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Troubled Teen Scandal: Inside the Cult-Like Treatment at Arizona Facilities

Outside the small town of Mayer, Ariz., 14-year-old Katie Farran and other teenage girls engaged in a familiar, unsettling ritual at the Spring Ridge Academy.
In a room reserved for “Feedback Group,” a pseudo-therapeutic session, Farran and others shouted grievances at each other. The participants, with issues ranging from substance abuse to eating disorders or parental neglect, felt the coercion to speak up.
“It was something you had to do,” Farran, now 39, stated in an interview. “It was really humiliating to be called out in front of everybody.”
Tracing its roots back to the late 1950s and a group involved in serious crimes, this style of “therapy” has now placed Spring Ridge Academy in legal hot water. After a mother filed a federal lawsuit claiming fraud, a jury awarded her $2.5 million. For survivors, this win is merely a step towards broader accountability.
However, this institution, which closed in 2023, is part of a larger network still employing outdated and controversial practices. This network has deep roots in Arizona.
“It is easy for people to kind of overlook us and think, ‘Oh, they were just kids,’ or especially, ‘Oh, they were just messed up kids,’ and not take us seriously,” Farran said. “I hope that people start listening.”
In 1958, Charles “Chuck” Dederich founded Synanon, a drug rehab program. By the 1960s, it caught media attention and gained a Hollywood fan base, culminating in a feature film. Synanon raked in $10 million annually, leveraging “The Game”—a group therapy involving public humiliation.
The Game, an “attack therapy,” causes lasting psychological damage. Research indicates it even drove some to worsen their addictions. As Synanon grew, so did its control tactics, forcing vasectomies and abortions, and ordered violent reprisals against critics.
After losing its tax-exempt status in the 1990s, Synanon dissolved in 1991. However, its legacy lived on. Various groups adopted similar methods, leading to the establishment of the “Troubled Teen Industry” (TTI).
In December 2003, Nora Ash faced “gooning,” a form of legal kidnapping by TTI. She was taken from Salt Lake City to Outback Wilderness in Utah amidst a deadly blizzard. The facility’s harsh conditions demanded teens make spoons from scratch before eating.
Ash, then 16, was there because of her interest in an older boy and minor substance use. After this ordeal, she advocates against TTI, urging parents not to send their kids to such programs.
Arizona hosts similar wilderness programs, including Anasazi, where socialite Ruby Franke’s children were placed. These programs mirror Synanon’s discredited methods.
In 1999, Farran experienced these tactics at Spring Ridge Academy, following an unforeseen transfer from another wilderness program. “It was absolutely devastating,” Farran said, highlighting her uncertain tenure at the academy.
Survivors recount brutal exercises like hitting duct-taped towels against chairs, some aimed at imagining harming their parents. Farran vividly remembers a cruise ship metaphor session that turned into a horrific lifeboat allocation drill.
Farran also endured “feedback groups,” echoing Synanon’s humiliating “Game,” under the direction of Jeannie Courtney, the academy’s founder. Farran describes Courtney as charismatic but manipulative.
As she neared the program’s end, Farran realized the deceit in Courtney’s promised privileges. She tried alerting her parents through monitored letters and calls but faced prolonged detention.
Farran’s ordeal mirrored that of Kimberly Sweidy, who sued the academy for fraud. Sweidy faced manipulation similar to Farran’s and was burdened with $9,000 monthly tuition fees.
Open for 16 years and frequently scrutinized by the Arizona Department of Health Services, Spring Ridge Academy closed in 2023. Nevertheless, Courtney has filed a business license for a new program in Prescott.
The facility was cited for multiple violations, including failure to prevent a teen’s suicide attempt. “I don’t have a plan, and I think about it 66% of the time,” the teen noted in an assessment reviewed by ADHS. The assessment revealed self-harm incidents and ignored pleas for help.
The troubled teen industry is now under intense scrutiny. Last month, socialite Paris Hilton testified before Congress, sharing her abuse within the system. Documentaries have also spotlighted the industry’s abuses.
Survivors like Farran and Ash offer advice to those still trapped: “Keep your head down, do what they say until you get out,” Farran advised. Communities online provide solace and advocacy for change.
However, the industry persists, backed by lobbying efforts from the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP). Two recent NATSAP-backed bills were signed into law in Arizona this year. The fight for survivors continues as they push for genuine legislative reforms.
“Somebody saw that things were not right and a jury saw that things weren’t right and it is ok to feel the way that I feel,” Farran concluded.