicts,convicts,etc.)W ILL
HAVE INSTANCES OF SEVERE MISCONDUCT,WHICH RESULTS IN REPORTS TO DEBUNK THE INSTITUTION...BE SURE,BEFORE YOU POST THESE COMMENTS,TO AT LEAST INVESTIGATE OR SUBSTANTIATE BEFORE POSTING.I BELIEVE YOU,THE WEBMASTER,OWE TEEN CHALLENGE AT THE VERY LEAST,AN APOLOGY...AND TO DELETE UNINVESTIGATED SLANDER...

Teen challenge states that they provide addiction counseling but they do not have a single licensed professional on staff to provide that counseling. In addition they do not address underlying psychological issues either. One of my patients went into Teen Challenge and was told he needed to stop his medications for his bipolar disorder. Without his medications he deteriorated rapidly, became manic and suicidal. It took months to stabilize him once he returned to proper, licensed care. He is now sober and functioning well under a doctor's direction. If you relapse at Teen Challenge the "punishment" is to be banned from the residence for 7 days. Those who receive this sanction are thrown out of the facility and told to use the Rescue Mission shelter in downtown Milwaukee. They are released with no money and no support and told to fend for themselves. The rescue mission is a homeless shelter and many of the people who use the shelter are active addicts. So this places the Teen Challenge person at serious risk. Not to mention the mission is a first come first serve shelter and if there are no beds open you sleep on the street no matter the weather. At that shelter you need to be out of the shelter at 6 am leaving these Teen challenge folks with no where to go for an entire day. This is dangerous and unethical treatment. Teen Challenge covers this up by saying the participant left willingly. That way it does not mess up their stats claiming such a high success rate. A program participant I know was recently given this punishment and was found 2 days ago drunk and beaten up at 1 am. In addition he was under court supervision and was supposed to be at Teen Challenge or in jail and when Teen Challenge kicked him out they did not notify the police dept that he had left the program. This is a violation of the law for Teen Challenge not to notify law enforcement when a participant is under DOC supervision. I am not just a bitter citizen, I am a licensed mental health professional with 22 yrs experience in my field. It concerns me that places like Teen Challenge claim to provide treatment when they do not. They provide Christian education and Christian direction but they do not provide treatment and should not claim that they do. It is a violation of Wisconsin law to state that you provide a service for which you are not licensed. You cannot call yourself an addictions counselor unless you hold a valid license for that classification. Teen Challenge is free to legally call themselves a religious education center but they should not be allowed to call themselves a treatment center.

Very well said and as far as I'm concerned should be the final word on the subject. We are human and one of our flaws is we judge others. The less we do of that, the better!

Greatful alcoholic wrote:

A good friend of mine just started their long stay at a Teen Challenge center, so I've been doing as much research as I can. I grew up in the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous and nearly all of my extended family and many friends have been afflicted with the disease of addiction. When it comes down to it, you only conquer it when you're ready to and have a true desire to change your life. I wouldn't say that any program is less effective than another...I'm glad that there are so many options out there. What might not work for someone may end up being the light at the end of the tunnel for someone else. When you talk about the disease of addiction, you can't expect there to be one "cure" for everyone. Addiction is not like other diseases. It's a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. 12 step programs may work for some, and Teen Challenge, or other rehab programs, for others. How about we rejoice in the fact that there is SO MUCH help out there for people struggling with this disease instead of trying to say one program is better than another? It wasn't but a 100 years ago that there was virtually no help at all...doctors and religious leaders alike were stumped when it came to the problem of the alcoholic. Whatever higher power is out there, I'm glad it decided to make ALL these programs available.

