Aspen Assures Continuity Despite CRC Changes

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Recently, many of you read an announcement from Aspen Education Group's parent company, CRC Health Group, regarding the decision of its Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Barry Karlin, to step down from his position. As a longtime employee of CRC and friend and colleague of Barry's, I was personally saddened to hear this news, but ultimately support Barry's view that this was a natural evolution of the needs of CRC as an organization. Barry has grown CRC into the leading provider of behavioral health services and established a solid network of programs for individuals struggling with addiction, weight management, eating disorders and behavioral issues. His recent decision will allow him more time with his family, and the opportunity to maintain a role within the organization as Chairman of the Board of CRC. I look forward with confident optimism for what is to come in this next chapter of CRC Health Group.

As you can imagine, I have been asked by many people what this change means for Aspen Education Group. In truth, this decision will have no major impact on the day-to-day operations of the outstanding staff and programs within Aspen's continuum of services. Our excellent programs will continue providing families and professionals with the highest level of individualized care they have come to expect from Aspen. Our focus on healing families remains the same; our commitment to helping youth rediscover their potential remains strong. This is what Aspen has come to mean to you, and what we intend to continue doing.

I have had the great pleasure of meeting many of you, our tireless educational consultants and referring professionals, over the past couple years in my position as head of the Healthy Living Division for CRC (and the past year as president of Aspen itself). As some of you have come to learn, I am not a stranger to the healthcare industry, having worked in this field for over 30 years with a Ph.D. in child and adolescent psychology. I believe fully in the positive, life-changing work of this segment of the healthcare industry and plan to continue dedicating resources to outcome studies and research efforts that show the efficacy of what we are doing to help troubled youth. We will continue to incorporate best practices and evidence-based therapies to be as effective as possible with this target population.

Next month, Aspen will open the new Talisman Academy, a school dedicated to youth with Asperger's and other autism spectrum disorders. I am thrilled to be able to offer this type of specialized programming and confident that the school will be successful at addressing the specific needs of this often neglected population of students. I look forward to celebrating this opening with you.

Please feel free to reach out to me or Aspen's Senior Vice President of Business Development, Patty Evans, if ever you have any questions or comments.

We appreciate your continued support and look forward to working with you.

Sincerely,

Phil Herschman, President
Aspen Education Group