Aspen Achievement Academy
Encyclopedia
Aspen Achievement Academy was a wilderness therapy
program for adolescents
, based in Loa, Utah
.
It was operated as a part of Aspen Education Group
.
The program has been moved, in name only, and merged with another wilderness therapy program in Utah.
According to the program's promotional materials, Aspen Achievement Academy enrolls adolescent males and females, ages 13-17, with a history of moderate to severe emotional and behavioral problems, such as low self-esteem, academic underachievement, substance abuse
, and family conflict. The program has a flexible length of stay, with a minimum of 35 days. Some parents use the services of a teen escort company
to transport their children to the site.
The program's website state that the program is JCAHO certified and licensed as an Outdoor Treatment Program by the State of Utah Department of Human Services. It maintains memberships in the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs
and the Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Industry Council.
Wilderness therapy
Wilderness therapy is a subset of adventure-based therapy. It is the use of wilderness expeditions for the purpose of therapeutic intervention. There are a range of different types of wilderness therapy programs, with a range of models and approaches. Some grow out of a survival approach and some...
program for adolescents
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
, based in Loa, Utah
Loa, Utah
Loa is a town in, and the county seat of, Wayne County, Utah, United States, along State Route 24. The population was 525 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Loa is located at ....
.
It was operated as a part of Aspen Education Group
Aspen Education Group
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...
.
The program has been moved, in name only, and merged with another wilderness therapy program in Utah.
According to the program's promotional materials, Aspen Achievement Academy enrolls adolescent males and females, ages 13-17, with a history of moderate to severe emotional and behavioral problems, such as low self-esteem, academic underachievement, substance abuse
Substance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
, and family conflict. The program has a flexible length of stay, with a minimum of 35 days. Some parents use the services of a teen escort company
Teen escort company
Teen escort company, also called a youth transport firm, is a term used in the United States and Denmark to describe a business that specializes in transporting teenagers from their homes to various facilities.- United States :...
to transport their children to the site.
The program's website state that the program is JCAHO certified and licensed as an Outdoor Treatment Program by the State of Utah Department of Human Services. It maintains memberships in the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs
National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs
The National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs is a United States organization of therapeutic schools, residential treatment programs, wilderness programs, outdoor therapeutic programs, young adult programs and home-based residential programs for adolescents and young adults with...
and the Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Industry Council.
In news media and popular culture
Aspen Achievement Academy has been a subject of several media reports and works of popular culture:- The 1999 book Shouting at the Sky: Troubled Teens and the Promise of the Wild by Gary FergusonGary FergusonProfessor Gary Ferguson is a specialist of French Renaissance literature and culture at the University of Delaware in the USA. He graduated from St Chad's College, Durham University, receiving a BA with first-class honours in 1985 and a Ph.D...
, ISBN 0-312-20008-0 recounts the author's experiences and observations during several months he spent in the wilderness with teens at Aspen Achievement Academy. - The third season of the UK TV series Brat CampBrat CampBrat Camp is a reality TV show.The first season, featuring RedCliff Ascent, won an International Emmy. Subsequent seasons saw declining viewership. The American version of Brat Camp was cancelled after its one-season run, but is being aired in Canada on Slice as of early 2007...
was filmed at Aspen Achievement Academy. - In January 1996, six teenagers ran away from an Aspen group. They were found by law enforcement officials and returned to the program, but the incident raised concerns that future escapees might assault tourists, hikers or recreationists on the public lands that Aspen used. Afterward, the Bureau of Land ManagementBureau of Land ManagementThe Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
, which manages these lands, was reported to be have conducted a review to determine whether to renew or terminate Aspen's access permit.Christopher Smith, Tough love proves too tough High Country News, June 10, 1996 - In April 2007 a 16-year-old male student died after hanging himself with a shoelace.Four recent Utah deaths in treatment programs, By Kirsten Stewart, The Salt Lake Tribune, October 13, 2007