As many of you have watched the news and newspaper headlines about Institutional Child Abuse it may bring up some concerns about having your child in Aspiro. I wanted to take a few minutes to give you some information that may be helpful.
First of all, please understand that Aspiro supports the movement to create additional legislation across the nation. While we do not like the one sided and negative press that is being used regarding this issue we do agree that there is a need on a national level to have uniform laws and regulations.
Please know that as founder and CEO of Aspiro we take your child's safety and well being very serious. I wish I could guarantee that no one will ever get hurt while in our care but I can't. I can share with you that in my 20 years of working with youth in Adventure Therapy Models that we have been blessed. So far, we have not ever had to call 911 to transport a student. I hope I am not offensive to anyone, but it is my personal belief that God has watched over us in addition to having worked with so many caring and professional staff over the years.
Below is a list of bullet points that may be helpful for you to know. These protocols are standard operating procedures, most of which have been in place for years.
Aspiro as an organization
We are licensed and regulated by the State of Utah Department of Human Services. The state of Utah had some unfortunate events take place in the past causing it to become one of the most regulated states in the Nation. The state licensing team from Utah does "surprise inspections" even at 4 a.m. in the morning to insure compliance in addition to doing very thorough annual reviews.
We are members of NATSAP which is an organization that shares in high industry ethic's and best practices.
Our therapeutic model does NOT have any thing to do with "tough love". It does include:
Solution Focused Therapy
Positive Psychology
Character Development
Family System Approach
Self Efficacy Theory
Self Determination Theory
The Aspiro Clinical model is designed to encourage student buy in and to make the therapeutic growth process fun and challenging. We do all that we can to invite cooperation from the students through positive respect and relationships.
When a student arrives at Aspiro, we treat them with respect as though they are transferring from one high school to another.
Because we use a family system model parents are often in contact with our students and in some cases actually on the trail with our groups. This open book approach with parents allows "outside" eyes to see what is happening.
Using an Adventure Therapy Model also puts our students in public places with other campers and visitors.
Aspiro Staff
Our student to staff ratio is one to four. We have at least two staff per group. In addition, we always have a field leader in the general area to assist any group that might be having problems.
Our staff is certified in First Aid and CPR. Most Field staff is either Wilderness First Responder or EMT certified.
Field staff carries basic first aid kits. Each vehicle also has a more advance EMT type first aid kit.
Field staff is certified in what is known as CPI (Crisis Prevention Intervention) or PCS - Positive Control Systems. As the printing of this letter, Aspiro staff has not ever used physical contact with a student.
All field staff must complete a rigorous one week in-field training camp and a three week internship prior to their employment. Training includes wilderness living skills, the Aspiro model, group management systems, risk management, etc. Field interns must complete the same curriculum as our students.
All staff are required to participate in weekly in-service training
60% of our staff are college graduates. Over 90% have completed some college education.
All staff is randomly drug tested and must pass a physical from a doctor each year.
All staff must pass a background check prior to hire and again each year of employment.
All Aspiro clinicians are Ph.D. and Master's level therapists. They meet weekly with students in the field to assess student behaviors and provide the most effective therapeutic intervention possible. It is also their job to assess the general spirit of each student and the group as a whole.
All Aspiro Clinicians meet weekly to discuss their respective case loads as a treatment team. This allows therapists to collaborate with each other and provide consistent and reliable therapeutic interventions with each student.
Students
Upon intake, each student is drug tested and examined by a medical facility that is independent of Aspiro.
Our medical team communicates with parents as often as needed to discuss specific health concerns for individual students or any health related conditions that may arise.
If we believe a student is "faking it or manipulating" we will still give the student the medical attention and err on the side of caution.
A registered nurse or emergency medical technician visits students every 7 to14 days to assess any health complaints or concerns. Students are weighed, blood pressure taken, and a general health assessment is completed.
Any medical or behavioral concerns are related to Aspiro headquarters daily.
The first few days of a student's enrollment at Aspiro are spent becoming acclimated to the altitude and environment with no strenuous physical activity.
Students are provided a 3,000 calorie diet each day which has been developed in consultation with a nutritionist. For example the diet includes whole grains, dehydrated and fresh vegetables, fruits, and a fruit and nut trail mix, pasta, rice, couscous, tuna fish, peanut butter, and cheese. Students are also offered a daily multi-vitamin. Electrolytes tablets are also available when applicable.
When students are in base camp, they are fed a home cooked meal prepared by our staff (Arne Food as the students call it).
Aspiro tracks each student's weight from the day they enter the program until graduation. In general when students enter a wilderness based program, boys lose 7 pounds of fat and gain 2 pounds of muscle mass. Girls lose 9 pounds of fat and gain 6 pounds of muscle mass.
Mail - we do screen student mail for basic content to insure safety. However, all mail is mailed out each week regardless of it being positive or negative. We only send mail to the parents and approved immediate family, attorneys, educational consultants, etc. Mail to friends is sent to the parents for them to mail to friends.
Student apparel and sleeping bags are appropriate to weather conditions. Sleeping bags are exchanged according to the seasons and range in temperature ratings from -20 degrees below zero in the winter to a zero degree bag in the summer. Students typically dress in several layers of clothing to provide protection from wet and cold. Hats and boots are worn throughout the year.
Our Base Camp facility offers field groups emergency shelter and food. The facility is on 33 acres and has simple buildings to house all of our students in case of an emergency. Base camp is always stocked with food, fresh water, blankets, and clothing. An on-site support staff lives at base camp to provide 24 / 7 support.
Field instructors remain in contact with Aspiro base via satellite phones. Staff is required to call into headquarters at least two times each day. Instructors report location, staff or student needs, temperature and weather conditions, and any changes in itinerary. If a call is missed a search is automatically initiated. Each group carries two satellite phones - one from Global Star and one from Iridium. Using two different satellite phone services gives the group a back up plan should one phone fail.
IF we were to have an emergency, we have established relationships with most of the local law enforcement and forest service officials. We have the ability to call in a search and rescue helicopter should the need arise. We also have established relationships with life flight helicopters.
Please feel free to call me directly should you have more questions. My cell phone and email address is listed below.
![[E-mail story]](https://strugglingteens.com/images/page/storytools_mail.gif "E-mail this story to a friend"){kind=small}
![[Print story]](https://strugglingteens.com/images/page/storytools_print.gif "Version of this story optimized for printing"){kind=small}