Teen Challenge Exposed

Teen Challenge claims an 87% "cure" rate.But survivors tell a different story...

Survivors

# Reported Abuses & Human Rights ViolationsThis section documents systemic abuse and trauma reported by survivors of Teen Challenge programs. These accounts reflect firsthand experiences of institutional cruelty, human rights violations, and unethical treatment across multiple locations. All information is drawn from survivor testimony and archival documentation for educational and advocacy purposes.---## 1. Confinement and Control- Residents were forbidden from making eye contact, expressing emotion, or looking out windows. Smiling, hugging, and forming close friendships were grounds for punishment.
- Residents faced isolation punishment: locked in rooms alone, often in shackles or without clothing.
- Surveillance was constant. Phone calls and letters were monitored; speaking honestly about the program was considered rebellion.
- Residents were told they would never be allowed to leave unless they complied with program demands, including religious conversion.> "The longer I resisted, the longer I would be held. So eventually, I gave in. They broke me."---## 2. Physical and Medical Abuse- Restraint techniques included being sat on, pinned to the ground, stroked, or tackled by staff or other residents.
- Residents with medical crises—seizures, fainting, withdrawal, illness—were denied treatment. In many cases, symptoms were spiritualized instead of addressed.
- Residents were forcibly removed from prescription medication without medical oversight, leading to dangerous withdrawals.
- Menstrual products were restricted, and those with debilitating cramps were denied rest or support.
- Some residents were subjected to non-consensual medical exams, including pap smears without parental presence.> "They told me I was lustful and made me wear sunglasses. Another girl was told she had demons in her eyes."---## 3. Food and Basic Needs Deprivation- Residents were served moldy, expired, or rotten food (e.g., liver, cow tongue), even when vomiting occurred.
- Punishments included starvation, water fasting, or being given only a can of vegetables and moldy bread.
- Bathroom access was heavily controlled—residents were timed, counted aloud, and sometimes denied permission, leading to accidents.
- Residents often lived in filth—sleeping in soiled clothing or in shared bathrooms used by dozens without sanitation.
- Access to essentials like toilet paper (limited to 4 squares), soap, or hygiene products was restricted.> "When I couldn’t eat the egg salad, they starved me. Later, I learned to chug everything down with water to avoid gagging."---## 4. Psychological and Spiritual Abuse- Residents were told they were possessed, sinful, or evil. Staff claimed to see demons in residents and conducted exorcisms.
- “Therapy” was replaced with religious indoctrination, spiritual humiliation, or being forced to write thousands of lines of scripture.
- Residents were forbidden from talking about life before the program, their trauma, or their feelings. Expressing sadness or doubt was punished.
- Art and journaling were censored or destroyed; emotional expression was considered manipulation or rebellion.
- LGBTQ+ youth were especially targeted for “deliverance” therapy, public shaming, and intensified punishments.> "They told me I was the Antichrist. That I had demons inside me. I believed them for years."---## 5. Sexual Abuse and Targeted Harassment- Multiple survivors report sexual assault by staff and peers, often covered up or dismissed by leadership.
- LGBTQ+ residents were subjected to conversion therapy, solitary confinement, and targeted restrictions.
- Residents were bribed with food or hygiene products to perform manual labor or comply with staff demands.
- Touch, identity exploration, and expressions of gender were pathologized or punished.> "Even just being close with another girl was enough to get you restricted, isolated, or outed in front of everyone."---## 6. Educational Neglect- Academic time was limited to a few hours per day, often on shared computers. Some residents received no formal education at all.
- Many survivors report never graduating, needing to repeat grades, or having no academic record after release.
- Educational neglect was compounded by labor demands and religious indoctrination, which replaced traditional learning.> "They called it school, but we were lucky to get two hours a day—if that. Most of our time was spent cleaning, praying, or doing labor."---## 7. Long-Term Psychological Harm- Survivors report severe PTSD, agoraphobia, eating disorders, and dissociation.
- Many struggle with religious trauma, intrusive thoughts, or fear of hell and damnation due to forced indoctrination.
- Trust issues, hypervigilance, and extreme emotional suppression persist years later.
- Survivors describe difficulty with basic self-care—eating, showering, or being in crowds—due to learned fear responses.> "To this day, I still can't brush my hair without crying. That place got into every part of me."---## 8. Systemic Failures and Exit Consequences- Residents turning 18 were often left at homeless shelters with no support, money, or way to contact family.
- Survivors returning home found their families had moved, or they were not believed about the abuse they endured.
- Some survivors were forced to “graduate” by converting to Christianity, even if they had no belief system.
- Many were separated from friends, communities, and loved ones, cut off from any support system they had before the program.> "When I got home, I didn't even have a bedroom. My family had moved without telling me. I shared a bed with my autistic brother."---## Closing StatementThe reported conditions at Teen Challenge programs reflect a widespread pattern of abuse, coercion, and dehumanization. These programs have operated with minimal oversight, often under religious exemptions that allow them to avoid regulation. Survivors continue to advocate for transparency, regulation, and reparative justice.No child should ever be subjected to these conditions in the name of care.

