to warn you about this company offering solutions to child's anxiety and school refusal?

[Hols12345]

They advertise on Facebook as Young Vibes, Your Child Freedom Formula, Peaky Parents, Anxiety, Our Formula, and various other names.

They use a 'high ticket' sales technique, where they offer a webinar and then urge you to book a call. The call is a high-pressure sales call.

They have changed their name quite a few times over the last year, after they were investigated by the Advertising Standards agency - www.asa.org.uk/rulings/tomwill--holdings--ltd-g21-1116080-tomwill--holdings--ltd.html, and they were featured in a BBC radio 4 documentary www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000zt9y

There are a few threads on the child mental health boards - here's one. www.mumsnet.com/talk/child_adolescent_mental_health/4239684-your-child-freedom-formula-has-anyone-tried-it?page=1

On the threads there are people from 'both sides', including some who have been through the program, so it's well worth having a read if you are thinking of making the call.

Wow, @Chuppy222 That’s a way to make your situation even more stressful! Her reactions to criticisms are wild!

Sam mentioned GDPR in an earlier post but the way she talked about it made me think she doesn’t understand it. I asked her to clarify which GDPR regulations she meant but she hasn’t done so.

Confidentiality is different and it seems clear she doesn’t understand or care about that either as she’s shown with your review.

A lot of what she says gives her an air of credibility if you don’t work in the field. So mentioning GDPR on her website makes her sound plausible. However, to those people who work in a field where it is relevant, all her wording sounds odd. Well, it does to me anyway.

There’s another one she started last year too! I can’t even remember how many it’s been now.

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/stopadolescentanxiety.com

1. Uses a random SENCO quote as a source of key (incorrect) stats.
2. Constantly starts new businesses to avoid crap reviews.
3. No professional accreditations.
4. No understanding of what autism is.
5. Posts awfully basic autism checklists on this thread that anyone could Google in 10 secs yet she isn't embarrassed to do so.
6. Slagged off parents upthread.

Honestly why are some companies allowed to operate?!

Another Wow!

Everything in that reply is a lies. We said from the start the zoom sessions are not for us.

We were not made aware of any 1:1 parent sessions. Week 9 only ONE link was sent to us by Davina, I genuinely did not see it, it’s not my main email address. Therefore I didn’t reply or log on. She didn’t follow it up. Then we get the blame for not engaging!!

We watched all the bla bla bla videos, and made the changes that we thought were necessary and that made sense to us. I put a massive amount of leg work into my daughter, having to explain what the mentor was talking about. My son wanted to stay private so didn’t tell us anything. He’s 18, we can’t make him.

All I can say chuppy is try not to take it personally. I hope you’re managing to rise above her response.

..and the awful 'stress is physiological', yet another basic science fact anyone with an internet connection could Google on 5 minutes max, but of course we all know it isn't that simple. @Chuppy222 I think everyone has your back on here and can see what a cowboy set up this is.

Thank you. I said I wasn’t going to post anymore but I actually feel sick. If that reply isn’t parent blaming I don’t know what is. They know nothing about us, nothing! We spend every minute of the day worrying and trying to help our kids. She has no idea. We fought for EHCP’s got them, we’ve put ourselves on courses to understand ASD, parenting support groups galore (which we how avoid due to a bad experience). Despite this Sam has the cheek to insinuate we are bad parents. She hasn’t a clue, about anything. Except from adrenaline of course!

Well where to start with that Trustpilot reply!

ALL of those bullet points are false - there absolutely are regulatory bodies for coaching; trained counsellors, as she claims their staff are, have regulatory bodies too, plus as a side note coaching training and counselling training are two different things; anxiety is a 'mental issue' (lovely phrasing) with physiological effects, that doesn't make it a physiological issue; and the GAD7 certainly isn't the only anxiety measurement tool available.

As for 'children who are broken or damaged by the malfunction of an overactive gland', is she talking about Cushing's disease? Thyroid issues? The vast majority of people with anxiety have no physical problems with their 'glands', that's so bizarre it sounds unhinged. Wow.

Hi @Chuppy222. I'm really shocked by that reply too. Sharing personal confidential information was one of the things that was really worrying about the original Your child freedom formula website and reviews.

Trustpilot has rules and if a review does not break them they should not take it down and they should also give you an opportunity to change the review to meet them before removing it.

