The Rachel House, aka Rachel Foundation

This place in Texas is not a hospital or a real therapeutic environment subject to the normal oversight you would expect of a medical or psychological facility that treats children.

Everything about it is suspect at best, and there are known investigations into this facility related to child trafficking.  This was stated on the record in Forsyth County if you want to see the transcript.  Aside from that statement, when you hear teens and young adults reporting back about what they’ve been put through there and at other “deprogramming” and “reunification” camps, all doubt will be removed.

So why would judges, attorneys and custody experts in Georgia be so comfortable in taking children away from healthy parents and forcing them out of state to this place?

Why would Georgia divorce attorney Tera Reese Beisbier write to a New Jersey judge that her friend Judge Bagley would be willing to get on the phone about his recommendations for sending children to the Rachel House?

Why would Dr. Howard Drutman be named as the “doctor” in Georgia to use to enforce Rachel House recommendations during child custody cases?  (see below the examples of professionals associated with the Rachel House and the descriptions of their misconduct)

It is important that Georgia recognize why Dr. Drutman is used on this case and others involving damages to children, even though he doesn’t have the credentials to support his involvement.  It is also important to note that he has been investigated for billing fraud by an insurance company, and that he has committed billing fraud according to visible records. But these select attorneys still pay him top dollar on sensitive cases, and certain judges accept his recommendations in spite of overwhelming evidence against his positions.  Why is that?

Dr. Howard Drutman: why is it noteworthy that this is the “doctor” trusted by these judges?  Let’s take a look.  Reviews such as this one are telling:

“Doctor Drutman was unprofessional, biased, and writes his opinions in child custody to favor known proclivities of the court judges, not as an uninfluenced professional. He damages children’s lives by falsifying reports, skewing information and failing to follow established APA guidelines. His work is an embarrassment to the profession and he should be barred form child psychology evaluations.”

We can only imagine what their motives are, but we thought you might want to hear more specifics on why we were drawn to Forsyth County Superior Court to learn more about this case.  A case involving a teen girl pleading for her freedom from abuse.

If you have been reading our posts here, you will recognize the patterns across several cases, from Fulton, to Cobb to Forsyth…around how select custody experts and attorneys ensure that evidence does not work in favor of children or support the parent the evidence is actually in favor of on these cases. *In some cases the evidence supports the father as the healthy/nurturing parent, but the custody experts are going against that evidence also; it is not that they are against women, or in favor of affluent fathers with status. Select experts just choose to do the wrong thing, as apparently that ensures the need for their ongoing services.

We are asking our leadership and authorities to pay close attention to what makes sense here – and to compare the law to the conduct of these professionals.  Things do not match up, and it is way too easy to spin messaging and create glossy brochures that put a happy or normal face on top of the abuse that is being enabled and covered up using this and similar facilities. (Not all wrongdoing by professionals involves sending kids to these camps; they are just one method used to increase fees and to further destabilize children and nurturing parents.)

 

The following statements are excerpts from this news story, in which an investigative reporter in FL went after the facts surrounding the Rachel House.

From kids who were subjected to therapy here – therapy that is less humane that what arrested criminals are allowed to have done to them:

“The Rachel Foundation is a scary organization. It’s taken every day of my life since to put myself back together in a way I see fit.’

The Hochs “told us that if we didn’t obey our dad and if we didn’t agree to act happy with him that we would never see our mom again,” testified Kelli Carr, now 17.

She said she and her sister weren’t allowed to eat until they agreed to say positive things about their father.

“How many days did you go without being fed?” the judge asked.

“Just the first two days, because then my sister and I just started . . . making things up.”

More:

The foundation falls through licensing cracks because it is not a hospital, group home or mental health facility — all of which are regulated by Texas. Professionals connected with the Rachel Foundation are licensed, but several have run afoul of regulators.

The former clinical director, California psychologist Randy Rand, is on five years’ administrative probation for “unprofessional conduct” in child custody cases in Orlando and California.

