By: Liz Stika, Land Use Coordinator
The Aspiro Diet was created with the belief that food is medicine and one of the foundations of a positive experience at Aspiro. With between 3200 and 3500 calories per day, and a variety of foods chosen for their exceptional nutritional value, immune boosting properties and outstanding flavor, the diet incorporates foods that promote the growth of healthy minds as well as healthy bodies. We believe we have created a healthy diet that other outdoor professionals would respect and enjoy. Aspiro believes that learning to prepare and cook delicious meals for oneself can be a rewarding and empowering experience that fits with Aspiro's self-efficacy based model.
The food bags the students receive every week are split into breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and trail mix, and rotate on a three-week schedule. Please see the complete menus for more specific details.
Here are a few testimonials from our students:
“I think the food is very good considering the circumstances under which it is consumed. It's nice to have some form of chocolate every week, and I think there are enough combinations of the food to keep everyone satisfied. I would enjoy more lemonade mix, but other than that the food seems to work well and is exceedingly nutritious.”
-Student
“Every morning I wake up I get extremely excited for breakfast- it's so good! Plus I'm in love with the vegetarian chili. The food bags here are yummy, healthy and nutritious and I will definitely continue to eat the same foods when I return home."
-Student
Monday, January 4, 2010
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
The Sublime in Each Other
By: Michael Escalante, Aspiro Group Program Director
Its early spring of 2003. I’m riding in the middle seat of an old suburban down bumpy unimproved roads in Arizona’s Tonto National forest. The moonlight peeks through pine trees and adds flavor and stark views to our mid night jolting ride. All the “trail walkers,” or field instructors, are talking about how great the week was and how we can’t wait to file into a 24 hour Mexican joint for a seemingly long awaited meal. I’ve just finished my first week on “the trail” and it was unforgettable. I had worked with a girls group. We had made natural fire, caught and ate crawdads and hiked through beautiful streams and canyons. Conversations were inspiring and I was high on life.
Throughout the next week many asked me why the trail was so powerful. I gave a lot of answers, few of which I remember well. None of my answers adequately described what happened on my trail experience.
2 years later I’m serving as a program director for an international service NGO called Mali Rising.
The organization built schools in Mali, West Africa and directed some education-based projects in Guatemala.
After directing a dozen volunteers through the experience of building homes for widowed mothers, I find myself again enjoying inspiring conversation on a bumpy dark plane with a handful of now very close friends.
The experience was unforgettable, even life changing.
I again meet with the question “why was the trip so powerful.”
A year later, while working in a residential treatment center, I find myself frustrated because I can’t seem to produce the same feelings and experiences that happened so freely and naturally on the trail and with my NGO.
I later learned about a concept discussed in the sciences called fractional sublimation. Fractional sublimation refers to the process of stripping away superficial layers of an object until the core, essence, or sublime nature of the object or organism is revealed. Upon hearing the phrase my mind instantly took me to a file of memories in which I felt that I saw the sublime in others as I did on the trail and in Guatemala.
I now lead the Parent Workshop for the Aspiro Group and I have done my best to set it up in a way that can strip its participants of superficial pretense to allow families to see, recognize and appreciate the sublime in each other.
It’s the first morning of the workshop. The parents are hurrying, some running, some walking quickly towards their children. I lean against a pillar under a large awning in St George Utah. The backdrop is incredible.
Tall red rock mesas meet bright blue sky. The Parents have caught children in their arms now and I watch the parents reunite with their children for the first time in their treatment journey. Most of our students come angry with their parents, and yet, most are sincerely happy to see their families.
After a short ice breaker game, I walk the group up to the conference room. The group suddenly seems a little bigger now that I’m front and center. After giving a run down of the day I invite the participants to try to focus on applying the content of the workshop to themselves rather than focusing on how the content applies to everyone else in the family. The remark is met with warm laughs, probably because the statement rings true.
