| Aspen Education Group | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | AEG |
| Type | Corporation |
| Purpose/focus | Programs for Struggling Teens |
| Headquarters | Cerritos, California |
| Region served | 13 U.S. states and the United Kingdom |
| Parent organization | CRC Health Group (part of Bain Capital) |
| Affiliations | FamilyIQ, ParentCheckIn |
| Website | www.aspeneducation.com |
Aspen Education Group is an American, for-profit business organization that operates a variety of therapeutic treatment programs for troubled adolescents, including wilderness therapy programs, residential treatment centers, therapeutic boarding schools, and weight loss programs. Aspen is a subsidiary of CRC Health Group with corporate offices located in Cerritos, California. CRC Health Group is owned by Bain Capital
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Aspen Education Group, Inc. was formed in December 1997 as a spin-off of College Health Enterprises. There is a therapeutic boarding school called Aspen Ranch associated with this group located in Loa, Utah as well.[1] In late 2006, Bain Capital acquired Aspen Education Group for $300 million.[2][3] Since November 2006, Aspen Education Group has been a division of Bain Capital's CRC Health Group, based in Cupertino, California.[3]
In 1998, Aspen was reported to have annual revenues of $28 million. For 2006, it projected revenue of $150 million.[2]
In March 2011, Aspen announced that it was closing several programs and restructuring several others.[4]
Aspen's programs are listed in the tables below, organized by corporate division[5][6] Some Aspen programs are members of The National Association of Therapeutic Wilderness Camps (NATWC).[7]
| Wilderness Therapy Programs | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Location | Description | Notes |
| Aspen Achievement Academy | Southern Utah | For adolescents 13-17. Minimum stay is 35 days. | Aspen Education Group announced that this program would be consolidated into Outback Therapeutic Expeditions.[4] |
| Adirondack Leadership Expeditions | Near Saranac Lake, New York | An wilderness program with an average stay of 45 days, using a dense forest environment for the hikes. [8] | |
| Four Circles Recovery Center | Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina | Treatment program for older teens and young adults, ages 18-28, with addictions, substance abuse, and co-occurring mental health disorders. Combines traditional counseling setting with extensive wilderness experiences and a 12-step approach. | |
| Lone Star Expeditions | Davy Crockett National Forest, East Texas | Wilderness intervention for youth ages 13-17 and their families. | Closed April 6, 2009 [9] |
| Outback Therapeutic Expeditions | Utah | For youth ages 13-17. | |
| Passages to Recovery | Southern Utah | A 35- to 50-day intensive outdoor drug and alcohol treatment program for young adults ages 18 and over. | In March 2011, Aspen announced that it was consolidating this program into its SUWS program in Idaho.[4] |
| SageWalk, the Wilderness School | Oregon | For boys and girls ages 13-17 with emotional and behavioral problems. The minimum stay is 30 days, after which participants often transfer to a therapeutic boarding school or other long-term facility. The average is 60 days or the "Family Reunification Plan".[10]. | Operations suspended on public land pending the investigation of the death of Sergey Blashchishena [11]. The investigator called the operation "reckless"[12] |
| SUWS Adolescent Programs | Shoshone, Idaho | Two programs are offered. One is for children aged 11-13 and the other is for children aged 14-17. A stay may last from 4-9 weeks. | In August 2006 the programs attracted attention after a child died from West Nile virus. [13] |
| SUWS of the Carolinas | North Carolina | Specializes in the assessment and treatment of students ages 13-17. Also conducts SUWS Seasons, a licensed, clinically focused wilderness treatment program for younger children, ages 11-13. | |
| Talisman Camps and Programs | North Carolina | Offers summer camps for youth, ages 9-17, with attention deficit disorder, learning disabilities, and high-functioning autism, as well as a school-year program for teens with Asperger syndrome. | |
| Residential Programs | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Location | Description | Notes |
| Academy at Swift River | Cummington, Massachusetts | Co-educational college preparatory therapeutic boarding school for adolescents aged 14-17.5. | |
| The Aspen Institute for Behavioral Assessment | Syracuse, Utah | Conducts assessments needed to develop intervention and treatment plans for troubled adolescents. | |
| Aspen Ranch | Loa, Utah | For adolescents aged 13-17.6 and utilizes an equine therapy program. Length of stay ranges from 6-12 months. | Closure plans announced in March 2011.[4] |
| Bromley Brook School | Manchester Center, Vermont | Boarding school for girls ages 14-18. | Closure announced in March 2011.[4] |
| Camp Huntington | High Falls, New York | Co-educational, residential, summer camps for children and young adults who have special needs such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disabilities, and cognitive impairment. | |
