September 13, 1999

J. Leonard Henderson
403 West Highway 82
Wallowa, OR 97885

Services to Children and Families
PO Box A
502 South River
Enterprise, OR 97828

Attn: Stephanie Williams

I have a disagreement with SCF. Per instruction from my lawyer, I must follow the SCF Grievance Procedures outlined in PAM 1551. Since you are the case worker/ supervisor, you're first.

My grievance:

I believe your look into our "lives in a fishbowl" is a very distorted view.

In your 8-30-99 letter on page 2, paragraph 2, you state: "What has been observed is rejection, belittling, and humiliation of Phillip by Leonard in addition to denying him affection". I believe this "observation" was made at the first CRT meeting. You asked me to tell you "what some of the problems are". I hesitated answering because Philip was in the Jury room with us and I felt it was inappropriate to tell you with Philip present. You said "I asked you a question, please answer it". So I did as I WAS DIRECTED and stated "he poops his pants every day and wets the bed every night". Philip got up and left the room. Then you then informed me "That statement was TERRIBLY ABUSIVE"'. You directed me to answer that question. I answered the question as directed. (Note added- I have since learned the terminology "encopresis" and "enuresis". If I had known those terms at the time, perhaps NOTHING further would have happened)

In your eyes, no matter what I could have done, it would have been wrong.

It appears your "opinion" has been "reinforced" because you caused me to be angry by threatening to put Philip in a foster home or "emancipate" him, and commanding us to leave him on the drug Zoloft. Yes, I got angry because Philip is our son and if possible, should remain with the family. Emancipating a 15-year old child with severe behavioral problems, and taking Zoloft, is hardly in Philip's best interest and safety.

I believe you have added to your "opinion" due to the "Parenting Counseling" issue:

In your 7-26-99 letter you stated: "Our hope is that Jane Sabin-Davis and Paul Spriggs-Flanders can support the family in identifying parenting styles that will be more appropriate in parenting Phillip, and the other children as well".

• These sessions were supposed to be designed to teach parenting techniques.

• The first two sessions were to "interrogate" me and accuse me of being a bad parent. In no way were they providing any "training" in what I should do differently.

• Only after I spoke privately with Paul Spriggs-Flanders that we were done abasing me and we were going to focus on the stated purpose, did the sessions turn to "parenting styles".

Leonard Henderson Grievance Page 2

• The following (third) session revealed Time Out, Sitting in a Chair, and Grounding. I pressed for more relevant advice such as:

1- What should I do if Philip was told to do a chore and he might reply F-K YOU! Paul's first concern was whether we allowed that kind of language, and since we didn't- we should "inform him that language was not appropriate". What about the rebellion? Paul didn't know, nor did Jane. Parenting tip: I don't know.


2- Then I asked what I should do if Philip throws a chair through a $500 picture window. Paul didn't know, nor did Jane. I volunteered that you (Stephanie Williams) had told me that I should call the sheriff's office and swear out a complaint. They thought that was about the only thing I could do. Parenting tip: Call the sheriff.

• The fourth session revolved around my explaining to Paul Spriggs-Flanders and Jane Sabin-Davis how Doug Smith's "Behavior Management Plan" worked (which Doug had just taught me). Paul feigned knowledge of the plan, which I didn't believe to be true (I made it a point to ask Doug Smith at EOAMTC if Paul would have known before I explained the plan to him. Doug replied "He COULDN'T HAVE because I just developed it".)

• If Paul had known "The PLAN" or any plan, we could have started out with it in Session One, and accomplished what the sessions were supposed to.

I believe Jane Sabin-Davis and Paul Spriggs-Flanders demonstrated a lack of experience, aptitude, professional training, or preparation to conduct useful, productive sessions for the purpose of "identifying parenting styles that will be more appropriate in parenting Phillip".

Their failure in"identifying parenting styles that will be more appropriate in parenting Phillip" should not factor unfavorably in your "opinion" of me.

In your 7-26-99 letter you also state: "It is also expected that you both will participate in some family work with the treatment program since they have been working one-on-one with Phillip these past few months."

• Indeed, Doug N. Smith, Family Psychotherapist, at the EOAMTC presented to us an extremely useful "Behavior Management Plan", which we HAVE implemented in our family. (Note added- this "behavior management plan" was a totally worthless crock of New Age nonsense. But it was certainly in my "best interest" to RAVE about it at the time. It DID WORK at EOAMTC because they had big, burly guys to take a kid down and "grind" him on the floor to "restrain" him. They also had a secure DETENTION ROOM to lock a kid in when necessary. Philip also said something about "leather straps binding his wrists and handcuffs", which EOAMTC vehemently denies)

• Since Doug N. Smith has supplied us with "parenting styles that will be more appropriate in parenting Phillip", there is simply no reason to continue the sessions with Paul Spriggs-Flanders and Jane Sabin-Davis, which FAILED to fulfil that purpose.

