West Shield Adolescent Services De-escalates
Volatile Situation On Dr. Phil Show
By Saleem Rana
On Wednesday, January 25th, the West Shield team came to the rescue backstage on the Dr. Phil Show. The television show, titled “17 And Out Of Control,” was about a 17-year old girl, Courtney, who had tyrannized her parents, siblings, classmates and teachers for years.
West Shield Adolescent Services, which focuses on transporting teenagers to residential treatment centers, got an emergency call from the show’s producers because Courtney had just attacked a female security officer and needed to be restrained. The assault did not take place on air, but in the back room when her parents told her that they had agreed to Dr Phil’s generous offer to place her at Turn-About Ranch in Utah.
Since the adolescent was only 8 weeks from reaching her 18th birthday, Dr. Phil believed that the parent’s last best hope was to send her to the highly structured family style environment, where she could learn essential life skills. However, this option sent the adolescent into a rage.
Responding immediately to the call, Allen Cardoza, West Shield’s CEO and agents Liesl Steiner and Art Torres quickly de-escalated the situation. They managed to transport the teenager without incident to the residential treatment center in Utah, a trip that included a drive to the airport, a plane ride, and a trip to Turn-About Ranch.
Turn-About ranch is more than just a school and an opportunity for regular therapy. Teenagers learn values, social skills, and behavior modification by playing an active role in participating in the running of a working ranch.
Dr. Phil closed the show with some grateful words on air about West Shield Adolescent Services timely intervention:
“That’s our program for today, but before we go, I want to thank the professional crisis intervention team at West Shield Adolescent Services. When our teenage guest became so completely out of control, we called West Shield. They got here in record time, and they were the most effective crisis de-escalator’s I’ve ever seen. Without threats, drugs, or physical coercion, these pros settled her down before transported her, via air, without incident, to a special therapeutic program for adolescents in Utah. I’m grateful for West Shield’s help.
To see the featured segments from the show for yourself go to: http://drphil.com/shows/show/1777/. To contact West Shield or learn more about their services go to: www.transportingteens.com or call: 800-899-8585.
