Aspen Education Group
Carlsbad, CA

Aspen Education Group, the nation's leading provider of therapeutic education programs for struggling or underachieving young people, hosted its 5th Annual Professional Development Workshop (PDW) October 7-8, 2009 in Park City, Utah. Considered a huge success, the event boasted 90 behavioral health professionals from across the country including educational consultants and clinical professionals.

For the second year in a row, Aspen facilitated a silent auction of gift baskets prepared by several of its residential and outdoor programs. The auction raised $1,390, which Aspen Education Group matched, for a total donation of $2,780 that will be donated to the Saving Teens in Crisis Collaborative, a non-profit organization that assists troubled teens and their families struggling with substance abuse and other emotional issues.

"This workshop is an annual event designed to educate industry professionals about new and prevalent issues affecting today's young people," said Patty Evans, Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President of Business Development for Aspen. "We are pleased to also have the opportunity to raise money for Saving Teens, and appreciate the generosity of our attendees."

Evans added: "This year's Professional Development Workshop was missing our long time friend Marvin Goldberg. We would like to make this donation to Saving Teens in memory of a man that cared dearly for youth and families and gave his career to make a difference."

Goldberg, an educational consultant, passed away last month.

This year's workshop included a Program Fair, which allowed the referring professionals to spend time with clinical staff from many of Aspen Education Group's programs. The keynote speaker for this year's event was Michelle Borba, author of 23 books and recipient of the National Educator Award presented by the National Council of Self-Esteem. Workshop participants had the opportunity to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for the multiple speaker sessions, which also included presentations on computer addiction, current drug trends and psycho-spiritual therapy.

Aspen Education Group is 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 division of CRC Health Group, the nation's largest chemical dependency and related behavioral health organization. For over two decades, CRC Health has been achieving successful outcomes for individuals and families.

For more information, call 888-972-7736 or visit www.aspeneducation.com.