SCARE TACTICS BACKFIRE: EXPERT

An addiction expert says he understands the fear that drove a Port
Moody couple to stage a mock home invasion in a desperate bid to
rescue their daughter from heroin and prostitution.

Trouble is, the parents have risked driving her farther into the arms
of the pimps and dealers who have taken control of her life, said Mark
Goheen, supervisor of addiction service for SHARE family and community
services.

"Kids [addicted to drugs] will see that their parents are against them
and the only ones who care for them are their pimp or dealer -- their
mentors," he said.

"These interventions backfire because it reinforces the idea that
their parents are assholes."

The 15-year-old's parents arranged for two men last week to burst into
their home one morning when the girl was home alone.

They tied her to a chair and threatened her over her association with
drug dealers and pimps in downtown Vancouver.

The parents had not intended police to become involved, but a family
member who didn't know about the parents' action called 911 after
dropping by the home and hearing the realistic threats.

Crown counsel should decide by next week whether criminal charges will
be laid, said Port Moody Const. Robb McGirr.

"While police investigators remain sympathetic to the plight of the
parents . . . police are particularly concerned with the serious
dangers associated with responding to events on false or misleading
information," he said.

Police didn't identify the family.

Goheen said parents face a huge challenge once a child is hooked on
heroin.

"Kids who don't have a solid connection with their parents are most at
risk," he said.

Goheen said kids hooked on heroin need long-term residential
treatment.

But there is only one such facility -- the eight-bed Peak House in
east Vancouver -- to serve all B.C. except for one program in Prince
George for natives.

The waiting list for Peak House's eight-week program is 14 months --
an eon to a teen in need.

"It's pathetic, isn't it?" said Goheen.

McGirr said the police support calls for changes to the law to give
parents the power to detain their children and force them into
treatment. B.C. is considering those kinds of changes to the law.

Goheen said it would not be illegal for parents to take a child
against his will to a remote area for several weeks to allow the kid
to clear his head of drugs and re-connect with the family.

He doubted that authorities would intervene if there was no
violence.

Kids say staged invasion dumb )"Asinine" and "ridiculous" were some of
the more polite words teenagers at a Port Moody youth forum used last
night to describe a parent-staged home invasion.

"I would lose a lot of trust in my parents if they did that," said
Sarah Sahulka, 17. "That's totally asinine. Parents need to talk to
her, not try to scare the crap out of her. It's too extreme."

Said Jessica O'Neill, 17: "That would create fear in her own home.
It's ridiculous. You don't scare a kid into being good."

What the parents did "teaches the child to retaliate," said Matt
Osborne, 14. "The parents should sit down and talk to her about it
and try to talk her out of it."

The parents should take their daughter to counselling because of what
they did to her, said Lisa Lajeunesse, 12, adding: "She might be
really damaged inside. My parents wouldn't do this."

But while the parent-staged home invasion "might be a little harsh,"
said Trevor Laird, 14, "I think it's right to set her straight."

In downtown Vancouver, street kids said parents should communicate
with teens rather than resort to drastic and illegal measures.

"That's a really terrifying step for a parent to take," said Genevieve
Lalonde, 19, who is turning her life around thanks to intervention by
staff at Covenant House for street youth at risk. "I couldn't imagine
being forced to endure something as terrifying as that by your parents.

"It's ignorant, in my opinion. It's an excuse for the parents not to
discuss the problem with their kids."

Said Chantal Stevenson, 17: "It's not a good thing to do. Kids won't
listen if you try to scare them. It's just not going to work.

"Parents should have an understanding and try to explain and show her
there's another way."

Said 19-year-old Paul Hollohan: "Parents shouldn't do something like that.
It's not right. It's like kidnapping."

Covenant House staff agreed.

"I think those parents must be in a lot of pain to make a choice like
that," said Chris Norris, a community support service worker.

So what should parents do if they're at their wits end with a wayward
teen?

"I would encourage them to call us at Covenant House," said Norris.
"We could come up with a plan of action in terms of
intervention."

