Jason Scott Calder

Sources

1. Disturbing details revealed in case of counselor charged with felony rape of teen patient in Utah County, Gephardt Daily, October 16, 2017.
2. Warrant reveals details about rape, assault allegations against therapist , KUTV, October 16, 2017.
3. Therapist who worked with troubled youth arrested for raping patient, police say, Deseret News, September 26, 2017.
4. UTAH COUNTY, Utah – A licensed marriage and family therapist has been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing an underage girl in Utah, according to KSTU...., Fox 61, September 27, 2017.
5. Jason Scott Calder, Offender Radar, April 14, 2026.
6. Jason Scott Calder, Utah Department of Public Safety, April 14, 2026.
7. Therapist accused of raping teen patient at Utah County youth treatment center, The Salt Lake Tribune, September 26, 2017.
8. Outback Therapeutic Expeditions (2001-present) Lehi, UT, Breaking Code Silence, April 20, 2026.
9. Former Shift Supervisor Speaks Out Against Abuse At New Haven RTC, Instagram / Newhavenrtc_voices, October 8, 2021.

• 1. Disturbing details revealed in case of counselor charged with felony rape of teen patient in Utah County

  • 20171016
  • News article
  • Gephardt Daily

  • original
  • archived
  • back to list

  UTAH COUNTY, Utah, Oct. 16, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — More details have been released in the felony rape and sodomy case against a Davis County counselor who is charged with assaulting a 16-year-old patient assigned to him as part of his work at a Utah County facility for troubled teens.

  Jason Calder, 41, of Bountiful, who formerly worked at New Haven, a residential treatment facility in Springville, is charged with:

  One count of rape, a first-degree felony
  Five counts of object rape, a first-degree felony
  Five counts of forcible sodomy, a first-degree felony
  Five counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony
  One count of obstructing justice, a second-degree felony

  The charges stem from a sexual relationship Calder is alleged to have had with the girl, a facility resident, between March 1 and June 30 of this year.

  “During this time frame, Defendant was Victim’s counselor/therapist, and thereby occupied a position of special trust,” the probable cause statement says. “Soon after meeting, a sexual relationship developed between Victim and defendant. On at least one occasion, Defendant and Victim engaged in sexual intercourse.”

  The statement details instances of fondling, sodomy and sexual exchanges of various types, alleged to have taken place inside Calder’s office or in a wooded area behind the facility. Calder also scheduled the 16-year-old patient for therapy at night, which he did not do with any other patients, the statement says.

  “Therapist Calder had access to the victim’s medical and mental health file, which made her very much at risk and this relationship put him in a position of trust,” the probable cause statement says.

  “The victim stated that during these ‘counseling’ sessions, therapist Calder became very friendly with her, and these sessions turned into personal conversations. The victim was able to provide investigators with a number of details about therapist Calder’s private and personal life that typically a juvenile patient in counseling would not have knowledge (of) in regards to her therapist.”

  According to the statement, the obstruction of justice charge is related to Calder’s repeated requests that the teen tell no one about the sexual relationship, “… otherwise he could be arrested and charged,” the probable cause statement says.

  “At one point, Defendant discovered Victim had written information in her journal that might incriminate him, and he directed her to block it out with a black Sharpie, which she did.”

  Court documents also asked that bail be set high.

  “Therapist Calder has worked as therapist/counselor for trouble youth in the Utah county/Salt Lake area for a number of years,” the statement says. “This has provided him with access to a number of girls who were in similar circumstances as the victim in this case. The potential for other victims in this case is extremely high.

  “In hopes that this arrest will encourage these other victims to come forward and due to the manner in which therapist Calder repeatedly sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl to whom he was supposed to be providing help, counsel and support, it is requested that an extremely high cash-only bail be set in this case.”

  Calder’s bail was set at $100,000, cash only.

• 2. Warrant reveals details about rape, assault allegations against therapist

  • 20171016
  • News article
  • KUTV

  • original
  • archived
  • back to list

  (KUTV) A search warrant has revealed new, concerning details behind allegations that a Utah marriage and family therapist repeatedly victimized one of his teen patients during treatment.

  Jason Scott Calder, 41, of Bountiful, Utah, was arrested Sept. 25 after a 16-year-old girl said he abused her numerous times between March and June 2017 while she was his patient at a youth treatment center in Utah County. Calder was booked into the Utah County Jail.

  According to the search warrant, available Monday, Calder first groomed his victim by asking her to remove her clothes because he told her "he was allowed to look, but couldn't touch." It is alleged he then arranged for them to take a walk in the woods for their next session where they engaged in oral sex. They later had therapy sessions at several different locations, all in Utah County, where the victim was allegedly sexually assaulted.