It's why it's really important for anyone that leaves a review to keep it factual and not speculate or call names eg saying they're a cult or an MLM etc which they can say is not true and therefore the review could be taken down.

@Chuppy222 I think your review looks good but keep an eye on your email in case Trustpilot ask you to edit it so it can remain up.

Take care of yourself and your family.

Sorry I have tried to remove this tag from the bottom of this post Sam, but something's gone wrong and I'm not able to.
@SamanthaRobinsYoungVibes

The pseudo science is making less and less sense now. Is it like hyperthyroidism? That is a physiological condition caused by a "gland malfunctioning"(thyroid). It causes symptoms of anxiety but is only treated with medication (or removal of thyroid). You cannot treat hyperthyroid with talking / changing behaviour and it would be dangerous to try.

I almost called Sam, but it’s not worth the drama. I know what I’m dealing with, you can’t win an argument with someone so ‘unhinged’. We will stick with our review 100% , it’s been the most awful disgusting experience.

Thank you to all for the kind comments. Wishing you and your families all the best too.

No, I wouldn’t call her @Chuppy222 It’s not worth it and you don’t need to defend yourself. Her responses show exactly the sort of person she is and (again) and so your review is very helpful.

@Chuppy222 your story is fairly familiar to us. It actually takes a lot to start getting over the experience when it's made you feel so shit as a parent. Hope you feel able move on from this and have more positive experiences.

I dread to think what Sam is saying to parents on the programme. Been there as a parent and know it will be horrid. And that they will all be sucked into writing great reviews which is why many sound similar.

This is a shame. I've found this thread quite interesting (as a parent with anxiety of a child with ebsa)
Sadly I don't have Facebook so won't be able to see your future replies.

I agree, I had thought earlier today too.

@BruisedSkies @3xteens I managed to stop myself! Just!
Very dangerous company. Yes It’s not just the kids that are risk of harm, it’s the adults too. I’m under no illusion there are adults/parents out there just as depressed and anxious as the kids.

Sam needs to be very careful and mindful of this when parent blaming! There will be parents literally on the edge, who are doing there best. When she tells people they aren’t doing good enough, without a clue what their life as a parent is like, it could tip them. She is clueless!

@MillicentTrilbyHiggins please have a look at www.definefine.org.uk in particular their guide. I really feel you may find it useful (& free!!)

Thanks, that looks interesting. He's actually only got a week left in school. Although we've got to work out what he's going to do next!

@SamanthaRobinsYoungVibes many people are blocked from your FB page or are not on FB.

You seem to be answering most criticism as if the main issue was the price when you started out.

The price isn't really the problem. We all know that it's expensive to get care, therapy or whatever is needed for your child.

Personally I don't understand what you mean by NHS being free. Obviously it is free at the point of use, but we pay for it through taxes. It seems a bit childish to think of it as being free tbh.

The price only becomes a problem when the service provided isn't worth it, and when vulnerable families are persuaded to part with that money by manipulative means.

You are still making unevidenced claims "UKs leading Child Anxiety specialist", claiming ADHD is not real and is just to do with adrenaline etc.

You are still using manipulative marketing - eg the recent email strongly suggesting children are likely to take their own lives if parents do not sign up for your program. (Screen shots earlier In this thread)

You may think that I'm afraid of your groundbreaking new approach, that I want to spend my time on social media or that buying a new kitchen or holiday is more important to me than caring for my children (all claims you have made about the 'social media mums'.) You know nothing about me or any of the other people who have posted on MN so you cannot make these claims.

You have shown no evidence of the 'horrific abuse' you've suffered from the 'social media mums'. If this abuse happened I would be the first to condemn it but it doesn't then give you a green light to carry on working with vulnerable families and children with no scrutiny.

Have a read up about DARVO and see if you have any thoughts on that.

Well said. I’ve just checked Trust Pilot and my review is still there. Alongside another two new 5 star reviews made on the same day!!! And one today 15yrs ago. It feels awfully like they are there to try and compete with mine. Funny the timing isn’t it!
Sam take down the comment about my son or I’ll be taking further action.

Sam if you have any respect for my son, or young distressed people in general! take the comment down you’ve disclosed about him. He would be horrified if he finds out.

@Chuppy222 you may be able to report that to Trustpilot if you have not already.

I will. The FAQ ‘video letter’ has not materialised on the FB page. Just a lame paragraph vaguely answering some of our questions. I have commented below asking for some more specific questions.