'Britain's Youngest Boozers' Documentary to Feature Therapeutic Options From Aspen Education Group

Aspen Education Group ~ Monday 24 October 2005

Leading U.S. Therapeutic Education Company Reveals How Wilderness Therapy Can Help Curb Underage Drinking

Unique wilderness therapy treatment options to help curb underage drinking will be featured on ITV1's upcoming documentary "Britain's Youngest Boozers," airing 25 October 2005. The treatment therapies are offered by U.S.-based Aspen Education Group, America's leading provider of therapeutic education programs that improve the quality of life for underachieving children, young adults and their families. The documentary will profile the experiences and successes of a teen sent to SUWS of the Carolinas, a wilderness education program in North Carolina, on the East Coast of the United States.

"It was a constant worry of never knowing what was going to happen the next day, because it was very volatile," said Linda, the mother of Sherrie, one of the teen drinkers featured on the programme. "If Sherrie lost her temper, she would thump the walls, she would break things, she would argue with her siblings, and not go to school. We admitted Sherrie to a U.S. wilderness therapy program called SUWS of the Carolinas, where she was immersed in a positive, goal-oriented environment and participated in individual and group therapy. SUWS of the Carolinas nurtured Sherrie, and within a month she had blossomed into a more self-confident, happier girl."

"We work with students who typically have self-esteem issues, which are then translated into behavioural or emotional problems such as alcohol and drug use, defiant behaviour, or depression," said Shawn Farrell, senior instructor at Aspen's SUWS of the Carolinas. "We use the wilderness to challenge teens like Sherrie and to take them out of their comfort zone. While Sherrie learned wilderness skills, she learned other life-long lessons such as patience, preparation and problem-solving techniques, which she was able to bring back to her home environment in the U.K."

"Binge drinking affects young people worldwide," said Elliot Sainer, chief executive officer of Aspen Education Group. "We're pleased to participate in a documentary that will raise awareness about teen drinking and the important role the therapeutic education industry plays in saving families and changing lives. This documentary will demonstrate to U.K. families that there is help and hope available to them."

SUWS of the Carolinas is a licensed wilderness therapy program for students 11 to 17 years of age who are suffering from low self-esteem, family conflict, substance use, defiance issues, attention deficit disorder, and other emotional and behavioural problems. Utilising outdoor experiences and peer interaction in combination with individual and family therapy, SUWS of the Carolinas helps to positively change the lives of these young people.

Aspen Education Group operates 31 therapeutic education programs across the United States. Aspen's programmes offer a combination of education and therapy or counseling for young people who have demonstrated behavioural or learning issues that interfere with their performance in school and their relations with peers, family and friends. Aspen's offerings range from short-term interventions to long-term programmes, and include a variety of settings, including: wilderness therapy/outdoor education, boarding schools, residential treatment, and weight-loss programmes.

Granada Television, responding to the alarming surge in underage drinking in the U.K., produced "Britain's Youngest Boozers" to explore questions of why U.K. youth are binge drinking and to provide insights from parents, therapists and health professionals.