Leonard Henderson Grievance Page 3

We believe Philip has inherited his mother's condition of Manic-Depression (Bipolar Disorder). We are in the process of disproving the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder diagnosis made at EOAMTC, which diagnosis we believe was made without Dr. Conant-Norville's knowledge of Philip's mother's history. Had Dr. Conant-Norville known Joanna's extensive history, we can be confident that his diagnosis might have been Childhood-Onset Bipolar Disorder (COBPD). Cite "Facts About Childhood-Onset Bipolar Disorder" from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. NAMI is a highly respected clearinghouse for information and research on Mental Illness and can be found at http://amimd.nami.org.

Please refer to "Facts About Childhood-Onset Bipolar Disorder", Paragraph Header- "Is COBPD usually inherited? Yes. One of the most important factors in establishing the diagnosis is family history. According to several recent studies, a history of mood disorders (particularly bipolar disorder and/or alcoholism …..appears to be commonly associated with COBPD"

This article goes on to detail EVERY SYMPTOM identical to Philip's behavior from INFANCY to TODAY, including Philip's VIOLENT reaction to Zoloft while still at EOAMTC.

In your August 30, 1999 letter you state: "Many of the people I spoke with talked about how difficult Phillip has been since he was very little…". Please refer to "Facts About Childhood-Onset Bipolar Disorder", paragraph 4: "Many parents report that their children have seemed different since early infancy."

Quoting from "Facts About Childhood-Onset Bipolar Disorder", Page 1, paragraph 5: "….high levels of anxiety…particularly in response to separation from the child's mother…are commonly seen". When Philip was little, Joanna couldn't even go into another room without Philip throwing a HUGE fit while she was out of his sight.

Again, quoting from "Facts About Childhood-Onset Bipolar Disorder", Page 1, paragraph 5: "Additionally, being easily frustrated, having difficulty controlling anger, and impulsiveness (difficulty waiting one's turn, interrupting others) often result in prolonged and violent temper tantrums".

And from "Facts About Childhood-Onset Bipolar Disorder", Page 2, paragraph 2: "Stubborn, oppositional, and bossy behavior, usually appearing between the ages of six to eight, pose significant problems for parents, educators, and peers. Risk-taking, disobedience to authority figures….".

And from "Facts About Childhood-Onset Bipolar Disorder", Page 2, paragraph 4: "..destructiveness and misbehavior…seem intentional in those with COBPD…."

Again quoting "Facts About Childhood-Onset Bipolar Disorder", Page 2, paragraph 6: "For the treatment of psychotic symptoms and aggressive behavior, risperidone (Risperdal) (What Joanna is taking right now because it doesn't cause her to gain weight like Zyprexa did.) and olanzapine (Zyprexa) are commonly used newer agents…".

This is THE evidence that we DID put Philip ON THE RIGHT MEDICATION in October 1998, and explains WHY his behavior DID SO VASTLY IMPROVE.

Leonard Henderson Grievance Page 4

The 1992 Oregon Child Protective Service Performance Study by the National Child Welfare Resource Center for Management and Administration at the University of Southern Maine was authored at the request of the Oregon State Legislature.

Their Goals and Recommendations, NEW DIRECTION, Goal 1: Transform CSD into a less punitive, more service-oriented agency with a greater emphasis on strengthening families (page 5).

Recommendation 1: CSD should eliminate the current function of its child protective workers of determining guilt, focusing instead on assessing risk to the child and developing service plans to address that risk (page 5).

It appears this recommendation has not been implemented.

"Families on the Brink: The Impact of Ignoring Children With Serious Mental Illness", a new study released on July 1, 1999 and conducted by the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, finds that "most professionals and services had not kept current with the latest research or treatment information and used OUTDATED THEORIES AND APPROACHES, INCLUDING BLAMING FAMILIES FOR THEIR CHILD'S DISORDER".

Joanna spent 9 years of misery, being misdiagnosed and taking bad medications before she was correctly diagnosed with Manic-Depression (Bipolar Disorder).

Philip is actually quite lucky because we are aware of the symptoms of Manic-Depression (Bipolar Disorder) and WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT. Based on Joanna's experience, Philip can have a good life as long as his condition is monitored and his medication is adjusted, as his physical changes require.

Joanna and I believe your attempt to build an "abuse" case is detrimental to the safety and welfare of our son Philip and APPALLINGLY unsupportive of our family's real needs.

As a very successful businessman once told me: "For every adversity, there is a seed of equivalent or greater benefit. Look for solutions, not excuses. Don't ask 'why' something happened, but 'what is the solution?'. The cause is history, you have to find a solution to the present situation before you can move ahead and succeed".

We all want to help Philip and see him succeed. Your intentions are honorable, but I feel your approach is wrong. Unlike the detective that tries to find the guilty, we're trying to help the "innocent" by finding the solution.

Thanks in advance for your prompt response to this grievance. Do you feel 10 days would be sufficient time to respond?

Sincerely,

J. Leonard Henderson

CC: Victoria Moffet