The point being made here is that there was no treatment. Aspen has stated they do not treat people. Not for medical or drug or any other issues. They like to call themselves counselors and therapists, but they are not. So any study claiming they have treated anyone is nonsense as they have already claimed they don't do that at all. You cannot have it both ways.
And I am sure that 90% to 95% of all people who see professional therapists show a 40% to 45% immediate improvement in their attitudes and behaviors. How you measure this is beyond me. Such a study would likely be bogus unless you have measurable criteria to base such statements on. People crave attention, especially when suffering from depression, drug use, anxiety issues. Any attention, in the short terms is helpful. But depending on the quality of that attention, long term benefits would be questionable. But professionals have years of experience learning about what works and why, and what doesn't work and why. Hacks, like those found in these programs, have no such backgrounds. They base their pseudo counseling and pseudo therapy on pseudo claims. Just because a staff member has taken drugs, does not qualify them to "counsel" teens on drug usage. Though talking to someone who has had a similar experience may have a very short term benefit. But I would emphasize "may".
