Lone Star Expeditions, a licensed therapeutic wilderness program that focuses on assessment, intervention and aftercare for troubled teens age 13-17 years, announced today that Julie Elliott, LCSW and LMFT, has been promoted to clinical director. Elliott previously served as a wilderness therapist for the program. In her new role, she will be responsible for the supervision of and services provided by Lone Star’s clinical team, as well as providing leadership for the continuing development of Lone Star’s family and substance abuse components.
Elliott is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with 17 years of experience. Prior to joining Lone Star, Elliott worked as a therapist and then as clinical director for the Coral Reef Academy in Samoa where she was responsible for clinical management and philosophy, program development, hiring, orientation and training of clinical staff, and writing and revising policies and procedures. She has also worked for the Harris County Psychiatric Center and the Blackstock Family Health Center in Texas. A native Texan who received her master of social work degree from the University of Houston, Elliott is currently a member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the Global Social Work Network.
“We are happy to announce that Julie Elliott has accepted the position of Clinical Director,” said Mike Bednarz, executive director of Lone Star Expeditions. “Her extensive experience with adolescents dealing with problems of substance abuse, school failure and family conflict is a great asset to our program and the families we serve. Julie also possesses great leadership skills that will enable our team to be even more effective at helping youth and families.”
Lone Star Expeditions is a licensed therapeutic intervention that combines traditional therapy with a wilderness setting to engage students in exploring their character in a safe, but challenging environment. The forested, camp-like surroundings remove modern distractions and simplify choices to help students gain insight into their values and accept responsibility for their decisions. The program helps adolescents transfer the knowledge learned to other areas of their lives. As the students and their parents progress through the program's four phases, students experience success and develop healthy self-esteem while working to improve family relationships.
Lone Star Expeditionsis a proud member of Aspen Education Group, the nation’s largest and most comprehensive network of therapeutic schools and programs. Aspen Education Group offers professionals and families the opportunity to choose from a variety of therapeutic settings in order to best meet a student’s unique academic and emotional needs. Aspen Education Group has been profiled by major news and television organizations around the world, including U.S. News and World Report, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today and People magazine, as well as on CNN, ABC’s 20/20 and Good Morning America, NBC’s The Today Show and Dateline NBC, National Public Radio and the syndicated television show Dr. Phil. Aspen is a division of CRC Health Group, the nation’s largest chemical dependency and related behavioral health organization. For more information about Aspen Education Group, visit www.aspeneducation.com or call (888) 972-7736.
For more information about Lone Star Expeditions, please visit www.lonestarexpeditions.com or call (866) 573-2002.