  After interviews, the warrant specified that police were looking for two folding camp chairs, a sex toy and a cell phone.

  The warrant said Calder and the victim had sexual encounters at several locations but once had intercourse in the mountains where some of Calder's semen got on one of his camping chairs that he carried to and from the treatment center. He was said to bring the sex toy to work in his bag and used it on the victim.

  Police also hoped to search his cell phone for forensic evidence, according to the warrant.

  It is not clear if the camping chairs, phone and sex toy were recovered when the warrant was served.

  Calder also allegedly told the girl he was a sex addict and wasn't able to have children, and explained that was his motive behind adopting a daughter. He also was said to have shared his relationship troubles with the teen.

  Calder was originally charged with one count of rape, 10 counts of forcible sodomy and one count of forcible sexual abuse -- all felonies.

  Calder's employment at the youth treatment center was terminated, but was employed at a residential treatment center in Salt Lake County in September. It is not known if he is still employed. Bail for Calder was set at $100,000,cash only.

  Police were notified of the sexual abuse allegations after they were told about the claims by the Utah Division of Family Services. She is said to have told her new therapist about the sexual abuse.

• 3. Therapist who worked with troubled youth arrested for raping patient, police say

  • 20170926
  • News article
  • Deseret News

  • original
  • archived
  • back to list

  PROVO — A therapist has been arrested for investigation of raping a former juvenile patient multiple times at a youth treatment center.

  Jason Scott Calder, 41, of Bountiful, was arrested Monday by the Utah County Sheriff's Office for investigation of rape, 10 counts of forcible sodomy and forcible sexual abuse.

  Calder, who worked at a youth treatment center in Utah County, is accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl on numerous occasions between March and June, according to the Utah County Sheriff's Office.

  His job at the facility was to "provide therapy and treatment for troubled youth who were in need of this type of assistance," according to a police affidavit filed in 4th District Court.

  "The victim told investigators this abuse occurred during scheduled therapy sessions with Calder while she was a resident in the same inpatient youth treatment facility where Calder worked at the time," the sheriff's office said in a prepared statement.

  Co-workers who noticed Calder's interaction with the girl appeared to be inappropriate, told investigators that the therapy sessions Calder had with the teen, "sometimes occurred late at night and they included walks outside of the facility. Night time sessions and these type of walks did not occur with other girls to whom he was providing therapy," according to the affidavit.

  Calder "became very friendly with her and these sessions turned into personal conversations," the affidavit noted, while also stating that when police interviewed the teen, she knew "details about therapist Calder's private and personal life that typically a juvenile patient in counseling would not have knowledge."

  During one counseling session, Calder had the girl take her clothes off, the affidavit stated. The pattern was repeated at subsequent sessions when Calder would sexually assault the teen, according to the affidavit.

  The Utah County Sheriff's Office Special Victims Unit served a search warrant on his home on Monday.
  View Comments

  Calder was fired from the residential treatment center in Utah County but recently employed at a residential treatment center in Salt Lake County, the sheriff's office stated.

  Calder is licensed as a clinical mental health counselor and a marriage and family therapist, according to the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing's website. According to a web search, Calder worked as a marital therapist at 1135 Vine St. in Murray.

  His LinkedIn also lists him as program director for a center in Salt Lake County and formerly a clinical director at a Utah County facility. He also practiced in Montana, according to his web page.

  Because he has worked in Salt Lake and Utah counties for a number of years, deputies noted in their affidavit, "the potential for other victims in this case is extremely high. In the hopes that this arrest will encourage these other victims to come forward and due to the manner in which therapist Calder repeatedly sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl to whom he was supposed to be providing help, counsel, and support, it is requested that an extremely high, cash only bail be set in this case."

• 4. UTAH COUNTY, Utah – A licensed marriage and family therapist has been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing an underage girl in Utah, according to KSTU....

  • 20170927
  • News article
  • Fox 61

  • original
  • archived
  • back to list

  UTAH COUNTY, Utah - A licensed marriage and family therapist has been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing an underage girl in Utah, according to KSTU.

  The Utah County Sheriff's Office said 41-year-old Jason Scott Calder, of Bountiful, faces charges of rape, forcible sodomy and forcible sexual abuse.

  Until recently, Calder worked at a youth treatment center in Utah County.

  Officials would not confirm the specific treatment center.

  One of his former patients, a 16-year-old girl, told her new therapist Calder had sexually abused her multiple times from March 2017 through June 2017.

  "He's brought on to work in these facilities as a counselor and a therapist. He's in a position of trust,” said Lt. Eric Knutzen with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office. "He's there to help whatever issue it is the person is dealing with and to provide some sort of council, not to overstep and take advantage a victim."