Reported Kinds of Abuse

Testimonies.

  • Residents being sat on, tackled, restrained, stroked, squeezed, pinned down, caressed, kissed, bruised

  • Residents being forbidden to touch eachother, exchange handmade gifts, show too much affection, get too close in friendship

  • Residents being forbidden to make eye contact with others, look outside windows, show emotional expressions

  • Residents being forced to sleep in their own urine as punishment for stress-induced bedwetting, residents being forced to soil themselves during the day due to limited bathroom Privileges. Bathroom time was very controlled including being made to count while going to the bathroom, having a limited amount of time to go, limited toilet paper sheets, and sometimes being watched.

  • Residents being forced to eat rotten, burnt, expired, moldy, stale, and otherwise questionable food (cow tongue, liver), even when vomiting at the tables.

  • Residents being stripped naked and locked in rooms while in nothing but shackles.

  • Residents being forced on a restrictive diet of 1 can of vegetables and 1 piece of moldy bread as punishment, water fasting as punishment encouraged

  • Residents self harming and self poisoning to escape without receiving medical treatment, residents being forced off prescribed medications and going thru withdrawals without support, residents falling ill and not allowed rest or medical care, residents fainting and experiencing seizures without medical aid, residents getting lice other sicknesses and having to treat eachother

  • Residents being restricted menstrual products, not allowed pain relief from cramps, no rest for debilitating cramps, toilet paper being limited to 4 squares, pap smears being performed without parental supervision, being forced off birth control that was used to manage medical conditions

  • Residents regularly experience symptoms of Malnutrition and electrolyte deficiencies such as headaches, weakness, shortness of breath and muscle cramping. Most residents lost weight due to the restrictive diets. Some residents were force fed to make them gain weight.

  • Sickness was rampant. Staff work masks to prevent getting illness from us when sickness ran rampant. On more than one occasion the whole house experienced food poisoning.

  • Produce and milk/eggs were considered luxuries, most of the food received was donated despite the high tuition cost. We were frequently told how dire our food situation was.

  • Overcrowding was prevalent, anywhere between 12-30 girls sharing a single bathroom, 6-30 beds in cramped rooms, 50+ residents in a facility without enough bedrooms or food to accommodate.

  • Unpredictable and unreasonable punishments for benign behaviors

  • Sleep deprivation, being forced out of bed on random nights, residents being dragged outside in the pouring rain in the middle of the night for military style drills, being forced to stand in circles for hours past midnight in great room, being forced up late listening to worship music, being forced up late cleaning the house

  • Isolation, locked in a room alone, cut off from contact from parents, monitored calls where you weren't allowed to tell parents the truth

  • Physical Labor was a requirement of advancing the program, residents often had bruises and blisters, sunburns as sunscreen wasn't provided, suffered heat stroke, ice baths sometimes needed to prevent hospitalization

  • -Forced conversion, conversion therapy. You cannot leave without converting to christianity. You cannot leave without reading the entire bible and hand-writing summaries of each chapter. Punishments include writing thousands of lines of scripture repeatedly.

  • Strange cult-like group activities such as mock slave auctions, worship circles, hours long chapel sessions, exorcisms, indoctrination into demonics

  • The building had a rumor baout being "haunted" that was perpetuated by staff who claimed they could see demons and spirits. Many residents would have hallucinations and staff would tell them they could see it too.

  • Receiving little counseling or therapy, residents being forced to counsel eachother, big sister/little sisters, room leaders

  • Journals and artwork being censored or intentionally destroyed

  • - Staff members taking advantage of residents by bribing them with soda/real food to do manual physical labor for them or local religious groups.

  • Sexual/physical assault occurring and being covered up

  • Lesbian, bisexual and transgender residents were explicitly targeted and subjected to extra punishment and abuses

  • Residents were not allowed any personal devices or any form of entertainment. No phones, music players, laptops, cameras, headphones, books, playing cards, art/posters, letters from friends or photos of friends.

  • Speech heavily restricted. Residents only allowed to speak during designated free time which was very limited. When speaking residents could not speak of anything negative or talk about past life or relationships outside the program. Residents could only talk about the program or Jesus or random mundane nonsense.