The workshop begins by exploring the implications of accusing emotions. I share examples from my marriage, family, and work relationships to illustrate that whenever I engage in blaming my problems on others, I simultaneously excuse, justify, or perhaps, even blind myself to my own shortcomings. This predicament has devastating implications. Imagine a parent that attributes the majority of the familial tension to the decisions and behaviors of a spouse or child, while the same child focuses on his parents’ shortcomings and refuses to see how his actions compare in magnitude to the mistakes of his parents. These accusing emotions not only halt family progress, they also exacerbate any present problems as each individual continues to make worse and worse decisions while justifying them by focusing on the problems of the other.
Throughout the day families are broken into small groups and coached through the process of reviewing failed patterns of communication and other failed attempts to solve problems. These small breakout groups have the potential to be disastrous so I am sure to stress the importance of communicating honestly and sensitively with the intent to help and not to hurt. I personally believe that most often people rise to the level of expectation put upon them. This is certainly the case at the parent workshop. While most families struggle to engage in productive dialogue at the beginning of the day, I find that most families are really able to recognize their part in conflict and experience a desire to make things better by working on themselves. It is inspiring to watch the layers of blaming emotions peel away as families start to see more of the beauty in themselves and each other.
We end the day by preparing everyone for a rock climbing and rappelling trip the next day. A few eyes bulge as I talk about the following day’s activities and from the look on their faces I know I’m going to need a few minutes just with the parents. After parents and children say goodbye for the evening, I offer to address any questions or concerns. Most parents don’t hesitate to take me up on my offer, in fact a few make it known that they will not be participating in anything to do with a rope, a cliff and gravity. We talk about the value of acknowledging and facing fear. We discuss the value of stepping out of our comfort zones. I remind them that many of their children have said the same things and made the same faces at me. It clicks with a few.
Others look unconvinced and we say goodbye.
The morning of the second day I arise at 6:00am. After a rush to shower and get out the door, I head straight to the parking lot outside the conference room to await some anxious parents. They start to trickle in only minutes after I show up. There is often the couple that says nothing… asks nothing… and avoids eye contact with me. There is often the mother or father who asks question after question. “Again, how often do you check the ropes… and who is setting them up?... Do they really know what they are doing?” There is the eager parent, the stubborn parent, the friendly parent, all gathered together on an early weekend morning, in an unfamiliar place to climb and rappel some basalt-stone cliffs. Everyone is here now and we file in to our cars and make the drive to Crawdad Canyon.
We arrive and parents and children embrace over a light breakfast. A chorus of interesting, yet typical, side conversations compete for my attention as I spread the schmear on my jalapeno cheese bagel. Afterwards our field director Jodi leads everyone over to the cliff side for some climbing instruction. I’m familiar with her spiel… she talks about the strength of the equipment, the importance of the belayer/climber relationship and a little about the technique of climbing. The sound of her voice takes the background as I watch the faces of parents during Jodi’s instruction. There is inevitably a parent or two with the “you’re kidding me…” face.
Sometimes I even detect the “uh-uh… no way!” face. I laugh inside… I imagine inviting my own mother rock climbing and grin at her “my-son-the-idiot expression.” I love today. I love watching what comes next.
Over the next few hours something special and something authentic happens. Sometimes it happens while on a climb, or sometimes on a rappel. There comes a point in climbing when every move begins to feel hard, maybe too hard, and you don’t know what to do next. If you’re anything like me then you’ll find your mind racing, yet stuck on a small circular track formed of a few self-defeating thoughts. Suggestions are given from the ground.
“Relax and breathe deeply” or “there is another hold, a better hold, only inches from where you currently are”. I find it interesting that these suggestions are almost always met with a frustrated resistance; and all energies go into providing reasons why such feedback is irrelevant, unattainable, or otherwise not useful, rather than on bettering their current situation. Despite the awkward tension between climber and coaches during the charged exchange, I love these moments. I know what’s happening because I’ve been there before, the mind perceives an impasse. Yet something special happens when we pass over a perceived impasse.
We feel fresh, powerful, and yet surprisingly humble, fully aware that others witnessed our struggle. So it goes with the rock climbing. I watch the stuck climber fight through his self-defeating thoughts until he reluctantly listens to the advice offered. As he does so, his vantage point changes if but slightly. New solutions and new options come to light. Efficacy is built as he slowly and more confidently inches towards the top of the climb.
All the while peeling away layers of the superficial to arrive at the top, and then the bottom, a little more himself… more authentic.