  "We did a search warrant on his house up in Bountiful, found some evidence that kind of corroborated what was said by our victim,” said Lt. Knutzen.

  The victim said the alleged abuse happened during scheduled therapy sessions with Calder when she was a resident in the inpatient youth treatment facility where Calder worked.

  Authorities arrested Calder and booked him into the Utah County Jail on the following charges: one count of rape, 10 counts of forcible sodomy and one count of forcible sexual abuse.

  Authorities set bail for Calder at $100,000, cash only.

  The Utah County Sheriff's Office said Calder had most recently been working at a residential treatment center in Salt Lake County.

  Officials did not confirm which facility but said his employment there was terminated.

  Calder's official provider information on the government website lists his primary practice address as 1135 Vine St. in Murray.

  However, the webpage states it has not been updated since 2007.

  According to what appears to be Calder's Facebook page, he attended Woods Cross High, Brigham Young University and Indiana State University.

  The page also states he is a program director at Live for Life Residential Treatment Center in West Jordan and started in June 2017.

  Other posts on the page indicate he stopped working at the New Haven Residential Treatment Center in Spanish Fork in June of 2017.

  NewHavenrtc.com, which lists Calder as an employee, states it has locations in Spanish Fork and Saratoga Springs.

  According to its website:

  Jason is an award-winning psychotherapist who has been in the industry since 1999, working as a front-line staff, therapist or clinician. He has experience in both a residential and wilderness environment that makes it easy to relate to the students at New Haven. Jason chose to work at New Haven due to the program’s long-standing reputation for clinical quality and restorative relationships. Jason gets satisfaction as he witnesses each student regain her sense of personal identity and value.

  Jason has given presentations around the country to mental health professionals, physicians and families on the neurological effects of process addictions, supportive treatments for Autism Spectrum Disorders and the experiential interventions to help adolescents find greater meaning and purpose in their lives. He has appeared on 20/20 (post-production), in The Atlantic, and his work has been featured on CNN and CBS News.

  Jason was raised in Bountiful, UT where he enjoyed spending time in nature. His hobbies include canyoneering, snowboarding, reading, whitewater kayaking, cooking, backpacking, caving and spending time with his wife and daughter.

  According to allkindsoftherapy.com,

  Jason Calder, LMFT, CMHC is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Clinical Mental Health Counselor. He graduated from Brigham Young University (2000) with a BS in Marriage, Family and Human Development. Jason’s MS is from Indiana State University (2003) in Marriage and Family Therapy.

  On Dec. 1, 2015, allkindsoftherapy.com reported Calder was the clinical director at Outback Therapeutic Expeditions in Lehi, Utah, and said he also ran its Unplugged program.

  Calder's Facebook page states he also worked at the Summit Prepatory School in Kalispell, Montana, as assistant clinical director from Aug. 2007 to July 2014.

  Previous posts on his Facebook page from 2011-2012 show him on outdoor trips with what he says is his Boy Scouts of America Varsity Troop.

  He also indicates he worked as a therapist La Europa Academy in Murray, Utah, until Aug. 2007.

  Detectives said they would like to hear from anyone who believes they may have been abused by Calder, or if anyone knows of someone who might have been victimized by Calder.

  You can contact the Utah County Sheriff's Office at (801) 851-4010.

• 5. Jason Scott Calder

  • 20260414
  • News article
  • Offender Radar

  • original
  • archived
  • back to list

  Status : Incarcerated

  Perform a Criminal Background Check Instantly
  PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

  DOB : 05/14/1976
  Age : 49
  Sex : Male
  Height : 5'11''
  Weight : 165
  Race : White
  Hair Color : Brown
  Eye Color : Hazel

  OFFENSES

  Offense : 76-5-402 - RAPE/1ST DEGREE FELONY
  Date Convicted : 01/09/2018
  Conviction State : Utah
  Statute : 76-5-402
  Offense Count : 1
  Offense : 76-5-402.2 - OBJECT RAPE/1ST DEGREE FELONY
  Date Convicted : 01/09/2018
  Conviction State : Utah
  Statute : 76-5-402.2
  Offense Count : 1
  Offense : 76-5-403 - FORCIBLE SODOMY/1ST DEGREE FELONY
  Date Convicted : 01/09/2018
  Conviction State : Utah
  Statute : 76-5-403
  Offense Count : 1
  Offense : 76-5-404 - FORCIBLE SEXUAL ABUSE/2ND DEGREE FELONY
  Date Convicted : 01/09/2018
  Conviction State : Utah
  Statute : 76-5-404
  Offense Count : 1

