SUWS Of The Carolinas Welcomes Christopher Hinds

SUWS of the Carolinas, a premier therapeutic wilderness program for struggling or underachieving youth, is pleased to announce the appointment of a new Clinical Director, Christopher Hinds, ACSW, LCSW, effective November 21, 2011. Hinds joins SUWS with 30 years' experience with child and adolescent treatment programs.

"We are pleased to welcome Chris to the SUWS team," said Shawn Farrell, Executive Director of SUWS of the Carolinas. "His extensive leadership and involvement in the design and development of state-of-the-art adolescent treatment approaches will greatly benefit the growth and direction of our program."

Hinds' brings over 12 years of executive experience that includes the role of Director at three mental health/substance abuse treatment programs. He also has a vast amount of clinical experience, having worked with adolescents and pre-adolescents as a psychiatric social worker, group therapist, family therapist and consultant in inpatient, outpatient, partial hospitalization, residential, private practice and high school settings. Most recently, he spent eight years at Pinkerton Academy in Derry, NH, providing support service initiatives and extensive counseling to a population of 3,400 high school students. Chris received his BSW at the Rochester Institute of Technology with additional study at the University of Oslo (Norway), an MSW from the Boston University School of Social Work in 1985, and advanced clinical and family therapy training at the Yale University School of Medicine's Yale Psychiatric Institute from 1989-1992.

As an accomplished substance abuse practitioner, Hinds was the Founder and Program Director of a 45-day, residential substance abuse treatment program for adolescents called "New Choices" at the Children's Center of Hamden, Inc. in Connecticut. Through his leadership, this program received accolades from the State of Connecticut DCYF as a "model short-term program" and accreditation with commendation from The Joint Commission. The program was featured prominently on the television documentary "CNN Presents" in 2002.

"SUWS of the Carolinas is one of the oldest, safest and best-established wilderness programs in the U.S. for pre-adolescents and adolescents. It was significant program integrity and the management team's attention to quality care that attracted me to Aspen Education Group and SUWS of the Carolinas", says Hinds. "As Clinical Director, I look forward to playing a role in its future growth."

SUWS of the Carolinas is a licensed treatment program with a focus on clinical intervention and assessment. Set in the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains, the program uses the outdoors as an alternative to conventional treatment settings, while engaging students using traditional therapeutic methods. SUWS 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.