Throughout the morning I watch children coaching and encouraging their parents. I see a lot of hugs, high fives, and pictures. That doesn’t mean there aren’t families that really struggle throughout the process, but it makes the workshop all the more dynamic and provides me and the clinical team with concrete scenarios to process and work with.
After a packed morning we head off to lunch. Families eat together and this is my time with staff to enjoy a good meal and some laughs.
After Lunch we head back to the conference room and I divide up the group: Moms in one group, Dads in another, students in another and guides and therapist in the last. Each group has some time to connect and they are asked to write and perform an entertaining skit that teaches/comments on some of the principles that have been learned over the last two days. The skits are great and its nice to see everyone goof around a little and yet share some of their personal insight on the content of the workshop.
We end with a slideshow comprised of pictures of the students throughout their stay at Aspiro… Pictures of rappelling arches, navigating slot canyons, mountain biking and rock climbing, and a few of the parent workshop taken that very morning. I find myself impressed at the end of each workshop at the journey these families go through.
Afterwards parents and children hug, maybe cry a little, maybe laugh a little and they go their separate ways.
It feels like I’ve known everyone a lot longer than two days.
As I reflect on what makes Aspiro a powerful experience many answers come to mind. But from my experience there is nothing as deeply moving and meaningful as the process of watching individuals and families strip away layers of the superficial to reveal something more fundamental and authentic. Families that see the sublime in each other invite and sustain the sublime in each other.
Its early spring of 2003. I’m riding in the middle seat of an old suburban down bumpy unimproved roads in Arizona’s Tonto National forest. The moonlight peeks through pine trees and adds flavor and stark views to our mid night jolting ride. All the “trail walkers,” or field instructors, are talking about how great the week was and how we can’t wait to file into a 24 hour Mexican joint for a seemingly long awaited meal. I’ve just finished my first week on “the trail” and it was unforgettable. I had worked with a girls group. We had made natural fire, caught and ate crawdads and hiked through beautiful streams and canyons. Conversations were inspiring and I was high on life.
Throughout the next week many asked me why the trail was so powerful. I gave a lot of answers, few of which I remember well. None of my answers adequately described what happened on my trail experience.
2 years later I’m serving as a program director for an international service NGO called Mali Rising.
The organization built schools in Mali, West Africa and directed some education-based projects in Guatemala.
After directing a dozen volunteers through the experience of building homes for widowed mothers, I find myself again enjoying inspiring conversation on a bumpy dark plane with a handful of now very close friends.
The experience was unforgettable, even life changing.
I again meet with the question “why was the trip so powerful.”
A year later, while working in a residential treatment center, I find myself frustrated because I can’t seem to produce the same feelings and experiences that happened so freely and naturally on the trail and with my NGO.
I later learned about a concept discussed in the sciences called fractional sublimation. Fractional sublimation refers to the process of stripping away superficial layers of an object until the core, essence, or sublime nature of the object or organism is revealed. Upon hearing the phrase my mind instantly took me to a file of memories in which I felt that I saw the sublime in others as I did on the trail and in Guatemala.
I now lead the Parent Workshop for the Aspiro Group and I have done my best to set it up in a way that can strip its participants of superficial pretense to allow families to see, recognize and appreciate the sublime in each other.
It’s the first morning of the workshop. The parents are hurrying, some running, some walking quickly towards their children. I lean against a pillar under a large awning in St George Utah. The backdrop is incredible.
Tall red rock mesas meet bright blue sky. The Parents have caught children in their arms now and I watch the parents reunite with their children for the first time in their treatment journey. Most of our students come angry with their parents, and yet, most are sincerely happy to see their families.
After a short ice breaker game, I walk the group up to the conference room. The group suddenly seems a little bigger now that I’m front and center. After giving a run down of the day I invite the participants to try to focus on applying the content of the workshop to themselves rather than focusing on how the content applies to everyone else in the family. The remark is met with warm laughs, probably because the statement rings true.
