Where Is Robert Lichfield Now? He Created Behavior Modification Programs for Teens in the '90s

Robert Lichfield believed that the afflicted teen boarding schools were necessarily a present from God to struggle evil.

Mar. 7 2024, Published 4:27 p.m. ET

Believe it or now not, the troubled teen trade if truth be told began with adults. In 1958, a former member of Alcoholics Anonymous through the title of Charles Dederich Sr. founded an organization called Synanon. Loosely in accordance with the 12-step teachings of the sober group, it used ways like "isolation, humiliation, hard labor, and sleep deprivation" to damage heroin addicts from their dependancy, in step with Mother Jones.

Synanon used violence as forex and by the early Nineteen Eighties, the staff was all however long past. However, like Hercules and the Hydra, taking away the head of Synanon led to more to spring up instead. What grew from this used to be institutions geared toward teenagers, and so they relied upon conduct amendment practices. In 1998, the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASP) was founded by Robert Lichfield who contributed mightily to the afflicted teenager industry. Where is he now? Here's what we know.

Where is Robert Lichfield now? He is a little of a recluse.

In March 2024, Netflix released a documentary about the troubled teen industry that most commonly interested in one school particularly. The Academy at Ivy Ridge was once positioned in Ogdensburg, N.Y., and was once beneath the WWASP umbrella. The documentary's director, Katherine Kluber, was a prisoner at Ivy Ridge for 15 months in the mid-2000s. At one level in the series, she visited Lichfield's sprawling property in Utah where she used to be instructed by his nephew that Lichfield used to be by no means there. In reality, his nephew wasn't sure where his uncle used to be.

Despite avoiding the media and public scrutiny, Lichfield's title still pops up every now and then. The Salt Lake Tribune reported in June 2023 that some citizens of Hurricane, Utah were trying to put a prevent to the introduction of a recreational development donated by the WWASP founder. Hurricane Mayor Nanette Billings reached out to Lichfield in 2021 after she was elected, and begged him to donate a development he wasn't the use of. He agreed on the condition that she take the development as-is.

Billings also presented to call the construction after Lichfield despite the protests from citizens, so much of whom had been former scholars of WWASP amenities. During a press convention, Billings gave a lukewarm apology to those that had been forced to wait one of the troubled teen boarding faculties by means of pronouncing she did not know any of the people who hurt them and by the approach, forgiveness is important. Lichfield wasn't provide for this as he was once reportedly out of the country at the time.

Robert Lichfield credited God for his success.

The Los Angeles Times spoke with Lichfield in June 2003 about what made him such a success in what the article refers as "tough-love" academies. He was once 49 at the time and shared six youngsters with his spouse. There have been also Eleven colleges working in the WWASP machine, which was but one part of his portfolio that still included "everything from restaurants to radio stations."

"We’re here getting kids off drugs and other evils," he advised the outlet. "Do I believe, being a God-believing person, that the adversary to all good is going to sit back and let that happen without a major unleashing of dark forces? No, I don’t."

Lichfield claimed to just be an adviser and investor in the colleges, but his so-called adversaries stated he was managing them pretty closely. Although many believe this is the case, what Lichfield in truth did was once stay his businesses in the circle of relatives.

At one level Narvin Lichfield, Robert Lichfield's brother, owned two of the WWASP colleges.

According to the Los Angeles Times piece, Lichfield's brother Narvin Lichfield owned "Carolina Springs Academy near Abbeville, S.C., and the Academy at Dundee Ranch in Costa Rica." In the Netflix documentary, he's portrayed as a toxic and scheming abuser who simplest cared about earning profits regardless of who he harm along the manner.

On March 6, 2024, the day after the Netflix documentary used to be released, Narvin took to Facebook where he wrote a lengthy put up condemning the documentary. "I was falsely accused in 2003 over 20 years ago by two male students at my school in Costa Rica by the name of Rancho Dundee," he wrote. It's unclear what the accusations have been, as Narvin is not much of a linear creator. He references alleged abuse and claims he was found no longer guilty 4 years later when the case went to court.

He then goes on to say that not anything bad happened at the schools he owned however he can't talk for Ivy Ridge as Narvin had never been there. In the documentary, Narvin's son Nathan Lichfield stated he witnessed abuse at the schools his father ran but Narvin briefly tries to discredit his son by claiming he has mental health problems. This is a vintage tactic utilized by abusers known as DARVO (deny, assault, and opposite sufferer & wrongdoer). He denied any wrongdoing, attacked his own son, then attempted to turn himself into the sufferer.

Narvin ended the complicated Facebook post by means of claiming the situation at the colleges was once complicated. "We loved the kids and did everything in our power to make sure they had an appropriate experience," said Narvin. An appropriate experience is definitely an strange choice of words.

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