Ed Attorney Lends Legitimacy to TTI
The one attorney who makes up Education Justice makes money in part from clients embroiled within the troubled teen industry (TTI). She was recommended to my husband when we were looking for help to fund mental health treatment for our suicidal son. We did not realize we had entered the troubled teen industry pipeline. But the EJ attorney -- with her decades of experience -- had to have known and failed to warn us. When we began to question the legitimacy of these treatment centers, this attorney assured us these were places of healing.
We trusted this legal advocate, unaware of the proliferation and deceptive tactics of these abusive places, the documented medical neglect and routine business practice of rebranding and reopening under new names after being shutdown.
Now over a year removed from this experience, I'm well versed in the world of the TTI and realize any EJ attorney must have been as well. We hired her when in a desperate and vulnerable state -- and trusted her.
However, she failed with any duty to warn and assured us we were to "trust the process." The TTI continues to flourish with the help of professionals like the educational attorney at EJ who lend it legitimacy.
PLEASE: if you are looking for mental health help for your child, think critically but DO give some actual credence to the online reviews. The reviews were more accurate than the EJ attorney's assurances and I have deep regrets for trusting her.
Once we became aware and turned our focus to getting him OUT of this "treatment center," we'd only hear from the EJ attorney to remind us we had run through the thousands of dollars it cost to retain her -- and she would be adding interest to our unpaid balance.
The EJ attorney expressed no compassion or concern for our son's wellbeing nor did she seem to "learn" from our experience and possibly start warning unsuspecting clients. (Of course, we hired her for help trying to get reimbursed for some of his care -- not only did that never happen, we lost even more, stupidly paying thousands to this attorney too).
When we began to question our path and some of her advice, her demeanor became extremely condescending. When you don't know where to turn and an attorney is treating you like you are a dumb to even question, RUN ... don't walk ... from that attorney. I wish I had sooner.
Also, Education Justice claims to be located in Brookline. However, we live nearby and never once did we see her in person. She is always "working from home" in NH.
All of our children deserve better and I will continually apologize to my son for trusting the wrong people -- like the EJ attorney -- and making the wrong decisions for him when he needed help. Our mental health system is broken and the TTI continues to thrive. Education attorneys like the one at EJ contribute to perpetuating their existence by lending them credibility and not informing clients of the TTI's tactics and great harm.
There was so much money wasted throughout this whole ordeal -- but the true horror is the trauma we did to our son while trying desperately to HELP him. While I will continue to regret and wrestle with my decisions, I feel it is important to warn other parents about the TTI -- and people who benefit financially from their continued existence, like this EJ attorney.