  REGISTRATION DETAILS

  Collected From : Utah State Registry

• 6. Jason Scott Calder

  • 20260414
  • News article
  • Utah Department of Public Safety

  • original
  • archived
  • back to list

  Name: Jason Scott CALDER Registration #: 3394022
  Status: Incarcerated

  Physical Description
  • Age: 49 (DOB: 05/14/1976) • Height: 5'11''
  • Sex: M • Weight: 165lbs
  • Race: White • Eyes: Hazel
  • Hair: Brown
  • Scars/Tattoos:

  Address
  1480 N 8000 W Salt Lake City, UT 84116
  View Map
  Other Known Addresses
  Offenses
  • Description: 76-5-402 - RAPE/1ST DEGREE FELONY
  • Date Convicted: 01/09/2018
  • Conviction State: Utah
  • Release Date:
  • Details:
  • Counts: 1
  • Description: 76-5-402.2 - OBJECT RAPE/1ST DEGREE FELONY
  • Date Convicted: 01/09/2018
  • Conviction State: Utah
  • Release Date:
  • Details:
  • Counts: 1
  • Description: 76-5-403 - FORCIBLE SODOMY/1ST DEGREE FELONY
  • Date Convicted: 01/09/2018
  • Conviction State: Utah
  • Release Date:
  • Details:
  • Counts: 1
  • Description: 76-5-404 - FORCIBLE SEXUAL ABUSE/2ND DEGREE FELONY
  • Date Convicted: 01/09/2018
  • Conviction State: Utah
  • Release Date:
  • Details:
  • Counts: 1

• 7. Therapist accused of raping teen patient at Utah County youth treatment center

  • 20170926
  • News article
  • The Salt Lake Tribune

  • original
  • archived
  • back to list

  A therapist is in jail after he allegedly sexually abused a 16-year-old female patient, and police suspect there may be other victims.

  Jason Scott Calder, 41, of Bountiful, was arrested Monday on suspicion of rape and other sexual abuse counts, according to a news release from the Utah County Sheriff’s Office.

  The teenage girl, who was being housed at a residential youth treatment facility where Calder worked, told her new therapist that Calder had sexually abused her on more than 10 occasions between March and June of this year.

  The teen said the abuse occurred during scheduled therapist sessions with Calder, according to the release.

  Without knowing the extent of Calder’s relationship with the teen, staff members and other residents at the center nevertheless noticed behavior that was inappropriate, according to the probable cause statement. Many of Calder’s therapy sessions with the girl were scheduled late at night and included walks outside of the facility, which did not occur with other patients.

  Calder’s job at the center was to provide “therapy and treatment for troubled youth,” according to the statement. He had access to the victim’s medical and mental health file, which put her “very much at risk” to the man, who was “in a position of trust.”

  The teen said that Calder became “very friendly” with her and their sessions turned into personal conversations, during which Calder told her things about his personal and private life that a therapist would not typically disclose to a juvenile patient.

  During one session, Calder walked the teen to a secluded area, where he allegedly had sex with her.

  Shortly after that incident, Calder was fired from his position at the Utah County youth treatment center, the statement says. According to Sgt. Spencer Cannon, the sheriff’s office doesn’t believe officials at the facility knew about the alleged sexual abuse, only that his relationship with the girl was deemed “inappropriate.”

  Calder, a licensed marriage and family therapist, worked at a youth treatment center in Utah County until at least the end of June, Cannon said, though the exact date of his termination was not known. Calder has more recently been working at a facility in Salt Lake County, police documents say. As of Monday, he remained employed with the Salt Lake County facility, according to the documents.

  Cannon declined to release the name of either treatment facility where Calder has been employed.

  Calder has worked as a therapist in Utah and Salt Lake counties for a number of years, according to the documents. “This has provided him with access to a number of girls who were in similar circumstances as the victim in this case. The potential for other victims in this case is extremely high.”

  Police are asking anyone who believes they may have been a victim of Calder or know someone who may have been a victim to contact the Utah County Sheriff’s Office at 801-851-4010.

  Calder was booked into the Utah County jail on Monday night, Cannon said. His bail is set at $100,000, cash-only.

  Formal charges have not been filed by Utah County prosecutors.