A former member of the foundation’s advisory board, J. Michael Bone of Orlando, lost his Florida mental health counselor’s license in 2007 for failing to act in the child’s best interest in a custody case.

A Texas psychologist who has worked with the Rachel Foundation was put on probation for failing to disclose a DUI arrest and submitting a custody report with “numerous inaccuracies.”

And a California psychologist who has been to the Rachel House several times to help the Hochs does not have permission to practice in Texas, state regulators say.

“There are scientific standards and practice standards for how to go about delivering therapy to children,” Silberg of the Leadership Council says, “and nothing I’ve seen from the Rachel House follows any known standards about the delivery of mental health care.”

Stranger, and more disturbing yet, is the fact that one of the pro-pedophile “leaders” in the US was instrumental in making Rachel House so well known:

A onetime Columbia University professor, Richard Gardner thought society is too harsh on adults who have sex with kids.

“What I am against is the excessively moralistic and punitive reaction that many members of our society have toward pedophiles . . . far beyond what I consider the gravity of the crime,” he wrote in 1991.

Gardner argued [about pedophilia] that it’s common in many cultures and that children might be less harmed by sex abuse than by the “trauma” of the legal process.

 

 

Rally on Fulton County Courthouse Steps

When: July 8th, Monday after the holiday weekend.  During the lunch hour, 11am to 1pm.

Where: Fulton County Courthouse

What: #RALLY4Kids

Who: Concerned parents & those who support families and children, including church members, neighbors and co-workers.

Why are hundreds of people emailing and calling for help? 

Because it seems that certain judges are not allowing good parents to protect and care for their children.

Is it just because of judicial bias against a certain gender or against the color of a parent’s skin?  Or is there some other influence we cannot see or anticipate?

This message is not just coming from hundreds of people in a small area of Atlanta.  There are tens of thousands nationally saying the same thing.  But next week we are focusing on two judges, in one courthouse.  #FultonCounty #Georgia

The messages you can help us share here on Facebook, on Twitter, and over the phone or in email:

Serve the #NeedsofChildren 

#StopChildAbuse

#ImproveFamilyLaw by bringing attention to #FultonFamilyCourt and the actions of certain judges on certain cases.

Help us ask, “Why are you suppressing evidence of child abuse?”

“Why are you locking out good parents when their children need them most??”

“Why would you take a child from a great parent, take away that parent’s rights and steal their money, just to reward someone who is paying to suppress evidence of wrongdoing?”

“Why would you put a child into the hands of someone believed by several professionals, including law enforcement, to be abusing a child?”  And, “Is it OK to allow expert witnesses to be intimidated and prevented from supporting a child they believe to be suffering from abuse?”

Is this how the legal process and our laws are supposed to work?

What are we missing here?  We would really like to know what “best interests of the child” means in YOUR reality, because things aren’t adding up – not in a way that is HEALTHY for our children.

We would appreciate as concerned citizens, tax-payers, parents and neighbors being able to see if there is something we just don’t know about why our Courts are enabling misconduct and rewarding foul play.  Is there a good/legal reason for allowing children to get hurt, and to repeatedly be hurt?  If we are wrong on drawing conclusions in all of our CASE STUDIES across all of these cases, across all of these court rooms, then we would love for you to show us why these patterns of conduct make sense to you.

Please, discuss this with us and help us understand?  We know it is not because we don’t have access to talented, bright, law-abiding attorneys and psychologists, or access to good judges.  Correct?

Our community is filled not only with parents, friends, family, church members and neighbors; it is filled with educators, doctors/nurses/therapists, law enforcement officers and business people.  They all want answers and are tired of hearing the same terrible stories.

Many from all over our society are asking us to explain, because it just DOES NOT MAKE SENSE why you would NOT FOLLOW LAWS that are designed to PROTECT CHILDREN AND PARENTS.