The workshop begins by exploring the implications of accusing emotions. I share examples from my marriage, family, and work relationships to illustrate that whenever I engage in blaming my problems on others, I simultaneously excuse, justify, or perhaps, even blind myself to my own shortcomings. This predicament has devastating implications. Imagine a parent that attributes the majority of the familial tension to the decisions and behaviors of a spouse or child, while the same child focuses on his parents’ shortcomings and refuses to see how his actions compare in magnitude to the mistakes of his parents. These accusing emotions not only halt family progress, they also exacerbate any present problems as each individual continues to make worse and worse decisions while justifying them by focusing on the problems of the other.
Throughout the day families are broken into small groups and coached through the process of reviewing failed patterns of communication and other failed attempts to solve problems. These small breakout groups have the potential to be disastrous so I am sure to stress the importance of communicating honestly and sensitively with the intent to help and not to hurt. I personally believe that most often people rise to the level of expectation put upon them. This is certainly the case at the parent workshop. While most families struggle to engage in productive dialogue at the beginning of the day, I find that most families are really able to recognize their part in conflict and experience a desire to make things better by working on themselves. It is inspiring to watch the layers of blaming emotions peel away as families start to see more of the beauty in themselves and each other.
We end the day by preparing everyone for a rock climbing and rappelling trip the next day. A few eyes bulge as I talk about the following day’s activities and from the look on their faces I know I’m going to need a few minutes just with the parents. After parents and children say goodbye for the evening, I offer to address any questions or concerns. Most parents don’t hesitate to take me up on my offer, in fact a few make it known that they will not be participating in anything to do with a rope, a cliff and gravity. We talk about the value of acknowledging and facing fear. We discuss the value of stepping out of our comfort zones. I remind them that many of their children have said the same things and made the same faces at me. It clicks with a few.
Others look unconvinced and we say goodbye.
The morning of the second day I arise at 6:00am. After a rush to shower and get out the door, I head straight to the parking lot outside the conference room to await some anxious parents. They start to trickle in only minutes after I show up. There is often the couple that says nothing… asks nothing… and avoids eye contact with me. There is often the mother or father who asks question after question. “Again, how often do you check the ropes… and who is setting them up?... Do they really know what they are doing?” There is the eager parent, the stubborn parent, the friendly parent, all gathered together on an early weekend morning, in an unfamiliar place to climb and rappel some basalt-stone cliffs. Everyone is here now and we file in to our cars and make the drive to Crawdad Canyon.
We arrive and parents and children embrace over a light breakfast. A chorus of interesting, yet typical, side conversations compete for my attention as I spread the schmear on my jalapeno cheese bagel. Afterwards our field director Jodi leads everyone over to the cliff side for some climbing instruction. I’m familiar with her spiel… she talks about the strength of the equipment, the importance of the belayer/climber relationship and a little about the technique of climbing. The sound of her voice takes the background as I watch the faces of parents during Jodi’s instruction. There is inevitably a parent or two with the “you’re kidding me…” face.
Sometimes I even detect the “uh-uh… no way!” face. I laugh inside… I imagine inviting my own mother rock climbing and grin at her “my-son-the-idiot expression.” I love today. I love watching what comes next.
Over the next few hours something special and something authentic happens. Sometimes it happens while on a climb, or sometimes on a rappel. There comes a point in climbing when every move begins to feel hard, maybe too hard, and you don’t know what to do next. If you’re anything like me then you’ll find your mind racing, yet stuck on a small circular track formed of a few self-defeating thoughts. Suggestions are given from the ground.
“Relax and breathe deeply” or “there is another hold, a better hold, only inches from where you currently are”. I find it interesting that these suggestions are almost always met with a frustrated resistance; and all energies go into providing reasons why such feedback is irrelevant, unattainable, or otherwise not useful, rather than on bettering their current situation. Despite the awkward tension between climber and coaches during the charged exchange, I love these moments. I know what’s happening because I’ve been there before, the mind perceives an impasse. Yet something special happens when we pass over a perceived impasse.
We feel fresh, powerful, and yet surprisingly humble, fully aware that others witnessed our struggle. So it goes with the rock climbing. I watch the stuck climber fight through his self-defeating thoughts until he reluctantly listens to the advice offered. As he does so, his vantage point changes if but slightly. New solutions and new options come to light. Efficacy is built as he slowly and more confidently inches towards the top of the climb.