• 8. Outback Therapeutic Expeditions (2001-present) Lehi, UT

  • News article
  • Breaking Code Silence

  • original
  • archived
  • back to list

  Skip to content

  ABOUT US
  FOR SURVIVORS
  FOR PARENTS
  FOR PROFESSIONALS
  LEARN MORE
  Donate

  Outback Therapeutic Expeditions
  Home » Outback Therapeutic Expeditions
  Previous Next
  Outback Therapeutic Expeditions
  Outback Therapeutic Expeditions (2001-present) Lehi, UT

  Wilderness Therapy Program
  History and Background Information

  Outback Therapeutic Expeditions is a behavior-modification program founded in 2001 and owned by Aspen Education Group. It was originally named “Walkabout” but changed its name to Outback Therapeutic Expeditions in 2004. It is marketed as a “wilderness therapy” program for teenagers aged 13-17 who are dealing with a multitude of issues including: Depression, Anxiety, Learning disabilities, Social isolation, Identity Development, Academic Issues, Dangerous/Risky Behaviors, Peer Dependence, Defiance, Emotional Outbursts, Electronics Addictions, Substance Abuse, Traumatic Events, and Bullying. The average length of stay is reported to be between 6 and 10 weeks. It has been a member of NATSAP since 2002. It also claims to be accredited by the Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Industry Council (OBHIC).

  The address associated with Outback Therapeutic Expeditions is 50 N 200 E, Lehi, UT 84043, but the program actually operates roughly one hour southwest of Lehi between the Sheeprock and Simpson Mountain Ranges.

  In 2005, the tuition was reported to be $380 per day ($21,280 for 8 weeks), which included gear. In 2006, the price had been raised to $445 per day ($24,920 for 8 weeks) plus a one-time $1,450 enrollment/gear fee, bringing the total cost to $26,370 total for 8 weeks. In 2020, they no longer list their daily rate for tuition on their website, but they do note that they have an additional one-time enrollment fee of $3,500, so it is likely that the daily rate has also increased substantially. There is now also a fee for a physical examination upon enrollment.

  In Episode 2 of Lifetime’s “Teen Trouble”, 17-year-old Jacob is sent to Outback Therapeutic Expeditions for lying, stealing, and “smoking a massive amount of dope (meaning cannabis)”.

  In 2011, six other Aspen Education Group programs (Aspen Achievement Academy, New Leaf Academy of Oregon, Aspen Ranch, Bromley Brook School, SunHawk Academy, and NorthStar Center) merged into Outback Therapeutic Expeditions. Outback Therapeutic Expeditions remains in operation today.
  Founders and Notable Staff

  McKay Deveraux is the current Executive Director of Outback Therapeutic Expeditions. He has worked at the program since 2002 in several positions, including Primary Therapist, Program Director, Field Director, and Field Staff. He reports that he was a “troubled youth” which is partially what drew him to begin working in wilderness programs. Prior to joining OTE, he worked at an unnamed wilderness program for roughly 3 years.

  Greg Burnham is the current Clinical Director and a Primary Therapist at Outback Therapeutic Expeditions. He began his career in the TTI as a Therapist at the confirmedly abusive Cedar Ridge RTC, where he worked from 1999 until 2002. He then worked at an outpatient counseling center from 2002 until 2005. After this, he worked as a Therapist and later as the Assistant Clinical Director of the confirmedly abusive New Haven RTC from 2005 until 2013. He then went on to work as a Therapist and Clinical Director of the reportedly abusive Wingate Wilderness from 2014 until 2017, when he joined OTE.

  Richard Meeves is the current Co-Owner and CEO of Outback Therapeutic Expeditions. He formerly worked as the Executive Director of the program. He had previously worked as as Primary Therapist at Second Nature Wilderness in Duchesne, UT and Aspen Achievement Academy in Loa, UT. He also worked as the Clinical Director at Aspen Ranch in Loa, UT. He is now the Director of Clinical Services for CRC Health Group, Aspen Education Group’s parent company, as well as the CEO of Aspiro Wilderness.

  Theresa Wardle is the current Admissions Director of Outback Therapeutic Expeditions. She began her career in the TTI working at several notorious and confirmedly abusive CEDU programs. She worked as a Therapist at CEDU’s Rocky Mountain Academy and Northwest Academy, and later worked as the Admissions Director of Boulder Creek Academy. Around 2003, Theresa and her husband, Patrick, opened a “therapeutic foster care” program for teenage girls called The Wardle Home in Naples, Idaho. She has worked at OTE since April of 2018.

  Daniel Hazen is the current Program Director of Outback Therapeutic Expeditions. His prior employment is presently unknown.

  Jason Scott Calder worked as the Director of Outback Therapeutic Expeditions in 2015. In 2017, he was arrested on counts of rape, forcible sodomy, and forcible sexual abuse in connection to a several incidents that occured at another residential treatment program, New Haven RTC, where he had been working as a therapist. Calder had also previously worked at La Europa.