| Cedars Academy | Bridgeville, Delaware | Boarding school for boys and girls ages 11-18 specializing in Asperger syndrome and Nonverbal Learning Disorder. There are also 18 to 21 year-olds living off campus in a young adult transitional program. | Closed 2009. [14]. |
| Copper Canyon Academy | Rimrock, Arizona | Boarding school for girls ages 13-17. | |
| Excel Academy | Conroe, Texas | Coeducational boarding school for grades 9 to 12. | Closed 2008. |
| Island View Residential Treatment Center | [[Syracuse, Utah] | Academic services and therapeutic programs for adolescents aged 13 to 18. | The academic program at Island View is accredited with the Utah Department of Education, the California Department of Education and the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges.[15] |
| Mount Bachelor Academy | Prineville, Oregon | Co-educational, ages 13-18. | Permanent closure of the school announced Monday, November 9, 2009.[16] United States Department of Health and Human Services investigators had reported nine substantiated cases of abuse and neglect.[17] |
| New Leaf Academy | Bend, Oregon and Hendersonville, North Carolina | Private boarding school for girls ages 10 to 14 upon admission. | North Carolina location closed June 2010.[18][19][20] Aspen announced that The Talisman School would open on its site in August 2010 to enroll youth with Asperger's and other autism spectrum disorders.[20] Twenty-seven students remaining at New Leaf North Carolina were to be sent to New Leaf in Bend, Oregon and to the Bromley Brook School.[20] In March 2011, Aspen announced plans to close the Oregon location at the end of the 2010-2011 academic year.[4] |
| NorthStar Center | Bend, Oregon | Young-adult transitional-living program for ages 17.5 to 24. | Closure announced in March 2011.[4] |
| Oakley School | Oakley, Utah | Co-educational college preparatory therapeutic boarding school. | |
| Pine Ridge Academy | Draper, Utah | Therapeutic boarding school and residential treatment center enrolling ages of 11 to 18. | Closed |
| Stone Mountain School | Black Mountain, North Carolina | Therapeutic boarding school for boys aged 11-16, specializing in ADHD. | Program website makes reference to finding a cure by going back to Tom Sawyer era.[21] |
| SunHawk Academy of Utah | Utah | Residential treatment program and boarding school for teens aged 13-17 | Closure plans announced in March 2011.[4] |
| Talisman Academy | North Carolina | Academic semester program for adolescents and young adults aged 13-20 with Asperger's Syndrome, nonverbal learning disorder, and High-Functioning Autism. | |
| Turn-About Ranch | Escalante, Utah | Short-term coeducational therapy program licensed as a residential treatment center and located on a working cattle ranch. Enrolls ages 12 to 18. | |
| Youth Care of Utah | Draper, Utah | Residential treatment center with enrollment limited to 14 students ages 11-18. Provides mental health and chemical dependency diagnosis. | The death of a male student in June 2007 led to a state investigation that could lead to a license suspension.[22] In March 2011, Aspen announced that it was consolidating the Youth Care program into its Island View operation.[4] |
| Weight Loss Programs | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Programs | Location | Description | Notes |
| Wellspring Academies (formerly Academy of the Sierras) | Reedley, California and Brevard, North Carolina | Year-round boarding schools for overweight or obese teens | The diet has been criticized by some lay observers.[23] |
| Wellspring New York | Adirondack Mountains, New York | Weight loss program for women ages 12-24. | |
| Wellspring Adventure Camp North Carolina | Blue Ridge Mountains, North Carolina | Co-ed program for ages 11-17. | |
| Wellspring Adventure Camp California | Sierra Nevada Mountains, California | Co-ed outdoor program for teens aged 11-18. | |
| Wellspring Texas | Hill Country, TX | Co-ed weight loss program for teens aged 12-17. | |
| Wellspring Wisconsin | Platteville, WI | Co-ed weight loss program for teens aged 12-18. | |
| Wellspring Hawaii | Big Island of Hawaii | Co-ed weight loss program for teens aged 13-18. | |
| Wellspring Family Camp | Pinehurst Resort, NC | Weight loss program for children aged 5-14 and their parents. One- or two-week sessions available. | |
| Wellspring UK | Lake District of Northern England | Co-ed weight loss program for teens aged 12-18. | |
| Wellspring Vancouver[24] | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | Co-ed weight loss program for teens aged 12-18. | |
Several Aspen Educational Group programs have been featured in the media:
The Aspen Education Group, with other organizations that offer similar services, has generated controversy related to the lack of government regulation, the large revenues the programs generate, and the perception that the company is taking advantage of parents in a desperate situation.[32] It has also been criticized for shoddy marketing practices[33] and for closing programs without sufficient regard for the harm done to students whose promised services were being disrupted.[34]