NorthStar Center

NorthStar Center was a young adult therapeutic transition and relapse prevention program, located in Bend, Oregon, owned and operated by Aspen Education Group for young adults ages 17 1/2 to 24 for treatment of substance abuse and addiction. In March 2011, Aspen announced that it would cease program operations in August 2011 as part of a restructuring of the company.^[1]

The therapeutic basis of the program is dialectical behavioral therapy, a type of psychotherapy developed by Marsha M. Linehan and consisting of four parts: mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance. Additional therapies include transtheoreticalstages of change theory, motivational interviewing and the 12 step programs Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. Academic offerings include high school completion, college preparatory and college-level courses.

NorthStar was established in 1991 by Dennis and Jeannie Crowell. Dennis Crowell had earlier led Mount Bachelor Academy in Bend. NorthStar operated independently until 1998, when it was acquired by the Aspen Education Group.^[2] In March 2011, Aspen announced plans to close the facility in August 2011. As of the closure announcement, NorthStar had about 40 full- and part-time employees.^[1]

Along with Passages to Recovery, an Aspen wilderness therapy program, NorthStar was featured on the July 30, 2006, episode of A&E Television Network's documentary series Intervention.^[3]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} NorthStar Center in Bend set to close, Bend Bulletin, March 26, 2011
2. ^ Keith Chu, Ever unconventional, long controversial, Bend Bulletin, November 15, 2009
3. ^ Teen's Addiction Leads Family To Unique Wilderness Therapy Program, Medical News Today, August 1, 2006

External links

• Official website