Elizabeth Gillaspie is currently a student of the City University of New York and is pursuing a degree in psychology. She plans to focus her studies on recovery from traumatic psychological abuse, specifically as it pertains to children and second-generation survivors of high-demand groups. She has previously worked with struggling children in a court mandated family counseling program. 

Harris Cooksey was elected by our members to serve on CAFETY's Board of Director's during the 2012-2014 leadership term. 

During adolesence, Harris was involuntarily sent to, and eventually released from, several “troubled teen” programs including Montana Academy, Second Nature, and Aspen Achievement Academy. Upon entry into the private residential treatment system, he had a formal diagnosis of Traumatic Brain Injury, Conduct Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and ADHD, and he also suffers from chronic kidney disease requiring daily management. He was once described by a National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP) affiliated psychiatrist as "an obnoxious young man, who provokes anger in all who spend time with him, particularly if they have any authority." 

He interests include radical (dis)ability (anti-)politics, queer/crip anti-assimilationism, neurodiversity, critiques of psychiatry, history of madness, radical mental health, critical anti-racism, prison abolition, and contemporary psychoanalysis. He received his BA in Philosophy and History from Wesleyan University and is expected to receive his JD from Northeastern University School of Law in 2013.

Chelsea (Kapela) Maldonado was elected by our members to serve on CAFETY's Board of Director's during the 2012-2014 leadership term.

Chelsea is a longtime CAFETY volunteer, a writer/blogger and survivor of well-known WWASP facility Tranquility Bay.  Since her release shortly before her 18th birthday in 2001, Chelsea has been dedicated to the cause of advocating for survivors and ending abusive practices in residential treatment facilities. Over the past year her blog, WWASP Diaries, has received over 10,000 hits - helping greatly to spread awareness of the rise in the use of residential placement and harm inflicted upon youth by this industry. 

Ms Maldonado has been featured in Highbrow Magazine and appeared as a guest on Susan Schofield's Bi-Polar Nation Radio, where she used her personal experience and narrative as a public education tool, highlight widespread concerns for the well-being of children struggling in their community, the substantial risks of harm associated with residential placement and her insight into the political connections within the industry.

Bio Coming Soon!

 Charley Huffine is a psychiatrist and the Medical Director for the Child & Adolescent Program of King County's public mental health system based out of Seattle and works with teenagers and young adults. As medical director, he was associated with their federal grant that supported parent and youth empowerment, strength based work with youth and handling problems of youth in community based programs.  Charley became passionate about abuse in residential treatment after learning what had happened to former patients in such programs.

Bio Coming Soon!

Erika “Eri” Svenson is a student in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago with a long standing passion for child and adolescent mental health. Through a series of personal experiences, collaborations with respected advocates, volunteer positions and internships, ze has been heavily involved in mental health advocacy work and has gained an abundance of relevant experience. In particular, being out hirself, Erika is focused on LGBTQ+ issues within mental health care, especially ensuring that all mental health care that is provided is sensitive to the needs of that community.

Heather Harding is a survivor of CEDU Running Springs, which she attended from June of 1989 to December of 1991. She was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and worked as a NASA Research Assistant, as a Research Assistant at Stanford University, and in Professional Technical Theatre for TheatreWorks in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Jason Ross is a seasoned advocate for people who are often misunderstood and have suffered abuse as a result of their disabilities.  He is a frequent contributor to the field of autism education and has helped others to self-actualize through oral presentations, blogging, artwork and creative writing.  He continually strives to inform and defend those in the autism community who wish to better stand up for their rights and to improve the quality of their lives.

Jason has appeared on a PBS special (This Emotional Life) and served as a keynote speaker at the 2010 Autism Society of America Conference.  His Drive Mom Crazy blog is widely read and often elicits responses on a variety of topics dealing with autism.  He has a bachelor’s degree from Long Island University in Biology with a minor in Psychology.

Nick Wood is the Systems Change Advocacy Coordinator and Lead Investigator for the Disability Rights Center of Kansas (DRC).  The DRC is located in Topeka, is part of the federally funded Protection and Advocacy system, and is a member organization of the National Disability Rights Network.  Nick’s focus is on improving policy toward the public and private mental health system in order to reduce system reliance on institutions and address abuse in facilities.  He believes the voice of the Youth Advocate must be considered essential and directive in national discussions on mental health policy.

Tony Connelly is a survivor and former staff member of the Kids Helping Kids program cult. He holds an Associate degree in Applied Technology with a minor in Anthropology. Tony was an extremely active advocate from 2007 - 2009, with strong emphasis on the protesting of the Pathway Family Center (PFC) chain which led to the closure of its four facilities. He maintains a website he created in 2008 to bring awareness to the history of PFC as well as similar programs. Tony has maintained online advocacy from 2007 until the present to support the ending of institutional abuse and torture of children.

Jay is a twenty-two year old survivor of both abusive and non-abusive residential care programs and psychiatric hospitals. After years of silence, he started advocating for disability rights in late 2010 and has been speaking out and advocating for those among some of the most fragile of human subpopulations- those with psychiatric disorders, ever since. Jay's work in disability rights advocacy is deeply rooted in the following philosophy: We cannot change our pasts. We cannot erase abuse from our memories...but we can work to help ensure that one day, others will not have to suffer the pain and atrocities that we once did.

Jay is currently studying psychology at Adelphi University- Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies and is certified in First Aid, CPR and Psychological First Aid. He enjoys reading, writing, sports, friends, traveling and helping others. Feel free to contact Jay with any questions, concerns, suggestions or support via email.

"The loneliest people are the kindest. The saddest people smile the brightest. The most damaged are the wisest. All because they do not wish to see others suffer the way they do." -Anonymous