I am with you on this one my son was with your patient I believe. I hv written a 6 page letter detailing that event along with a few other things. I wkd be happy and wld love to send you a copy off what I am sending to the local news and radio station Assembly of Gid district and national headquarters, local churches that support this particular center, Teen Challenge officials locally and nationally, the. Governors wife, board members and many others. Se have already gone out. They caused my son to violate his probation too. If your patient is who I think it is I am the one who took him to the hospital. You can reach me at key2127@att.net. Looking coward to hearing from you.[QUOTE[who="Hamone "]Teen challenge states that they provide addiction counseling but they do not have a single licensed professional on staff to provide that counseling. In addition they do not address underlying psychological issues either. One of my patients went into Teen Challenge and was told he needed to stop his medications for his bipolar disorder. Without his medications he deteriorated rapidly, became manic and suicidal. It took months to stabilize him once he returned to proper, licensed care. He is now sober and functioning well under a doctor's direction. If you relapse at Teen Challenge the "punishment" is to be banned from the residence for 7 days. Those who receive this sanction are thrown out of the facility and told to use the Rescue Mission shelter in downtown Milwaukee. They are released with no money and no support and told to fend for themselves. The rescue mission is a homeless shelter and many of the people who use the shelter are active addicts. So this places the Teen Challenge person at serious risk. Not to mention the mission is a first come first serve shelter and if there are no beds open you sleep on the street no matter the weather. At that shelter you need to be out of the shelter at 6 am leaving these Teen challenge folks with no where to go for an entire day. This is dangerous and unethical treatment. Teen Challenge covers this up by saying the participant left willingly. That way it does not mess up their stats claiming such a high success rate. A program participant I know was recently given this punishment and was found 2 days ago drunk and beaten up at 1 am. In addition he was under court supervision and was supposed to be at Teen Challenge or in jail and when Teen Challenge kicked him out they did not notify the police dept that he had left the program. This is a violation of the law for Teen Challenge not to notify law enforcement when a participant is under DOC supervision. I am not just a bitter citizen, I am a licensed mental health professional with 22 yrs experience in my field. It concerns me that places like Teen Challenge claim to provide treatment when they do not. They provide Christian education and Christian direction but they do not provide treatment and should not claim that they do. It is a violation of Wisconsin law to state that you provide a service for which you are not licensed. You cannot call yourself an addictions counselor unless you hold a valid license for that classification. Teen Challenge is free to legally call themselves a religious education center but they should not be allowed to call themselves a treatment center.[/QUOTE]

I messed upbon the post. You can reach me at keys1127@att.net. Feel free to contact me. I look forward to hearing from you!

Keys1127 wrote:

I messed upbon the post. You can reach me at keys1127@att.net. Feel free to contact me. I look forward to hearing from you!

check your email. I would love to talk with you.

Anonymous wrote:

Teen Challenge is corrupt and abusive. The Jupiter Teen Challenge staff is extremely under-qualified for what they do. I spent a long period of time trapped in the Jupiter Teen Challenge in Tequesta, FL. I have been emotionally scarred since leaving the place.
The directors solely want the tens of thousands of dollars you will end up wasting on this place. They will fool you into thinking that they care about you or your child.
If you are considering sending your adolescent to ANY Teen Challenge, please reconsider. There are other options out there. Teen Challenge is not a cure. It is not a safe place. It is a nightmare and a waste of time for you and your teen.

I also went to the Jupiter Teen Challenge ( 2006-2007).The center has now moved to lakeland fl. This place is NOT what it seems. They manipulate your parents! To this day my mother cries when I talk about it because she feels so guilty that she sent me there. I and the other girls have endured countless abuse. This is not a christian place. I feel like it is a cult. I followed all the rules but I was still horribly downed and mistreated because I did not want to become "saved." I wish there was something I could do to get my parents money back to them. They wasted their savings on this place and now are in debt. The old program manager embezzled money to this day we have not been refunded. I get sick to my stomach when I hear desperate parents send their children to TC to get help.