All the while peeling away layers of the superficial to arrive at the top, and then the bottom, a little more himself… more authentic.
Throughout the morning I watch children coaching and encouraging their parents. I see a lot of hugs, high fives, and pictures. That doesn’t mean there aren’t families that really struggle throughout the process, but it makes the workshop all the more dynamic and provides me and the clinical team with concrete scenarios to process and work with.
After a packed morning we head off to lunch. Families eat together and this is my time with staff to enjoy a good meal and some laughs.
After Lunch we head back to the conference room and I divide up the group: Moms in one group, Dads in another, students in another and guides and therapist in the last. Each group has some time to connect and they are asked to write and perform an entertaining skit that teaches/comments on some of the principles that have been learned over the last two days. The skits are great and its nice to see everyone goof around a little and yet share some of their personal insight on the content of the workshop.
We end with a slideshow comprised of pictures of the students throughout their stay at Aspiro… Pictures of rappelling arches, navigating slot canyons, mountain biking and rock climbing, and a few of the parent workshop taken that very morning. I find myself impressed at the end of each workshop at the journey these families go through.
Afterwards parents and children hug, maybe cry a little, maybe laugh a little and they go their separate ways.
It feels like I’ve known everyone a lot longer than two days.
As I reflect on what makes Aspiro a powerful experience many answers come to mind. But from my experience there is nothing as deeply moving and meaningful as the process of watching individuals and families strip away layers of the superficial to reveal something more fundamental and authentic. Families that see the sublime in each other invite and sustain the sublime in each other.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Aspiro has managed to grow and out- perform last year’s numbers
Although this economy has been difficult, Aspiro has managed to grow and out- perform last year’s numbers.
2009 YTD admissions are up by 16% over 2008. We feel blessed to be in the position we are, and appreciate your confidence in our work. As a team, we wish to thank all of our many supporters and friends. We look forward to working with your families through the summer, and beyond.
Aspiro operates year-round and application for admission may take place at any time.
Appropriate candidates are adolescent males and females, ages 13-17, and young adults, ages 18 to 30 years of age, with a history of moderate to soft behavioral and emotional challenges and problems
ADMISSIONS - Please Call - 1-888-266-5136Monday, March 30, 2009
Begin With The End in Mind
By Justin Robinson, Aspiro Clinical Director
Recently I attended my grandfather’s funeral and while I was very saddened by his passing, my prevailing emotion surrounding his death was a deep sense of gratitude. Gratitude for his influence on me; Gratitude for the family traditions he helped established; Gratitude for his example; Gratitude for the legacy he left.
When the sadness crept in it was due to my realization that I could have done more to get to know him.
Listening to the speakers at his funeral, I was inspired and felt committed to better following his example.
My grandpa was a very respected orthodontist. People came from all over the world to consult, observe and learn the techniques he was pioneering which he freely shared at no cost with all who would come yet he avoided the spotlight and recognition for his accomplishments. My grandpa’s commitment was not to personal gain but rather on providing the best possible service to his patients. Through this commitment he was driven to find new and better ways to help his patients achieve what they wanted. His philosophy that guided his work and helped to shape his techniques was to begin with the end in mind.
Grandpa had a way of looking at people. He had a way of looking at the faces of his patients seeing beyond their immediate appearance regardless of how mangled the mouth or how crooked the teeth, and viewing the potential that lay within. By seeing the potential and not just the present problems or flaws, I believe it opened my grandpa’s eyes to the solutions. Grandpa was able to hold this vision in his mind’s eye as a guide in the work he was doing for them, even inspiring him to develop new techniques that were revolutionary in the field.
After the funeral as I pondered this philosophy I made the connection that grandpa’s legacy expands far beyond the field of orthodontia. As I reflected I realized that it is when I am living true to grandpa’s way of seeing people that I am most effective in my life. In my work as a therapist, when I successfully see beyond the current problems and hold a vision of the future, it helps guide my interactions with the individual. I believe the positive energy associated with that vision is at times felt by the individuals I am helping and helps them to believe and buy in to the interventions I am prescribing. I do believe that seeing others this way helps me to assist them in finding the solutions and paths that will help them overcome their problems and challenges to reach their potential.