  Link to archived staff list for Outback Therapeutic Expeditions (2005)
  Program Structure

  Very little is known about the program structure at Outback Therapeutic Expeditions. It likely uses a level-system which is common in many behavior-modification programs.
  Daily Life

  As described by a survivor who spent 347 days at Outback, the typical daily schedule is as follows:

  8AM: Wake up call from staff. You have five minutes to get dressed and ready and take down your shelter if you’re moving camp that day.
  8:05ish: Go to main portion of camp (about 150 yards away from shelters) and make breakfast, morning chores (digging a sump for food waste), brush teeth, eat.
  845ish (and I say ish because we were not allowed to have watches and most of the time, field staff wouldn’t tell us what time it was): break down camp. Bury latrine and sump, break down ashes and coals from fire and scatter them. It was a “leave no trace” kind of thing so we had to make it look like we weren’t there. Collect water jugs and place in pick up location along with trash.
  10AM: start hiking if it was a hike day. We would generally stop for 2-5 minute breaks every 1.5 hours.
  1ish: 20-30 minutes for lunch and rest.
  1:30PM: start hiking again. Hike until we reached our destination. Some days we only hiked maybe 5-6 miles, other days, we’d be hiking well into the night if we’d been slow on chores and gotten a late start or if someone refused to move.
  If it was a shorter hike, we’d get to our camp site and set up camp and do work in work books, school work, meet with therapists (once a week usually).
  5-6 depending on the day: dinner. During dinner and after field staff usually held group discussions about stuff and depending on where you were in your stay, you’d have certain assignments that had to be shared with the group and that would be done at this time and after dinner.
  7ish-bed: In winter, generally just worked on our assignments in our shelters, but in summer when there was light, we’d do some group, team building activity.
  10-11: bed. Sometimes we’d get woken up in the middle of the night to break camp and do a night hike.

  Abuse/Neglect Allegations

  Several survivors report that abuse and neglect has taken place at Outback Therapeutic Expeditions. Allegations include restricting the teenagers’ food and water intakes, making teenagers carry packs that are extremely heavy, refusal of medical care, and use of violent restraints. It has been reported that many survivors of OTE have been diagnosed with PTSD following their time there, have overdosed, or have even taken their own lives.

  In 2017 it was revealed that Jason Scott Calder, who later was charged with rape, forcible sodomy and forcible sexual abuse, had been working at the Outback Therapeutic Expeditions. As of October 2017, there was no information that he had taken advantage of teenagers at Outback Therapeutic Expeditions but investigation is ongoing.
  Survivor Testimonies

  5/25/2020: (SURVIVOR) “There’s so much I could say about this place, but parents, if you are truly hopeless about your child and their behaviors, DO NOT send your kids to programs like Outback. This place has done more damage to people like me than good and the trauma hasn’t left me. I already had severe PTSD before coming to Outback and I left wanting to commit suicide more then I did before. I even wanted to commit suicide at Outback and I almost did after my parent visit. I was threatened restraints if I didn’t get out of the truck that we drove with into the field. I was isolated from all of my school friends and my boyfriend, I nearly died from heat exhaustion/dehydration, my therapist threatened to send me to a lockdown facility all because I was “uncomfortable” when she read me the BS home contract my parents had to write, and this place made me COMPLETELY dissociate and depersonalize my past and my emotional abuse from my home that I endured since childhood, AND that I still had to endure after Outback. I missed my cousin’s wedding, which was on my 18th birthday, and I missed events and opportunities at my school that I wanted to experience and go to. The food was very unhealthy and they didn’t give us enough, and because of how unhealthy the food is I left with MAJOR digestive problems and weight gain all in my stomach when I was already self-conscious. I remember eating raw bread dough because I hardly had any food. I couldn’t come off my horrible meds at this place because THERE WAS NO PSYCHIATRIST. WHAT KIND OF “MENTAL HEALTH” PROGRAM HAS NO PSYCHIATRIST AT ALL. I begged my parents to take me home but they couldn’t, and my letters were always looked over by my therapist just to make sure “she’s not missing anything.” I was told by a peer that a migraine was not an excuse to do my work. I felt like a slave, and the therapists, staff, and even my PEERS all tried to convince me that it was “normal” to feel that way. If that’s not abuse, then I don’t know what is. We couldn’t even shower every day and I developed a yeast infection TWICE because this place is so unhygienic. The winters are also so cold to the point where my hands were immobile here and there. Oh, and you are literally forced to hike in packs that are extremely heavy regardless of your medical problems or strength. And if you don’t bust a coal, you can’t eat hot and are left with cold food which is hardly anything. You also sleep under a tarp held by ropes which hardly keep you warm in the winter or cold in the summer, and it hardly protects you from the rain. My parents were also lied to about how great I was doing when my already bad mental health WAS LITERALLY DETERIORATING. There’s so much I could rant about this place, but let me tell you, my boyfriend AND my friends were so angry about my treatment here and wanted me to file complaints, but hell, I should get an attorney to sue this place for their abuse. All that programs like Outback want and what educational consultants want are money. My parents had to take money out of their 401Ks just to pay for this fraudulent program. This place needs to be shut down and so does other fraudulent, abusive wilderness programs like Outback.” – Flóra (Yelp)

