Aspen Programs Complete RCYCP Curriculum

Several Aspen Education Group residential programs - including Copper Canyon Academy, Aspen Ranch, Youth Care, Talisman Programs and New Leaf Academy's Oregon and North Carolina campuses - recently announced their completion of the first round of training of the Residential Child and Youth Care Professional (RCYCP) curriculum. This program, which comes from the National Resource Center for Youth Services at the University of Oklahoma, is the first Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) curriculum for front-line staff working with youth in residential care.

"We are very proud of these programs for electing to complete this first round of training," said Randy Christopher, Executive Director of Program Services for Aspen Education Group, whose Residential Best Practices Committee was responsible for discovering and coordinating the training. "All Aspen residential programs have been challenged to certify as many of their staff as possible, but it is a very rigorous professional certification process. Those programs that have found a way to do it have discovered that not only do services to students and families improve, but that staff morale and communication rise to an all-time high."

Staff and students alike have reported the positive benefits of this training, which is 42 hours in length and covers topics such as developing a culture of care, understanding child development, building relationships and teaching discipline.

While Aspen's residential staff already undergo extensive training upon hire, the RCYCP curriculum's extra emphasis on youth development philosophies and current best practices helps strengthen Aspen programs' collective commitment to providing the highest quality care for youth and families.

States the National Resource Center's website: "Residential care workers have the most interaction, and therefore, the greatest impact on relationship building with the children and youth in their care."

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