A Message to Parents from a Crossroads Counselor
I was a Crossroads Staff Member
I created an illusion that your child was seriously ill.
I created an illusion that I was your only answer.
I preyed upon your fears and doubts.
I took your money
I convinced you that you had no idea how to parent your child. I fabricated a relationship between you and your child.
I taught your child how to manipulate you in ways they never imagined possible. I ushered your child into years of irresponsibility
I walked your child out of school
I moulded your child’s belief that African American’s, Jews, Christians, disabled, overweight, etc. were “less than”, “unworthy”, “paying dues from a past life”, “are second class citizens.”
I made them fear of the outside world and fostered dependence on me and the program. I reformed their vocabulary.
I took advantage of your house
I made racism and being a bigot the “righteous” way, the “right way” and the “superior” way for your child.
I encouraged your 15 your little girl that she needed to have sex with her boyfriend.
I bred mistrust in you and your child about doctors, teachers, the government and any other person in a position of authority outside of the program. I had you take your child off of medications, pull them out of school, excuse them from family events, break ties with the outside world, showed you that smoking cigarettes, staying out all night, committing crimes in the name of enthusiastic sobriety was OK and that the bills you had to pay in order for them to continue to do these things was your responsibility as a parent, that you owed it to your child.
I hid these from you and told you that your child being sober was the most important thing in life
I had your child hug you and say “I love you”, because I knew that is what you needed and as long as you were given that, I could continue to do what I was doing. I had you manipulate other parents into trusting me.
I showed your younger child how fun sobriety could be, many of them began to drink and use drugs so they could be a part of my group, I had you pay more so they could
I taught you how to do the “dirty work” for me, you were my tool, you did what I said, when I said it.
When the time was right, I began to take your child from you.
You were my puppet and so was your child.
You believed that I had only good intentions, was doing only what was good you and your family, you believed this because I told you this.
When your child I left, I told you it was because they were fucked up and not willing, and most of time, I closed my door to you, I had taken all you had and I was done with you and I had no remorse for any of it.
For those of you out there still defending the program… I was a Crossroads staff member.
I am sorry.
The Crossroads Program is a drug and alcohol rehab center providing a treatment program for adolescents, teens and young adults (ages 13-25 ish). With locations in St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri.