Reality wrote:

Teen challenge replaces one addiction with another. I know this from personal experience. Half the guys in the Appleton Ave. facility were using during outings - many were there trying to avoid DUI sentencing or drug sentencing - plea deals made by their lawyers. Many didn't make it, those who followed the strict rules of this faith based program found the brainwashing done while inside, did not apply well once out in the real world.
Just an opinion - there are lots of ways to find your way straight WITHOUT replacing alcoholism and drug use with another obsession.

I was in this program a few years ago and a witness to this as well... When the women would go to the men's center, the women were not even allowed to LOOK at the guys... However, the guys were able to do whatever they wanted to and I ended up falling for one of the guys there... I got in MAJOR trouble for just LOOKING at him (ALL of my phone, mail and visitation privileges were taken away for a month and they wouldn't let me see my 2 year old son that was supposed to visit the next day!!!), and he just got a "knock it off"... It was ridiculous, and I loved the teachings and classes, but was treated like a slave when we weren't in class and our teachers left. There was no talking upstairs OR even commuicating without words to your roommate(s)! If you did, you would get in major trouble! I felt like I was a child and in prison... I loved that it was God-based, and that's why I went, but it was definitely prison when the guests weren't there... It just kills me because Jesus NEVER treated anyone the way we were treated, and they just loved the power of having people cater to their every need, and that's what we did. If we didn't, they would take everything we loved away... It's sad, and I hope it's not the same as it was when I was there.

The bible based part is great but as for working for them wow what a ripoff i worked all day at times to bring in money for gas movies sometimes food and leaders were all good for that. then i hurt myself and wow did they turn on me i was now the focus of the abuse they talk about behind closed doors even though i got hurt working for them all of a sudin i was a student not a worker or employee so no medical coverage and by the way get the hell out of our house hundreds of miles from home it was to the mission or sleep in 19 degree weather they didnt care one bit they found someone to pray on. oh they tried prayer to fix my beck pain now im fighting to get doctors to help me teen challenge exploites the men and will turn there back on you in a second. they said i was not an employee at the time of the accident

Beth wrote:

I have been an addict since I was17. I have been to Godless treatment centers atleast 8 times. The only way to get free from not only drugs but other life controlling issues is the Lord, who sets the captives free. It is sad that there are people dying and suffering from such things. If they would only open thier minds to Jesus, they would find freedom. Thats what works for me, a heroin addict who is more happier and stable than ever. Give it a chance, what could it hurt?? What could you lose?? I swear you will gain so much hope and a huge change in yourself all around, you will not regret it. Teen Challenge is a guarantee. Unlike other outrageously priced treatment centers, Teen Challenge is free.

AMEN.

AMEN

Let me tell you,,,, I went there in March 2012. All the people with less then 6 months time there had to stay in the nasty 60 year old end of the place. If you make it past that time (rear) you get to sleep inthe place on their website. Up to 6 guys share one 4X5 bathroom with no fan. So your 12X12 room that you stay in smells like ass 24hrs a day. You are forced to go out in a unsafe van in ghettos and in surrounding neighborhoods and put flyers on doors All day every day in teams of 2, checked in on by staff that don't care every 3 hours. So if you want to "score some drugs" its real easy. Nice practice for rehabilitation huh? Also you will be in strange neighborhoods without a phone fo emergencies. AND,,, you will get harassed while out by homeowners. Then on Saturday you get to was cars to raise money. I had to do this when tbe water waz feezing on cars. Insane! I heard that in the summer you have to shake a can for money on the street. What a mess. You go to the Wisc welfare office and get a food card and turn it over to them. Just sketchy, I hated it. You are fed well but all Aldi's sugar enhanced stuff, cooked by some guy who is there for treatment as well. Absolutely zero nutritional plan there.
Im getting tired of typing this on my phone so I will finish later on my home computer.
Stay tuned,,,,