Does this make sense to anyone you know??  Follow this event and talk to us:  On Facebook & On Twitter

Why is My Advocate Center promoting this event and these messages?

Simply because we need to, as so many children are being hurt.

Contact Us to learn more, join the rally or just see how you can help.

What’s next?  Parents, professionals and even policy makers are asking for intervention.  They are asking what THEY can do to stop the misconduct leading to injury of children.  So next we will be revealing case studies and answering questions with our panel of experts and officials in a larger Town Hall setting.  Date/Location TBD.

For now, please join these caring families, neighbors and church friends next Monday, July 8th at lunch time.   

Use your time and your voice to ask these Fulton County Judges and attorneys to change what they are doing to our children and their parents.

 

Wake Up Georgia: Solutions to Preventing Tragedy

According to The Violence Policy Center, Georgia ranks 10th in nation for domestic violence related homicides.

The Kristofak murder in Marietta is a much needed wake-up call.

M-A-C is asking all professionals involved in high-conflict cases to handle each aspect of these cases with the utmost care and to intervene early with the proper counseling on BOTH sides of the equation.

Protocols & the RIGHT kind of help for mental health instability, violence and conflict management do exist here — they just aren’t always being followed or used effectively.   It is past time for all of us to ask questions and follow through, taking it more seriously than before, because the Needs of Children dictate that we do this.

What can be done to dial back the conflict and discourage & prevent more violence?

Can we make better use of the laws, protocols & intervention programs that we have in place?   How strongly are we holding people accountable, and what about inserting more transparency onto high-conflict cases?  (Please note that Men / Fathers are also victims in a number of these cases.  False allegations of abuse DO impede solutions, wasting time and resources, which are needed for better/faster resolutions.  All of this negatively impacts children, parents’ ability to work together, drains family resources and harms our communities.   Just Don’t do it…)

Can we make better use of our healthcare system and law enforcement professionals?  Of course, the answer is a resounding YES on all of the above, but how?  Where do we start?  With whom do we start?

Prior to this disaster unfolding, we created the M-A-C Counsel for Change to address these issues and help interrupt the patterns that lead to this kind of loss and tragedy.   We did this based on actual case studies done on past and present/pending cases.   Yes, there are other pending cases needing intervention, so we are working with several alliances to change these outcomes so that the Needs of Children and good parents are better served.

To join in this thought leadership discussion, if you are a professional engaged in these matters or in a position to contribute to Solutions and Change, please email CFC@MyAdvocateCenter.com.

Parents & anyone needing guidance:  If you are not sure where to turn for intervention with anger, violence, or are caught in a situation involving mental health disorders or addiction (any dysfunction affecting the well-being of your children and peace in your home) send us a message & we will help guide. Resources@MyAdvocateCenter.com

Please engage with us on Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn to contribute to solutions and follow our development on these case studies and on improvements being made.

Here are a few of the links to the most recent – and preventable – loss experienced by children in the Atlanta, Georgia area:

AJC, by Bill Torpy:  http://www.ajc.com/news/news/crime-law/slain-woman-predicted-her-own-death/nTgj4/

11Alive News, by Rebecca Lindstrom: http://www.11alive.com/News/Crime/269855/445/Domestic-Violence-advocates-call-Marietta-murder-a-wakeup-call

East Cobb Patch, by Wendy Parker: http://eastcobb.patch.com/articles/donna-kristofak-feared-for-her-life

Perryville News, Obituary of Donna Kristofak: http://www.perryvillenews.com/archive/article_ba8feb62-53a8-11e2-991d-001a4bcf6878.html

If you are aware of or producing another piece on this story, please email Press@MyAdvocateCenter.com.

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The Kristofak boys have now lost both of their parents, but thankfully have the care and protection of other family members.   They deserve all the help we can give them, so please send contributions to:

Harrison & Zac Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 70091, Marietta, GA 30007-0091.