Carey Bock’s Blog

The GAO’s Report on Selected Cases of Death, Abuse, and Deceptive Marketing. 

Case 7 in the above GAO report is in reference to the Whitmore Academy, one of Sue Scheff’s program schools.  This is the same program that Sue Scheff has defended repeatedly.   To listen to the live webcast from the GAO and to learn more about the ABUSE that occurred at Sue Scheff’s program the Whitmore Academy (click here). 

WASHINGTON - Boot camp therapy companies use deceptive practices in getting parents to enroll teens in programs where they can end up abused and neglected, the Government Accountability Office has found.

To read more about Sue Scheff and Focal Point Academy, another one of her referral programs, (click here).   In this ongoing case Sue Scheff is now being sued and will be held accountable for some of the same things that the Whitmore Academy was investigated and shut down for.    To learn more about how Scheff works to silence her critics (click here).

Annonymous wrote:

“The Focal Point lawsuit has been long in coming…Sue Scheff has made a living by making referrals to abusive facilities like the Whitmore in Juab, Utah.  The Whitmore was owned by a couple named Mark and Cheryl Sudweeks.  Mark has the dubious distinction of being the only person banned for life from owning animals in British Columbia, after being convicted of cruelty to animals. The Sudweeks owned a horse ranch in B.C., and investigators found twenty-nine horses and seven dogs near death from starvation and disease.

A program owned by the Sudweeks in Mexico was shut down for licensing infractions, and the couple was forced to leave the country along with fourteen “students” who were in their care.  Sue Scheff has made referrals to the Whitmore Academy since at least 2003, when Scheff’s PURE, inc. came under scrutiny during the WWASP vs. PURE trial.  Scheff lost key supporters when her testimony revealed she received payments from programs she made referrals to, an admission which tarnished the image Scheff attempted  to project of herself as a housewife taking on the powerful and abusive WWASP.

On August 7, 2000, Scheff enrolled her daughter Ashlyn in the WWASP-owned Carolina Springs Academy of South Carolina.  Ashlyn was going through adolescent ills that included alcohol experimentation, depression, suicidal ideation, and poor grades.  Scheff’s relationship with her daughter was strained to the breaking point, and Ashlyn has alleged her mother assaulted her, striking her in the face and grabbing her by the throat.  While Ashlyn was enrolled in Carolina Springs, Scheff discovered the referral system.  WWASP would award a month’s tuition ($3,000 at Carolina Springs) to a program parent who convinced another family to place their child in a WWASP facility.

In spite of the plea bargain and letter of admission Sudweeks wrote, and her ban from ever opening another facility for children in Juab County, Utah again, Sue Scheff and her business associate Isabelle Zehnder started writing blogs defending the Sudweeks and the Whitmore, attacking one parent who removed her daughter from the facility and attempting to scapegoat her for all the Sudweeks troubles.  They attacked this one mother in horrible ways, accusing her of yanking her daughter out of the Whitmore by the arm.  Mark Sudweeks claimed to have a police report.  However, it was the police who accompanied this concerned mother when she went to get her child, and the police report said no force was used on the child. Recently, Sue Scheff has been attacking her critics, attempting to litigate them into silence or simply having their websites removed by contacting the web servers and claiming she’s being defamed.  She’s running a campaign of censorship, and she’s hired an outside firm to sanitize her unsavory image.  She can shut down negative information without ever having to prove it’s untrue.  In light of the tactics she used against WWASP while posting anonymously on websites in an effort to ruin WWASP’s reputation, one would think her hypocrisy would trouble her, but it’s all business to her. 

I understand Scheff’s right to protect her business from damaging, malicious accusations that have no basis in fact.  However, there are court transcripts, eye-witness accounts, and sworn statements against her business, PURE.  These are the “lies” Scheff wants to have buried by her hired goon squad, Reputation Defender.  She’s attempting to squelch out the damning evidence concerning her vicious physical assault on her daughter, the abusve nature of the facilities she refers to, and the misrepresentation of these facilities to desparate parents.  Sue’s decided that freedom of speech is a dangerous thing to her, but let’s not forget how she benefited from flaunting freedom of speech when WWASP sued her. 

As the WWASP vs. PURE trial proved, Scheff deceived the public by presenting herself as a “housewife” who was taking on the hellspawned pits of abuse that made up WWASP.  As the trial wore on, Scheff’s supporters learned their hero was earning a healthy fee from sending kids to programs like the Whitmore, and it became evident that this was no mere “housewife” taking on the montrous WWASP, Scheff and WWASP were competitors in the teen torture industry. 

Now with the Focal Point lawsuit, there is a chance to fully reveal the monster Sue Scheff is, and end her campaign of censorship against people who have proof to back their claims.  Keep in mind the 11.3 million judgment awarded to Scheff after suing Carey Bock for defamation.  Bock, a former associate of Scheff’s missed her chance to defend herself in Court - Carey had been displaced by Hurricane Katrina, and Scheff’s attorney “happened” to send the summons while Ms. Bock was in transit to Texas.

Sue Scheff is much more than a relatively small part of this industry.  She’s become the figurehead of it, and what better person to expose for her role in callously sending kids to programs like the Whitmore, which Scheff continued to do after the allegations against the Sudweeks had become public?

suescheffretort

Do you have an out of control teen?  Are you afraid that if you don’t do something quickly to intervene they may end up dead or in jail? Do you feel the need to seek outside help? If you do…BEWARE…there are plenty of people out there, who for the right price, will be more than willing to help. The question is, are they qualified to help.

