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Artwork for Crimes We Didn’t Commit
Crimes We Didn’t Commit · July 21 · 1 hr 21 min

Joe Ricci

Turns out "I'm here to help kids" can mean wildly different things depending on who's saying it. This week we're talking about Joe Ricci, the man who built one of America's most infamous behavior modification programs—where humiliation was apparently considered a treatment plan and trauma was marketed as personal growth. We'll break down how Élan operated, why it took decades for the truth to catch up, and how so many adults looked around and collectively said, "Yep... this seems fine." ⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of child abuse, psychological abuse, physical violence, and trauma. Because if your therapy requires referees... it might not be therapy.

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Turns out "I'm here to help kids" can mean wildly different things depending on who's saying it.

This week we're talking about Joe Ricci, the man who built one of America's most infamous behavior modification programs—where humiliation was apparently considered a treatment plan and trauma was marketed as personal growth.

We'll break down how Élan operated, why it took decades for the truth to catch up, and how so many adults looked around and collectively said, "Yep... this seems fine."

⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of child abuse, psychological abuse, physical violence, and trauma.

Because if your therapy requires referees... it might not be therapy.

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