Narconon and CARF - News on facility attempts to get accredited

[Mary_McConnell]

December 11, 2013, the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities ( CARF ) was scheduled to come to Narconon Vista Bay to do an assessment for accreditation. No word yet on the outcome of that visit but it's just one of the steps required in the process to become accredited.  http://www.carf.org/Accreditation_Process_Overview/

You have t know who is in the background helping them try to get approved. Yes, the infamous William Kent McGregor, who helped Narconon Arrowhead, the only Narconon Facility to ever become CARF accredited.

I am told he's also been helping Narconon Spring Hill aka Suncoast Recovery, or was but maybe they got sick of paying him and him not getting anything done. At last that was what I last heard. Any tips on this one, PM me, please

Anyway, back to Narconon Vista Bay's attempt to get accredited by CARF.

In the days and weeks before this planned visit, much was being done to prepare, including some written tests staff had to take for this particular visit.

Additionally there was much running around to get some other certifications but the tipster was not sure exactly what these certifications were for.

Interestingly, just days before the scheduled CARF visit, 4 staff members quit working there. There may have been others since...

A female staffer, name unknown at this time, quit. Here are the names of the others, so far:

Scott Werner, the Ethics Officer
Ryan Perry, the Course Supervisor
Alyssa Goslin, the Examiner

This thread would be good to post any updates on what's happening with any of the facilities in their attempts to get CARF accredited.

I will post more as I find out.

[BigBeard]

I wonder if they quit because they didn't want to be involved in telling "acceptable truths" (lies to the rest of us) to CARF??

[10oriocookies]

Its sad that Kent and other Scientologists can form their own counselor certification agency (PITA Group), certify untrained Narconon staff left and right and get away with it.  Its like me forming a board to certify surgeons.  I have no fucking business doing it and would get skewered for doing it, yet they are left to operate with impunity.

[source]

I think these certifications were meant to have some consistency and accountability among professionals.  In most certifications you have to have someone "above" in the organization to mentor people. 

Like if I went to to genuine rehab for a career, there would be licensed and/or certified professionals as my overseer.  I would be a mental health technician or paraprofessional with someone guiding me. 

But, the assumption is that the program as a whole has therapists, clinicians, etc. with mental health techs operating as training "helpers".

Narconon has usurped these certifications which weren't really designed for a non clinical program.  They list their years of working with clients as "experience", also having one upper level staff member who is certified who can sign off on the "trainees".  This style works well in a clinical program, but is really just a shell game at a Narconon.

In other words, at a real facility, you will have process groups ran by a therapist or licensed counselor.  You will then have a mental health technician who will sit in on those groups and learn.  Over time, these hours add up, and the mental health technician learns how to be a counselor with real world experience, guided by a professional.

If these certification boards saw what happened at a Narconon, they likely wouldn't count it as legitimate training.

Unfortunately, though, applicatants from NARCONON simply list their 3000 hours of work experience, signed off by a supervisor, and these agencies assume that the training is legitimate.

Nowhere on these applications does it ask for specifics on the type of training.  Agencies never thought they would have some bizarre treatment program with no clinical processes claiming to be legitimate.

Northern California hijacked the Registered Addiction Specialist certifications, which is a legitimate certification, simply listing hours of experience, without detailing what those hours really are.

The problem with Kent McGregor, is that he, as a Scientologist, feels these certification are wog certifications and complete bull crap.  He makes it clear to the higher ups at a narconon that they are only a tool to get validation.  To those who are new trainees who question these certifications he explains that all the hours they work really counts toward certifications.  Many a staff member gets these certifications and believes that they truly earned them, having put in so many hours.

[Mary_McConnell]

Its sad that Kent and other Scientologists can form their own counselor certification agency (PITA Group), certify untrained Narconon staff left and right and get away with it.  Its like me forming a board to certify surgeons.  I have no fucking business doing it and would get skewered for doing it, yet they are left to operate with impunity.

In California, PITA is not recognized. Most Narconon staff go through  the Breining Institute for an The Registered Addiction Specialist  ( RAS ) license.

So anyone coming to work at any Narconon in a post that requires licensing in California must get a RAS license.  Most go through Breining Institute. This goes for all those who come from other Narconon outside of CA. There is a reciprocity arrangement with other states but the license has to be transferred
http://breining.edu/RASReciprocity.htm

McGregor and PITA cohort Claire Pinelli both got their CSC  ( Clinical Supervisor Credential  ) licenses through Breining. Kent is a licensed supervisor there like he is in OK. He's also listed on their list elsewhere under his name as  an RAS in training. He's got his claws into their system... but he doesn't do initial RAS applications. He just supervises clinical hours, like he supposedly does in OK. Probably does Continuing Ed classes for them, too.

One can search here to find names of those RAS or other license certified here
http://breining.edu/ras_professionals.htm
Note: at the above link, on the botton it says:

FEATURED SPECIALIST
Name: Luria Dion, RAS II, CSC
Location: Glendale, California

Luria works for Narconon Fresh Start

[BigBeard]

In short, it's all a scam. And if the states will not start dealing with it the Feds need to get off their butts and do it for them.

My $0.02

[Mary_McConnell]

Your wise $ 0.02