(Click Here) to learn more about Parents Universal Resource Experts (PURE) aka Sue Scheff.  Sue Scheff is an individual who promotes unregulated and risky private residential treatment facilities for children.  Sue Scheff has gone as far as to lie about her own credentials and level of education to promote such facilities for her own financial gain.  (Click Here) to read the attached document in which Sue Scheff claims to have two degrees and claims to be a Certified Educational Planner.  Sue Scheff does not hold any degrees and she is not a Certified Educational Planner. 

Sue Scheff is trying very hard to silence her critics.  She recently has had her attorney send a letter to my host provider in an attempt to try and take down this site as well as others.  (Click Here) to read my attorney’s response to Scheff’s most recent attempt to silence me. 

Representative George Miller, Chairman of the Committe on Education and Labor holds investigative hearing on Cases on Child Neglect and Abuse at Private Residential Facilities. (Click Here) to listen to the hearing and to learn more about this unregulated industry and the unacceptable practices that occur within.

Who is the “Parents Universal Resource Expert”? It’s Sue Scheff. 

Is Sue Scheff really an expert?

Is Sue Scheff qualified to give “program” advice to parents of teens who are in need of special care? 

Is Sue Scheff a danger to the public?

You decide.

Read the latest news on Sue Scheff’s referral program Harbor Oaks Boarding School.  This hand selected program, hand selected by Sue Scheff, demonstrates her lack of expertise.  In this case The Madison County Department of Social Services substantiates neglect and the “improper supervision of at-risk student population” (click here).    This is just one example of what can happen when a family takes the advice of the untrained and unqualified self-proclaimed expert. 

Who is Sue Scheff? 

Sue Scheff is the owner of Parents Universal Resource Experts.  Sue Scheff is a self-proclaimed expert. 

What is a self proclaimed expert?

A self-proclaimed expert is someone who leads the public to believe that they have qualifications and/or credentials that somehow qualify them to speak in an authoritative manner on a certain topic. A self-proclaimed expert has no real backing or education to support their expertise.

Is calling oneself an “expert” a danger to the public?

If someone is claiming to be an expert on risky teen behavior and subsequently an expert on programs to correct risky teen behavior, yet they have no formal education and/or training in that field of study, then YES, they can be a real danger to the public. 

If Sue Scheff has no qualifications for recommending treatment then how can she determine if a specific school provides treatment?  Children and teens with special needs, need highly trained and qualified professionals making decisions about their care and treatment. 

What does a real expert have that Sue Scheff doesn’t have?

A real expert is a person with extensive knowledge or ability in a particular area of study. An expert can be, by virtue of training, education, profession, publication or experience, believed to have special knowledge of a subject beyond that of the average person, sufficient that others may officially (and legally) rely upon the individual’s opinion. 

What qualifications does Sue Scheff have for giving advice to parents of teens who have special needs?  NONE.  Sue Scheff has no formal education or training.  She has only her own history of parenting which includes placing her own child in a controversial and risky program.  

Keep these things in mind before making a decision that may affect your family for the rest of your lives:

1. Sue Scheff has no real training on the subject of risky teen behavior above and beyond that of the average person. 
2. Sue Scheff is not working for you,  she is working for the programs who pay for her services.  She receives compensation from the programs she recommends.
3. Sue Scheff is selling “teen help” programs that are unregulated and controversial. 

What can happen when parents take the advice of a “self proclaimed expert”?

• A parent may find that the program in which their child was referred to does not do background checks on employees. They may find their child in a program that hires convicted felons.  For more on this story about one of Sue Scheff’s programs (click here) .

• A parent may find that their child ends up in a program involving allegations of child abuse (click here) .   Cheryl Sudweeks, a friend and associate of Sue Scheff, was offered a plea bargain (click here) by Juab County Attorney, Jared Eldridge. As part of Cheryl Sudweeks plea, she agreed not to run another rehab school in Juab County.  

• A parent may find themselves involved in a law suit against Sue Scheff  (click here) because she allegedly has falsely represented herself to parents and families. In addition, they may find that their child has suffered damages due to placement in a program that is very controversial.

 Ask yourself these questions, then decide for yourself if there is a danger in relying on a self-proclaimed expert. 

How does Sue Scheff determine child safety within the programs she refers to? 

How can Sue Scheff be sure your child is getting the proper care and treatment that he or she needs? 

How does Sue Scheff determine which one of her programs is the best suited program for your child? 

What qualifies Sue Scheff to make recommendations on treatment and treatment programs? 

Let’s face it, there is no place in this unregulated industry for parents to be playing “experts”. It is our kids who are at risk, and our kids who will suffer. Don’t fall prey to someone who will use your desperation and vulnerability to further prosper off your families crisis. Demand professional help from real experts. It’s your child and he/she deserves the best! 

What is the “teen help” industry? It is a multibillion dollar industry that claims to be able to “fix” the out of control and rebellious teen. It is controversial at best, due to lack of scientific data to prove that it works. It is an industry that relies largely on the belief that “the end justifies the means.”

Why is the teen help industry dangerous? It is unregulated, motivated by money, with no rules and no federal laws in place to protect families and their children from the self-proclaimed “experts” who prey on them when they are at their “wits end.”

Who are these self–proclaimed “experts’ and how do they operate?

• They are consultants, or “ed cons”, who take kickbacks from programs without disclosing payments. They tell families that they are “parents helping parents” and that they are motivated by their own past experience. They may have had a child in a similar type program and the experience was anything but good. They claim to be acting solely out of concern for the child without fully disclosing the fact that they are paid for their services by the program/schools.

• They are consultants, or “ed cons”, who have no formal education or training and are not qualified to determine what constitutes a safe and effective program/school for at risk teens.

Please take the time and follow the links to the right which provide more information on this out of control industry and the self proclaimed “experts” that profit off of families who are at their “wits end.”