  2/25/2020: (SURVIVOR) “I would like to say that in my previous review I spoke for my parents, but I would like to retract the point I made about how my dad feels about the program. I can’t speak for my dads experience as the person who sent me away, and all I can really speak for is myself and my 54 days at outback. Coming from someone that was there, and who knows many people who also went there and to other wilderness programs all over the country, I can say that even 12 years later the scars haven’t healed. Many of my friends I met through the troubled teen industry ended up worse off than when they got there. I’ve had to watch the friends I made in these programs go through terrible hardships when they were finally back in the real world. Every year, someone I befriended in these places will die from overdose, suicide, or murder. I’m not a parent myself at 30 years old. But I was a rowdy kid back then. Many of the other kids had more serious issues to deal with than myself, and I consider myself to be one of the lucky ones. I feel that as a parent feeling like they’re out of options, you may come across this program and think it could really help. But I would like to warn you that this place doesn’t always help kids. That may be their intention, but the outcomes I’ve seen are horrific and just thinking about the friends I’ve lost after leaving these places breaks my heart. I’ve cried for them more than I could have ever imagined possible. Please explore every avenue you can before you even consider this place. There is a community of kids who have been through these places where you can reach out and have real conversations about their own experiences if you want to hear from them first-hand at Reddit.com/r/troubledteens. Lastly I just want to reiterate that my views are my own, and I do not speak for my parents who may have a different opinion.” – Nick (Yelp)

  2/15/2019: (SURVIVOR) “Absolutely do not send your kids here. You may have an “educational advisor” or therapist referring you to one of these wilderness/therapeutic boarding schools but it will be incredibly harmful to your child. I was enrolled in Outback Therapeautic Expeditions in 2006, and it had been open for a good amount of time before that. I spent 54 days living under a tarp in the Western Utah desert being watched over by seemingly untrained adults who were not qualified for a job like that whatsoever. At times, I would actually see staff members break down in tears from the difficulty of traversing the desert from water can to water can. I’m almost 30 years old now, and while I am one of the lucky ones.. many of my friends from Outback and the following program I attended are either dead, or severely traumatized. I have had nightmares for over a decade about Outback, and have since been diagnosed with PTSD. And I can tell you from experience, that’s getting off easy. Many of my friends there committed suicide or overdosed from drug addictions that weren’t even present at the time they were sent away. It honestly blows my mind that Outback and programs like it (mostly in Utah, thanks to relaxed child custody laws) are legal and still in business. If you decide to send your child here, you will never forgive yourself and it may be the biggest mistake of yours and your childs life. I have forgiven my parents, and they have even apologized for this grave mistake of sending me here. PLEASE heed my warning. There are alternative ways to help your child through a difficult phase in their lives. Outback is not the answer. During my time at Outback, my entire group of kids and staff could have died on many occasions. We had been trapped in a blizzard and couldn’t get a fire started in -20 degree weather, while our water was frozen solid and unavailable to anybody for many hours while we were all delirious from dehydration and lack of food. This happened at least 4-5 times. I saw children become horribly hurt while the staff tried their hardest not to have to take them to a hospital, which I might add is literally hours drive away. Someone has to drive several hours to where your child is in the desert, and then hours back to the closest hospital. I should know, because on christmas day my entire group had come down with giardia. Being that my case was the most severe, I was eventually taken to the hospital, only to be brought right back after. The giardia persisted until well after I got out of Outback. Your child will spend most days hiking through dangerous terrain from one “bluey” or water container to another, with a small day or two break every week for a therapist and teacher to come out and speak to your child for no longer than 30 minutes to an hour. You will only be able to speak to your child through letters which will be closely monitored by the program. I heard that Outback had been under federal investigation at some point in the recent past, and I hope that is true. It will be a huge relief to me when Outback and all the other programs like it are finally discarded like the scams they are. I feel a deep pain for all the children trying to survive out there to this day. I think about them all the time. Please don’t let your children be one of them. You will be so happy you didn’t.” – Nick (Yelp)

  2019: (SURVIVOR) “note to any parent thinking of sending their child here. please instead of sending them away for months at a time try to just hold them closer because rather than sending them away to wilderness therapy and a different treatment center afterwards for even more months. i went to outback and the therapy and ideas are ingrained into our minds to the point that i completely disassociated my past while i was there. i also fell very ill and was not given proper medical treatment even though the illness persisted for more than 2 weeks i never saw a doctor and all they did was check my heart rate for “medical attention.” the worst part was the separation from my family and friends. even though you have a parent visit one day during your stay, you still feel very separated. when i finally came home because my parents had put me through that experience i struggled to talk to them. i was scared because i didnt know whether or not if i said something i would be sent away. my relationship with my parents spiraled downhill over the course of the time i was at outback.” – Wokkeisha (Google Reviews)