Gordon Clark, Kathy Tait and Jack Keating, Staff Reporters The
Province An addiction expert says he understands the fear that drove a
Port Moody couple to stage a mock home invasion in a desperate bid to
rescue their daughter from heroin and prostitution.

Trouble is, the parents have risked driving her farther into the arms
of the pimps and dealers who have taken control of her life, said Mark
Goheen, supervisor of addiction service for SHARE family and community
services.

"Kids [addicted to drugs] will see that their parents are against them
and the only ones who care for them are their pimp or dealer -- their
mentors," he said.

"These interventions backfire because it reinforces the idea that
their parents are assholes."

The 15-year-old's parents arranged for two men last week to burst into
their home one morning when the girl was home alone.

They tied her to a chair and threatened her over her association with
drug dealers and pimps in downtown Vancouver.

The parents had not intended police to become involved, but a family
member who didn't know about the parents' action called 911 after
dropping by the home and hearing the realistic threats.

Crown counsel should decide by next week whether criminal charges will
be laid, said Port Moody Const. Robb McGirr.

"While police investigators remain sympathetic to the plight of the
parents . . . police are particularly concerned with the serious
dangers associated with responding to events on false or misleading
information," he said.

Police didn't identify the family.

Goheen said parents face a huge challenge once a child is hooked on
heroin.

"Kids who don't have a solid connection with their parents are most at
risk," he said.

Goheen said kids hooked on heroin need long-term residential
treatment.

But there is only one such facility -- the eight-bed Peak House in
east Vancouver -- to serve all B.C. except for one program in Prince
George for natives.

The waiting list for Peak House's eight-week program is 14 months --
an eon to a teen in need.

"It's pathetic, isn't it?" said Goheen.

McGirr said the police support calls for changes to the law to give
parents the power to detain their children and force them into
treatment. B.C. is considering those kinds of changes to the law.

Goheen said it would not be illegal for parents to take a child
against his will to a remote area for several weeks to allow the kid
to clear his head of drugs and re-connect with the family.

He doubted that authorities would intervene if there was no
violence.

Kids say staged invasion dumb )"Asinine" and "ridiculous" were some of
the more polite words teenagers at a Port Moody youth forum used last
night to describe a parent-staged home invasion.

"I would lose a lot of trust in my parents if they did that," said
Sarah Sahulka, 17. "That's totally asinine. Parents need to talk to
her, not try to scare the crap out of her. It's too extreme."

Said Jessica O'Neill, 17: "That would create fear in her own home.
It's ridiculous. You don't scare a kid into being good."

What the parents did "teaches the child to retaliate," said Matt
Osborne, 14. "The parents should sit down and talk to her about it
and try to talk her out of it."

The parents should take their daughter to counselling because of what
they did to her, said Lisa Lajeunesse, 12, adding: "She might be
really damaged inside. My parents wouldn't do this."

But while the parent-staged home invasion "might be a little harsh,"
said Trevor Laird, 14, "I think it's right to set her straight."

In downtown Vancouver, street kids said parents should communicate
with teens rather than resort to drastic and illegal measures.

"That's a really terrifying step for a parent to take," said Genevieve
Lalonde, 19, who is turning her life around thanks to intervention by
staff at Covenant House for street youth at risk. "I couldn't imagine
being forced to endure something as terrifying as that by your parents.

"It's ignorant, in my opinion. It's an excuse for the parents not to
discuss the problem with their kids."

Said Chantal Stevenson, 17: "It's not a good thing to do. Kids won't
listen if you try to scare them. It's just not going to work.

"Parents should have an understanding and try to explain and show her
there's another way."

Said 19-year-old Paul Hollohan: "Parents shouldn't do something like that.
It's not right. It's like kidnapping."

Covenant House staff agreed.

"I think those parents must be in a lot of pain to make a choice like
that," said Chris Norris, a community support service worker.

So what should parents do if they're at their wits end with a wayward
teen?

"I would encourage them to call us at Covenant House," said Norris.
"We could come up with a plan of action in terms of intervention."