Ten Warning Signs for Parents of Troubled Teens.

Business Editors

CERRITOS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 17, 2000

The spring months can be the toughest for parents and their troubled teen.

According to academic counselors, this is the time in the school year when a troubled teen, who has made promises to improve, falters in progress at school, and returns to the wrong friends, bad habits and failures.

"There are a lot of pressures on teenagers in the second half of the school year when everything they've learned to date is supposed to come together," said Mark Hobbins, senior vice president of Aspen Achievement Academy, a Utah-based, outdoor wilderness program specializing in helping troubled teens.

"As a result, many respond to school and parental pressures by simply heading in the wrong direction."

For parents who are trying to gauge just how serious their adolescents' actions have become, the following is a list of warning signs to review when considering some kind of intervention.

     10 Warning Signs That Your Teen Needs Help

1.   A history of substance abuse, either alcohol or drugs
2.   Has experienced trouble in school, including multiple
     suspensions/possible expulsion, poor grades or problems with
     performance of a teen who previously had a good scholastic record
3.   Has made threatening statements in writing
4.   Intentionally frightens others
5.   Is depressed and withdrawn from the family and/or peers
6.   Displays confrontational or aggressive behavior
7.   Has implied that he or she has identified a target for violence
8.   Has implied that he or she has a plan for violence or suicidal
     behavior
9.   Has escaped consequences due to the ability to manipulate people
     and situations
10.  Has been destructive to property

Teenagers who exhibit the majority of the above noted behavior types or situations might benefit from intensive therapy, a residential center, special school or an intensive therapeutic wilderness experience.

Aspen Achievement Academy is a 50-day intensive, outdoor treatment program for adolescents that emphasizes therapy, experiential learning and behavioral change for youths, ages 12 to 18. A substantial amount of its students are referred to the school by therapists.

Aspen Achievement Academy is part of Aspen Youth Services (AYS). AYS provides a full spectrum of service programs that are operationally grouped into three areas: specialized educational services; alternative behavioral health treatment; and alternatives to incarceration for juvenile offenders.

Most AYS programs employ a comprehensive intervention strategy which integrates elements of experiential learning, academic education, occupational training, group living skills and therapeutic counseling in combinations designed to address the specific needs of their audience.

"Not all troubled teens need intensive wilderness therapy or enrollment in a specialty school to help solve their problems," said Hobbins. "However, parents who have already tried family therapy or residential treatment with only minimal results might find it appropriate to consider these solutions," said Hobbins.

AYS programs have assisted more than 6,000 adolescents since 1990 and more than 2,000 additional young people have been helped on an outpatient basis. AYS has more than 700 employees nationwide, and operates, or has under development, 34 programs in eight states.

AYS has headquarters at 17100 Pioneer Boulevard, Suite 300, Cerritos, Calif. 90701-2709. For more information about AYS programs, contact Mark Hobbins at 562/467-5519 or visit the company's Web site at http://www.aspenyouth.com.