Aspen Education Group Featured on "Dr. Phil"

Aspen Education Group, the nation’s largest and most comprehensive network of therapeutic schools and programs, was featured on the nationally syndicated “Dr. Phil” show on October 16, 2006.

The show presented the story of Kim, a 15-year-old girl who had run away from home six times in the previous year. After the “Dr. Phil” show, Kim was enrolled in Aspen Achievement Academy, a wilderness therapy program in southern Utah that helps teens discover a new sense of self-confidence, overcome unhealthy behaviors, and develop the communication and relationship skills that are necessary to have a successful reunion with their families.

‘If She Doesn’t Get Help, She May Die’

“My 15-year-old daughter is a runaway and on the path to self-destruction," said Kim’s mother, Laura. “The last time Kim left, I just couldn’t go through the emotional turmoil, the roller coaster ride of trying to hunt her down and bring her back. … If she doesn’t get help now, she may die.”

“I’ve just never had a really close relationship with my parents,” Kim explained. “They’ve never been really affectionate and showed me that they love me, so I ran away and I went looking for love in the wrong place, because I wasn’t finding it at home.”

“We can’t just ground her forever, which we wish we could,” said Kim’s father, Rodney, “We’ve got to give her some kind of hope."

The family turned to Dr. Phil and Aspen Achievement Academy for help.

‘A Glorious, Wonderful Place’

“As much as you’re seen as the rebellious teen who’s angry and bucking the system, and bucking controls, the truth is, you’re really in a lot of pain,” Dr. Phil said to Kim. He offered to send Kim to an Aspen Education Group program, which he said would give her “a safe, secure, nurturing place to live and work on you”

“I can’t put you in an apartment somewhere,” Dr. Phil said. “But I can put you in a glorious, wonderful place… “

Kim later enrolled in Aspen Achievement Academy, a unique wilderness therapy program set among the majestic red rock canyons of Utah.

‘A Remarkable Opportunity’

“At Aspen Achievement Academy, Kim has come to discover a new sense of self-esteem and reconnect with her family through a combination of individual and group therapy, family therapy and workshops, and a therapeutic wilderness experience,” said Gil Hallows, the academy’s executive director.

A licensed treatment program that integrates an accredited academic component, a sophisticated therapeutic model, and an experiential education curriculum in a healing wilderness environment, the academy creates a modern “rite of passage” to help adolescents make the transition to responsible young adulthood. By guiding each participant through a series of powerful metaphors symbolizing stages of growth, students gain insight about their attitudes and behaviors, develop self-reliance, and learn to take personal responsibility for their future.

“Families like Kim’s benefit from our strong family systems approach,” Hallows added. “We offer research-based, ongoing assessments that analyze family traits and dynamics in order to develop a growth plan designed to meet the unique needs of each family.”

“We are grateful to Aspen Achievement Academy and to Dr. Phil for this remarkable opportunity to reunite our family,” said Kim’s parents.