Thomas Miller to Present at IECA

Thomas Miller, LCSW and Clinical Director for Adirondack Leadership Expeditions, a character-development wilderness program for struggling teens, is confirmed to present on Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) at the 2010 Fall Conference of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) in Cincinnati.

Miller's presentation, titled "Can't Accept 'No' as an Answer: Working with Oppositional Defiant Youth," will seek to help professionals better assist students with problem-solving strategies and help decrease the negativity that surrounds students' attention-seeking behaviors. In addition, Miller will suggest ways to offer new alternatives to old, maladaptive behavioral patterns.

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychology estimates that up to 16 percent of all school-age children and adolescents have ODD.

"Oppositional defiant behaviors can be part of normal development," says Miller. "We expect a modicum of oppositional defiant behaviors to be exhibited once children hit their teenage years and transition into early adolescence. However, openly uncooperative and hostile behavior becomes a serious concern when it is so incessant and fierce that it stands out when compared with other children of the same age and developmental level, and when it affects the teen's social, family and academic life."

Miller has extensive experience working with adolescents and their families in various capacities. As an alcohol, tobacco, and drug counselor in a middle/high school in Westchester County, New York, he developed valuable drug and alcohol assessment skills. During his years as a psychotherapist in his private practice in Westchester County where he provided individual, group, and family therapy, he acquired an adroit ability to engage and get through to even the hardest to reach adolescent. He is the former Program Director of a therapeutic milieu for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth ages 13-21. In this role, he developed the insight to utilize a systems approach and see issues/problems in the context of their environment.

Miller is cognitive behavioral in his approach and utilizes a strengths-based perspective to help youth find their own resilience to get themselves "unstuck" and moving in the right direction. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and acquired his Bachelor of Social Work from Long Island University. He received his Master's Degree in Social Work from New York University.

Adirondack Leadership Expeditions specializes in helping teens ages 13-17 who are exhibiting oppositional defiant behavior as well as entitlement issues, manipulation, low self-esteem, substance use, failure in school or negative peer association. The program promotes personal growth through a focus on insight-oriented experiences. The program's forested, mountainous setting removes urban distractions and simplifies options to help students gain insight into their core values and accept responsibility for their choices. For more information, visit www.adirondackleadership.com.

Adirondack Leadership Expeditions is a program of Aspen Education Group, the nation's leading provider of therapeutic education programs for struggling or underachieving young people. Aspen's services range from short-term intervention programs to residential treatment, and include a variety of therapeutic settings such as boarding schools, outdoor behavioral health programs and special needs summer camps, allowing professionals and families the opportunity to choose the best setting to meet a student's unique academic and emotional needs. Aspen is a member of CRC Health Group, the nation's largest chemical dependency and related behavioral health organization. Since 1995, CRC Health has been achieving successful outcomes for individuals and families. For more information, visit www.crchealth.com.