Dr. Ed Callahan Joins Adirondack Leadership Expeditions

Adirondack Leadership Expeditions, a character-development wilderness program for struggling teens, today announced the appointment of Ed Callahan, Ph.D., LMFT, to Executive Director.

Dr. Callahan has nearly 20 years of experience working with youth and families in a therapeutic setting. He began his career in wilderness therapy as a primary therapist for Aspen Achievement Academy, then went on to work as a therapist with various programs serving fostered, abused and adopted adolescents. In 1996, Dr. Callahan founded his own private practice where he helped families and adolescents deal with depression, anxiety, trauma, substance abuse, academic problems and relationship/communication issues. Dr. Callahan's passion for working with adolescents in an outdoor setting took him back to the field as a primary therapist in 2005. More recently, he served as Executive and Clinical Director of a 120-bed therapeutic boarding school for teens. In 2008, he co-founded an 18-bed college-preparatory therapeutic boarding school in Utah, where he served as Executive and Clinical Director for the past three years providing direct therapeutic and mentoring services to students and families.

"We are delighted to welcome Ed to the Adirondack team," said Susan Cambria, Regional Vice President of the Eastern Division of Aspen Education Group, the parent company of Adirondack Therapeutic Expeditions. "Ed brings a wealth of outdoor therapy and leadership experience to this position, as well as an intense passion for helping youth and families."

Dr. Callahan is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and specializes in helping adolescents and families struggling with relationship and communication issues, substance abuse and addiction, technology addictions, trauma, and developmental issues. He is a three-time graduate of Brigham Young University where he earned his undergraduate degree in psychology, and a masters and doctorate in Marriage and Family Therapy.

Adirondack Leadership Expeditions, a character-development wilderness program 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 in a mountainous and forested setting to remove distractions. For more information, visit www.adirondackleadership.com.

Adirondack Leadership Expeditions is a program of Aspen Education Group, a 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.