Eva Carlston Academy

Eva Carlston Academy is a residential treatment center in Salt Lake City, Utah, for teen girls ages 12-18.
Background
Eva Carlston Academy is a behavior modification program, which was founded by Kristi Ragsdale in 2013.
Program Structure
The academy uses a level system.
Allegations of abuse and mistreatment
According to former residents of Eva Carlston Academy, the facility uses attack therapy. One former resident said that during a typical “hot seat” session at Eva Carlston, “one person gets up in front of the entire group and we all go around and tell them what is wrong with them. Typically what would happen in any therapy group, which would happen daily at both locations, is we would have some topic for the group, and normally one person or two people would share their story or experience, and once they’re done we basically all go around and berate them.”<ref name="REFINERY29 article" />
Former residents also say that Eva Carlston uses a technique called "sculpting" during group therapy sessions that involves teens acting out certain things in their lives.<ref name"REFINERY29 article" /> One former resident said she was forced to sculpt her rape.<ref name"REFINERY29 article" />
Staff at Eva Carlston also restrain students.<ref name"REFINERY29 article" /> One former student said that staff violently tackled a girl with autism who had to urinate on herself all the time because staff refused to take her to the bathroom.<ref name"REFINERY29 article" />
Eva Carlston Academy heavily censors and monitors all communication with residents, and residents are punished for speaking negatively about the program in any context. Students who cannot be trusted to say positive things about the program are hidden in the basement or removed from the house during parent tours. Program survivors have shared accounts of medical neglect, antisemitism, homophobia, transphobia, restriction of access to food, sleep, and bathrooms, blaming victims of sexual assault and violating privacy laws.

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