The Aspen Difference

Aspen Achievement Academy is set apart from other programs by combining the best in therapeutic care, experiential activities, counseling, education, and group therapy. Therapists and field counselors join the students in the field along their path of discovery. They provide support and encouragement to help students deal with conflicts and learn to solve problems on their own.

Families benefit from the program as well. They receive weekly progress updates and phone sessions from Aspen therapists; they must attend their own family therapy at home and complete a family growth book that includes weekly reading and writing assignments.

At the end of the program, families attend a 2-1/2 day workshop that includes a parenting seminar, family therapy, and experiential family activities. Through this workshop, parents learn skills needed to strengthen communication and relationships with their teen, as well as strategies for the student's successful reintegration into the family, school, and community, or transition to a residential school or other long-term placement.

Aspen's nationally recognized program, has earned contracts with various insurance companies, employer groups, and managed care organizations. Letters from parents and referral sources praising the Aspen Achievement Academy program are abundant. Aspen's ability to correct behavior and effect the student's return to the school environment is outstanding. Recent data indicate that more than 80% of adolescents treated at Aspen have improved family relations, fewer legal problems, reduced abuse of drugs, and improved performance in school. Ongoing satisfaction surveys and outcome studies are conducted on all students to assure the continued quality and success of the program.

About Aspen

Aspen Health Services acquired Aspen Achievement Academy in 1990 in response to an increasing demand for an intensive and short-term alternative to traditional treatment programs. Aspen's outstanding program combines an extensive diagnostic evaluation with therapy and experiential learning in a challenging outdoor setting. The goal of the Academy is to provide "at risk" and troubled adolescents with experiences that promote the development of self-discipline, confidence, problem solving skills, and a healthy lifestyle.

The key components of the program include the following items: a thorough diagnostic assessment, a four tiered level system, individual, family, and group therapy, a credentialed school curriculum, recreational and experiential activities and a 2-1/2 day parent workshop where parenting and relationship skills are strengthened. This is also the time the child reunites with family within the beautiful, high desert and timbered plateaus of Southern Utah. All are provided by a caring and supportive team of mental health professionals

The program headquarters are in Loa, Utah, the south-central part of the state. The program operates year round on hundreds of square miles of Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service land. Staff and students reside in temporary, self-constructed shelters for the duration of their stay as the program is based outdoors. Aspen employs a rigid safety program including ongoing radio communication, highly trained instructors, and an emergency response team to ensure the safety of students and staff at all times.

Aspen Achievement Academy is licensed as an outdoor youth program, and is recognized as a special needs school by the Utah State Department of Education.