  • Staff frequently had favorites. Favorites to groom, play with, and train to become future staff. And also favorites to break down, give disciplines to, and otherwise target.

  • When turning 18, girls would be made to leave the facility with no help or would be dropped off at the homeless shelter with nothing.

  • School time was very limited to only a few hours. We used computers but didn't have enough for everyone to use so two groups would switch from morning to afternoon. Many residents never graduated high school or fell behind on classes and had to retake a grade when they got out.

  • A staff members husband made me take off my seatbelt and told me seatbelts were an infringement on rights and would not let me wear a seatbelt for the 8 hour journey.

Contact us

The Media

This video offers a comprehensive deep dive into Teen Challenge of Oklahoma and its connection to the broader troubled teen industry. We examine the program's structure, practices, and claims of faith-based rehabilitation, alongside testimonies from former participants. As concerns grow about abuse, lack of regulation, and the mental health consequences of these programs, it's more important than ever to hold them accountable. Whether you're a parent researching teen rehab programs, a survivor seeking validation, or someone exploring the darker side of the troubled teen industry, this video provides essential context and critical insight.

Teen Challenge is a network of Christian faith-based corporations intended to provide rehabilitation services to people struggling with addiction.I went to one of those facilities.This is my story.

Hey! My name is Mary. I'm 26 years old and I spent a lot of my teenage years bouncing between religious rehabilitation programs for troubled girls, (and one psych ward stay). I am speaking only off my experience. My goal is to raise awareness and encourage others to tell their story. This is my experience form the years 2009-2012. It's hard to gather current evidence or accounts of what is happening at these places because they are very private and controlled.

Warning about the troubled teen rehabilitation program called teen challenge

The Troubled Teen Industry has existed in the background for most of our lives. Whether you went to a camp, knew a friend who disappeared and attended for a while, or saw kids on Dr. Phil carted away, the troubled teen industry has cemented itself in broader American society. But in recent years, celebrity participants and other survivors have spoken out against the industry, alleging abuse, kidnapping, and even murder. However, with anywhere between 120,000-200,000 children in programs at any given time, these camps and centers can sweep everything under the rug. Utilizing cult tactics of brainwashing, false marketing, and attack therapy, the industry has garnered extreme supporters at the highest levels of government. What’s truly behind this multi-billion dollar industry? Are these places good for changing a child’s life, or are they trauma factories for the most vulnerable kids in our country today?

This is a documentary film short about The Ohio Valley Teen Challenge program at the time I went through it. I am just being honest. I don't mean to come off as bitter, I do think I had some righteous anger after seeing an extreme amount of hypocrisy and spiritual trauma perpetuated. I pray that this video allows people to be objective. I pray that it exposes business rehabs who use clients to make money and claim to be expanding the Kingdom. I don't want to discredit the fact that they do house, feed, and administer secular therapy services to clients, however, I believe the particular program I attended was clearly out for money and that comes off as predatory. Behavioral modification via Pavlovian conditioning is antiquated and unnecessary, the emotional abuse at times rivaled the Stanford Prison Experiment, I believe more harm than good is done spiritually and psychologically at this facility, at least it was when I was there.

This is a lecture on the history and issues surrounding Adult & Teen Challlenge USA/Global. This is not to discredit any positive experience provided through T.C. and their affiliates. This is video should be used in part with official information provided by T.C. to give a more candid data-set to anyone considering T.C. Please do not reach out to T.C., their staff, or anyone discussed in this video with intent to harass. T.C. can help many people with life-threatening issues if those people work well under this type of a program and understand what they're getting into. This video is for education and not a witch hunt.

This week I sit and talk with Tyler, ex-resident of the Teen Challenge Programme. This is another example of abuse and deprivation forced onto young people in need of support and guidance.

Our youngest guest to-date, Aliya Kasabian recounts her chilling involuntary initiation into the Boise Girls Academy, an institution that masquerades as a haven for troubled teens. From controlling communication with families to enforced silence and the denial of basic necessities like tampons, Aliya’s story exposes the depths of manipulation and coercion wielded by the program’s directors. But resistance only extends your time at this prison-like “healing facility.” So, eventually, Aliya discovers that if she is ever to be free, the only way out is to become… a true believer.

/u/m3rlino is the focus of this week’s episode of Upvoted by Reddit. We discuss her upbringing, the death of her step dad, moving in with her father, addiction, how she was sent to an all women’s pentecostal discipleship program, the rules of the program, the restaurant all the students worked at, fundraising, and assimilating back into society.