All too often I encounter people discouraged, worn out, and frustrated by the trials they are facing.
The problems they are facing seem so large that at times it feels impossible to for them see anything but the problem. But if all we are seeing is the mangled mouth and the crooked teeth I believe we miss out on the insights that only come when we are looking at life from a very different perspective. I would like to challenge anyone desiring to invite change to apply my grandpa’s philosophy of beginning with the end in mind.
Reconnect with the good in that person, find the vision of future potential and hold onto it no matter how different the present reality may be. Trust that when you are seeing a person this way, they will feel a difference and likely respond differently to you. Trust that by holding this vision of the person in your heart and mind this future perspective will help you see more clearly how to interact in a way that will invite and create the changes you are hoping for.
Recently I attended my grandfather’s funeral and while I was very saddened by his passing, my prevailing emotion surrounding his death was a deep sense of gratitude. Gratitude for his influence on me; Gratitude for the family traditions he helped established; Gratitude for his example; Gratitude for the legacy he left.
When the sadness crept in it was due to my realization that I could have done more to get to know him.
Listening to the speakers at his funeral, I was inspired and felt committed to better following his example.
My grandpa was a very respected orthodontist. People came from all over the world to consult, observe and learn the techniques he was pioneering which he freely shared at no cost with all who would come yet he avoided the spotlight and recognition for his accomplishments. My grandpa’s commitment was not to personal gain but rather on providing the best possible service to his patients. Through this commitment he was driven to find new and better ways to help his patients achieve what they wanted. His philosophy that guided his work and helped to shape his techniques was to begin with the end in mind.
Grandpa had a way of looking at people. He had a way of looking at the faces of his patients seeing beyond their immediate appearance regardless of how mangled the mouth or how crooked the teeth, and viewing the potential that lay within. By seeing the potential and not just the present problems or flaws, I believe it opened my grandpa’s eyes to the solutions. Grandpa was able to hold this vision in his mind’s eye as a guide in the work he was doing for them, even inspiring him to develop new techniques that were revolutionary in the field.
After the funeral as I pondered this philosophy I made the connection that grandpa’s legacy expands far beyond the field of orthodontia. As I reflected I realized that it is when I am living true to grandpa’s way of seeing people that I am most effective in my life. In my work as a therapist, when I successfully see beyond the current problems and hold a vision of the future, it helps guide my interactions with the individual. I believe the positive energy associated with that vision is at times felt by the individuals I am helping and helps them to believe and buy in to the interventions I am prescribing. I do believe that seeing others this way helps me to assist them in finding the solutions and paths that will help them overcome their problems and challenges to reach their potential.
All too often I encounter people discouraged, worn out, and frustrated by the trials they are facing.
The problems they are facing seem so large that at times it feels impossible to for them see anything but the problem. But if all we are seeing is the mangled mouth and the crooked teeth I believe we miss out on the insights that only come when we are looking at life from a very different perspective. I would like to challenge anyone desiring to invite change to apply my grandpa’s philosophy of beginning with the end in mind.
Reconnect with the good in that person, find the vision of future potential and hold onto it no matter how different the present reality may be. Trust that when you are seeing a person this way, they will feel a difference and likely respond differently to you. Trust that by holding this vision of the person in your heart and mind this future perspective will help you see more clearly how to interact in a way that will invite and create the changes you are hoping for.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Momentumby by Aspiro, Summer Program
(Mt. Pleasant, UT) Momentum by Aspiro is a multi-element course that travels from the red rock canyons of Southern Utah to grand peaks of the Rocky Mountains.
This is a one-time, 28 day adventure for boys and girls ages 13-17, and begins on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 (In Salt Lake City).
Momentum by Aspiro is ideal for participants who have completed any outdoor program and are progressing well. Students must be willing to participate and will submit a short essay outlining why they want to participate in this extraordinary adventure. Momentum is for students who would benefit from a non-clinical program, high on adventure, leadership skills and strategies for further personal growth.
The Course includes canyoneering, technical canyoneering, rock climbing, kayaking or rafting, mountaineering, mountain biking and more.
