Founded in 1989, Youth Care Academy - a member of the Aspen Education Group - is a residential treatment center for young men and women ages 11-18 years old. These students may struggle with substance abuse, school failure and learning disabilities, ADD/ADHD, oppositional defiance, reactive attachment disorder, depression, body image issues, sexual acting out, poor self-esteem, bipolar disorder and Asperger's Syndrome.

Youth Care is accredited and licensed through the State of Utah, Office of licensing and Department of Human Services, Residential Treatment and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). Trina Packard is the Executive Director and holds a Masters of Educational Counseling from the University of Phoenix. Trina has been with Aspen Education Group for over 10 years. Tanya May, Program Director is a licensed Practical Nurse and has worked for Youth Care for over five years. John Paul Parraga is the Clinical Director and joined Youth Care in 2008. He has a BS in Psychology from Brigham Young University and holds a MS in Mental Health Counseling from the University of Phoenix.

Therapy for students at Youth Care includes individual, group and family therapy. In addition, students participate in recreational therapy, behavior modification, and if necessary, substance abuse counseling. Academics are accredited through the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges, with a 4:1 student to staff ratio.

Students live in a home-like setting, which includes living rooms, bedrooms, and a large family kitchen rather than large dormitories. Recreational activities include the use of the gymnasium, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing or climbing and service based projects in the community.

[The information for this New Perspective came from the Youth Care website.]