  2019: (SURVIVOR) “It’s really funny that when you look at these reviews all the 5 stars are from parents and the 1 stars are from the kids. Really makes yall think about how messed up and traumatic this camp is. Parents, do not send your kids here if you value their mental health and future relationships with your child. Any parent who sends their child here ought to be ashamed of themselves for not being able to take care of their child themselve, or for being unable to love and support them through whatever “issues” they are going through. To parents still considering this: read the reviews by the teens who went here. The parents are seeing brainwashed and exhausted children. The teens who went through this program will tell you if it worked. Prayers for the kids who will be forced to go here by awful parents, and for the children who have gone here before.” – Laney (Google Reviews)

  2018: (SURVIVOR) “this place is terrible. Barley any food, limited water, not helpful and they lie on their site. When I went, I was barley fed and i saw people have to eat clay because they were starved. We ran out of water multiple times. They forced us to make our own backpacks out of trees and leather and they absolutely destroyed your shoulders and people were passing out on hikes. You would have therapy 1 hour a day per week which was barley anything. They say you have it every day but thats a lie. People and broken gear that was not or it took a long time to replace. I personally ended up with a broken sleeping bag. This place shouldn’t even be legal, getting kidnapped in the middle of the night and stripped of your clothes and dropped in the middle of the desert for 10 weeks is what happened to me and it wasn’t a helpful place at all.” – Adam (Google Reviews)

  2018: (SURVIVOR) “About 12 years ago, at 14, I was essentially abducted by strangers in the middle of the night (bounty hunters) and taken to this “program” using physical force; which outback staff continued to use in order to “subdue” me throughout the duration of my stay. The experience was so horrifying and traumatic that I attempted suicide because it seemed like the only way to make the insanity stop! Instead of therapy or proper medical care, I was isolated, improperly and brutally restrained, and had a needle stuck in my arm by field staff for an IV while my face was forced in the dirt, my arm was bent behind me, and I screamed in pain. This torture camp scarred me for life and made me an angry, unforgiving, hateful teenager and I ran from my parents the second I got home and never forgave them! As a mother of 2 I would NEVER EVEN CONSIDER INFLICTING THIS ABUSE ON ANYONE LET ALONE MY CHILDREN!!! I am completely appalled by the fact that this is still being allowed to go on!!! If YOU would not or could not do something you have no right to force your children to!!! You cannot imagine the things these kids are forced to endure at these places, get your child HELP! ABUSE IS NOT THE ANSWER!!!” – Alisa (Google Reviews)

  1/11/2013: (SURVIVOR) “My whole group at outback developed a case of giardiasis about halfway through my stay there from the bad living conditions. If we were able to shower that probably would of never happened. I also went into hypothermia one time during my stay, as did several other kids in my group. The worst thing I think for me was bug season. Right about the end of June, early July, the bugs were terrible. There were mosquitoes everywhere. In your sleeping bag even. You could wear all the DEET in the world and long sleeves and pants and they’d still get you. When you went to the bathroom, the longer you went, the longer they’d bite. And I mean bite the butt, anus, vagina, anything available. I started to have trouble breathing and my heart rate went up really high so I was sent back to base camp to have the nurse look at me. I had something like 350 mosquito bites. It fucking sucked.” –u/2020204hourstogo (Reddit)

• 9. Former Shift Supervisor Speaks Out Against Abuse At New Haven RTC

  • 20211008
  • News article
  • Instagram / Newhavenrtc_voices

  • original
  • archived
  • back to list

  newhavenrtc_voices
  Edited•235w
  Jason Scott Calder was Clinical Director of the Hobble Creek Campus. He was later convicted of sexually abusing a minor at the facility.

  According to this former shift supervisor, New Haven RTC’s administration was aware of staff concerns surrounding Calder’s behavior.

  When Calder’s victim shared that she was being sexually abused by the therapist, she was allegedly accused of “lying for attention” by members of the Treatment Team and dropped to Safety for “making the community unsafe”.

  New Haven had an obligation to report this abuse, and a responsibility to protect this student.

  Instead, they punished her and continued to place her in active danger.

  The former staff member expresses her outraged at how the company handled the situation by stating:

  “All of those mandated reporters in the room and not ONE of them did their f-cking job. Absolutely inhumane and beyond disgusting behavior”.