So were was I?
So your diet consists of sugar. Whats nice is they have treats at night, usually cake, donuts and other sweet goods, more sugar. The day is full of activities. You are busy till dinner. Which you are usually late to because passing flyers out is more important then regular meals there. The staff is made up mainly of young men. The staff is absent at night pretty much and you can sneak out of the place if you want. So the addicts are expected to govern themselves and a couple are appointed to watch the others and rat them out. If you disobey or don't participate in the slave labor you get put on what they call "motivation". This I was put on at the end of my second week there. I was told that I couldn't watch the movie on sat night, had to write the WHOLE book of Romans and do a summary after each chapter and that I couldn't make any calls or get mail for two weeks.( this is when I realised that this place was worthless) The place has some people that want to be Christians but or the most part the majority of the people there are angry, cursing the staff and acting like students in a dorm. I thought I was going to a warm loving place that would not be full of foul launguage and garbage, but I was wrong. A good percent of the people there are court ordered and homeless and don't care about any part of the program. Every day you are put in the "chapel where for an hour you will listen to the same chant like songs, this is prayer and meditation time. No talking or reading. They have zero classes or time spent talking about you addiction or recovering from it,,ZERO ZERO ZERO>
They also have a study book set of stuff about becoming a Christian that quite honestly, I was confused with. I have been a Christian all my life, and the points that they cover falsely explain salvation and miss MAJOR points in the Bible and the gospel. Volunteers are let in to talk to the new guys. The main and most respected (by the staff) guy came in one night and sat with me and a few others. These guys knew little about God and Jesus. This guy sat there and went on about how he had done miricles like removing bullets from people and how if you couldn't heal yourself you didn't have faith. Act's 2 gospel crap gone bad and being promoted all over the place! I guess in other locations Teen Challenge works different and may be ok, but this place is horrible. I was taken there by a really good guy from my church and forgive him, but I have to say that I was young and my parents made me go there I would never forgive them. Especially if I stayed for the 14 months they want you there for.
I left there on foot with all I could carry, made may way back home, the went to a program called SHARE in Hoffman Estates Il. SHARE was like a cruise ship compaired to T/C! I would recommend it to anybody. Trust me, go there or send your kid there.
I still freak out when I hear one of the Jesus Culture songs that we listened to every day. And cringe when I hear the T/C commercial on Moody radio.
The only thing I got from that place is an example of how bad your life could get from addictions. I would rather be homeless then be in that place for one more minute.
You can go get on a crew volunteering to help people with a Christin ministy and get closer to God and be away from your surroundings and the drugs and do much better then any help that this cult will give.
Stay clear of it!!!!!!!!!!

And if you had a different experience there good for you, you were there in a different time before it went bad. And if your one of their staff and want to debate me or say I lie, you might as well pound sand, I don't have time for you like you have no time for the people in your program.
I wish everybody the best. It would make me happy to see T/C be a better place, so change it!

I hated every minute I was at Teenchallenge Milwaukee. I saw with my own eyes their quarterly financal report left out. They're worth 3.7 million. Jesus doesn't need a million dollar corporation to deliver souls from bondage. They used our written and verbal testimonials as publicity and for a marketing tool. Their emphasis was entirely on fundraising and their image. We were contracted out to businesses for labor. They told us it was volunteer work, but they were paid by the business we worked at for the hours we were there. They allowed many to come into the program who were suicidal and on medications and discouraged us to seek medical help. I felt like I was being prostituted like I.was being exploited for financial gain.JESUS CAN SET YOU FREE WITHOUT A. "PROGRAM " THAT USES YOU AS A PROMOTIONAL GIMMICK. JESUS SET ME FREE WHEN I CRIED OUT IN TOTAL SURRENDER. TEENCHALLENGE IS A FRAUD. LET NO ONE MISLEAD YOU.SEEK THE LORD, NOT MAN'S WISDOM. It's a copy of a worldy program with the name of Jesus taped on it. It's a byproduct of the false church.

I'm so sad my boyfriend went there two weeks ago and I just saw him two days ago and he was different. I think its a cult

its sucks and everything u said is true greg and essie r killers