Aspiro has been in operation since 2005 and is exhaustively committed to research, outcome studies and a continuous focus on our client experience and improving services and offerings. We incorporate Wilderness and Adventure Therapy with a basecamp model to bring the best facets of those modalities to our student experience. Aspiro’s Clinical Team takes an individualized treatment approach for each student and family, and our work is rooted in evidence-based practices which include Family Systems theory, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Growth Mindset, Motivational Interviewing and Positive Psychology.

Over our many years in operation, we have had the opportunity to serve thousands of families, and consistently receive feedback about the empowering and life-changing outcomes that have resulted. We have also participated in numerous independent research studies through OBHIC that continue to support Aspiro’s effectiveness as well as that of the Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare field at large. That said, we also recognize that we are working with human beings, and cannot affect these outcomes with 100% of the students we work with. In some cases, they may continue to struggle with lifelong mental health challenges that have hindered their ability to navigate the world in a healthy way, sometimes resulting in anger, resentment, overwhelm, anxiety and fear.

Breaking Code Silence, Unsilenced and other media outlets have recently highlighted negative experiences in therapeutic residential and wilderness programs in part due to Paris Hilton speaking out about her experiences while in a treatment facility in the 1990s. Since then others have joined her in sharing their experiences and raising awareness about abuse and neglect said to have taken place. In some cases, the negativity being portrayed in news headlines and social media feeds are the experiences of individuals who are alumni of under-regulated, behavioral modification programs decades ago. In a society that is continuously becoming more and more fragmented, many adolescents and young adults are looking for connection, validation, attention and belonging, and some of them have found it in the arms of these groups. Sadly, almost all of what we read related to program abuse has never been reported to State Licensing bodies or appropriately investigated through the correct channels. Media outlets take these stories at face value and given the sensationalized nature of the content, are uninterested in investigating the other side, resulting in a one-sided narrative.

In addition, many online forums and websites that are sponsored by these groups do not allow for positive alumni experiences or program responses to negative allegations to be shared. In recent months, the growing trend has also involved blanketing many programs with 1-star reviews. A vast majority of these reviews are being left by individuals who have never actually been a participant at Aspiro or any other therapeutic program, but are voicing their support for those who have, based on the very one-sided, inflammatory information being reported in the media.