Aspen Achievement Academy

Aspen Achievement Academy was a wilderness therapy program for adolescents, based in Loa, Utah, and operated as a part of Aspen Education Group. In March 2011, the program closed and merged with another wilderness therapy program in Utah - Outback Therapeutic Expeditions.[1]

According to the program's promotional materials,[2] Aspen Achievement Academy enrolled 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.[3] The program had a flexible length of stay, with a minimum of 35 days.[4] Some parents used a teen escort company to transport their children to the site.

The program's website stated that the program was JCAHO certified and licensed as an Outdoor Treatment Program by the Utah Department of Human Services.[5] It had memberships in the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs and the Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Industry Council.[4]

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 Ferguson, recounts the author's experiences and observations during the several months he spent in the wilderness with teens at Aspen Achievement Academy.[6]
  • The third season of the UK TV series Brat Camp was filmed at Aspen Achievement Academy, and aired in the UK beginning in February 2006.[7]
  • 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 Management, which manages the lands, was reported to have conducted a review to determine whether to renew or terminate Aspen's access permit.[8]
  • In April 2007 a 16-year-old male student died after hanging himself with a piece of seatbelt webbing.[9]

History

Aspen Achievement Academy was founded in 1988 by Doug Nelson, Dr. Keith Hooker, Doug Cloward, and Madolyn Liebing, Ph.D. It was originally named Wilderness Academy.[10] Aspen is known for being the first wilderness therapy programs to have a licensed clinician (Liebing) who provided individual therapy, and for being the first Utah State licensed wilderness therapy program.[11]

References

  1. ^ Whitehurst, Lindsay (March 25, 2011). "Utah wilderness, youth therapy programs closing". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on September 10, 2024. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  2. ^ "Aspen Achievement Academy". www.aspenacademy.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 1997. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  3. ^ "When A Child Needs Help". www.aspenacademy.com. Archived from the original on March 25, 2010. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
  4. ^ a b Magill, Jenny (March 12, 2022). "Aspen Achievement Academy". BREAKING CODE SILENCE. Archived from the original on June 28, 2025. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
  5. ^ "Licenses & Accreditations". www.aspenacademy.com. Archived from the original on March 28, 2010. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
  6. ^ Ferguson, Gary (1999). Shouting at the sky: troubled teens and the promise of the wild (1st ed.). New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0312200080.
  7. ^ Potter, Cherry (February 22, 2006). "Cherry Potter: Train them like rats". the Guardian. Archived from the original on January 5, 2025. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  8. ^ Smith, Christopher (June 10, 1996). "Tough love proves too tough". High Country News. Archived from the original on July 29, 2016. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  9. ^ Stewart, Kirsten (October 13, 2007). "Four recent Utah deaths in treatment programs". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on October 17, 2007. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  10. ^ Stednitz, Larry (June 1991). "Opinion & Essays, 6/1991 - Aspen Achievement Academy". www.strugglingteens.com. Archived from the original on November 12, 2024. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
  11. ^ White, N. William (1991). Stories from the Elders: Chronicles and Narratives of the Early Years of Wilderness Therapy (Dissertation). Franklin Pierce University. 72-73. Retrieved July 30, 2025.

Further reading

  • White, William (January 31, 2012). "Chapter 2: A History of Adventure Therapy". In Gass, Michael A.; Gillis, H. Lee; Russell, Keith C. (eds.). Adventure Therapy: Theory, Research, and Practice (1st ed.). New York: Routledge. pp. 19–46. ISBN 978-0415892902.
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