"Students had a phenomenal experience last year, said Josh Watson, Admissions Director, we are excited to once again provide a powerful growth experience for appropriate participants.
For further information and a link to our application, please visit www.momentumadventure.org, or call Josh Watson at 888-266-5136
The Aspiro Group of programs are short-term Wilderness Adventure Therapy (WAT) programs for adolescents ages 13-17 and young adults (Aspiro, Kairos and Vantage Point). Programs meet the needs of a broad range of concerns and challenges. Please see our website www.aspiroprograms.com for further information.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Jessi Irvin Joins Aspiro Group
For Immediate Release
March 24, 2009
(Mount Pleasant, UT) Aspiro is pleased to announce the hiring of Jessi Irvin as a therapist in our unique Wilderness Adventure Therapy (WAT) model.
Our management team is thrilled to have the opportunity to work with such a respected, outstanding therapist, said Brian Church, Vice President, Business Development.
"Jessi will play a major role in our continued growth as a program, and is a wonderful addition to our clinical team."
"I felt very connected to and welcomed by everyone I met there," said Irvin. "I love the adventure component as a means for challenging kids to look at their patterns, while giving them an opportunity to increase their confidence and push themselves outside of their comfort zone. I'm excited to interact w/ students and share in their adventures. I like the structure, coupled with the flexibility in my role as a therapist to coordinate a student's program based on their needs and those of their family. I'm also excited about the strong parent involvement, which I've so come to appreciate in my work at Three Rivers Montana. It's important to have the support of parents while their kids are away and also necessary, I believe, to have them involved in doing their own work and work as a family if there is to be true, lasting change."
"I worked at Three Rivers for nearly three years and have loved working with kids and families in the wilderness," said Irvin. "I feel very comfortable in that role, along with the expectations related to working with consultants and attending conferences. I enjoy the opportunity to network and meet people face-to-face, since so much work is done over the phone. There's an intimacy that comes with this work we do in this industry that really fits for me. I've also maintained a very small private practice while at Three Rivers and have enjoyed working with adolescents and young adults in transition. Prior to working at Three Rivers, I was a therapist at a few local, community-based counseling clinics. While there, I worked with a broad spectrum of clients, including families, adults, couples, young children and adolescents facing a wide variety of challenges."
Jessi will be moving to Utah, from Montana, over the next month, and will begin taking on a case load the first week of May. Please join us in welcoming Jessi to Aspiro.
Business Office: (801) 349-2740 | Toll Free - 888-266-5136
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Has your troubled teen recently changed to a negative peer group?
Are they struggling with issues of depression, alcohol and drug abuse, or low self-esteem?
Aspiro can help.
Aspiro's solution-oriented, wilderness adventure therapy program works. We blend the best of adventure with effective and proven therapeutic processes.
Your troubled teen experiences the highest standards of safety and therapy in one of the most beautiful and powerful settings for real change.
Aspiro engages students in character development as well as working to resolve family and personal issues and preparing each student for the next best step.
Does your troubled teen need Aspiro? Read our student profile and then give us a call at 888-266-5136.
Aspiro serves young men and women ages 13 to 17 and young adults' ages 18 to 30 years old.
Please call to see if Aspiro is an appropriate program for your troubled teen or young adult.
Aspiro 1-888- 266-5136 or (801) 349-2740Sunday, March 8, 2009
Randy Oakley, CEO of Aspiro, will be a guest on "Answers for the Family" with Allen Cardoza
Randy Oakley, CEO of Aspiro, will be a guest on "Answers for the Family" with Allen Cardoza
Coming up March 16th. Aspiro is a solution-oriented, wilderness adventure therapy program for at-risk teens. Ever since Randy started working in the industry of "at-risk" teens, he has dreamed of founding a state-of-the-art program to help teenagers in need. Aspiro engages students in character development as well as working to resolve family and personal issues and preparing each student for the next best step.
Aspiro serves young men and women ages 13 to 17 and young adults' ages 18 to 30 years old.
LATalkRadio.com. "Answers for the Family" was born of a desire to help guide parents to professional resources as they face critical moments with their children. Aspiro 1-888- 266-5136 or (801) 349-2740
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