Family Help & Wellness

Family Help & Wellness
AbbreviationFHW
Formation2008[1]
TypeBehavioral Health Provider
HeadquartersSalem, Oregon
Staff1,150+ employees
WebsiteOfficial website

Family Help & Wellness is a provider of private pay behavioral health programs for youth and young adults ages 5-28. [2] Their programs include Wilderness Therapy programs, assessment centers, therapeutic boarding schools, residential treatment centers, and transitional living in total, they operated 9 programs in 2024.

Background

Family Help & Wellness was established in 2008.[2] their headquarters is located in Salem, Oregon.[3]

Elevations is partnered with several troubled teen programs. It provides management, financial, and marketing support to Elevations’ ownership team.[4]

Family Help & Wellness is owned by private equity investors[5] Trinity Hunt Partners who first invested in 2014.[6]

Family Help grew by taking over defunct facilities from other troubled teen companies.[7] The company's founder Dupell [4] was the executive vice president and CFO of Aspen Education from 1999 until 2004.[8] Dupell also served as the CEO of Family Help until 2017 when he stepped down following criminal convictions for cocaine use and property damage.[9]

Dupell's predecessor, Steven Stradley, stepped into the position in 2017. He first joined FHW in 2014. Before that, he worked for the elder care company, SunWest Management Services, as the VP Risk & Administrative Services from 2002-2011. During that time, Sunwest Management was hit with California and Oregon class-action lawsuits, alleging unlawful business practices, false advertising, and Consumer Protection Act violation,[10] and was charged with securities fraud by the federal government.[11] Sunwest Management's CEO, Jon Harder, pleaded guilty to fraud and money laundering charges and was sentenced to 15 years in prison, but his sentence was commuted by former president Donald Trump in one of Trump's final official acts as president.[12] Stradley has a Business Finance Degree.[13]

Controversy

2014 - Trails Carolina Alec Lansing (age 17) participant died of hypothermia[14] during his time at Trails Carolina after going missing for 12 days.[15]

Trails Carolina homicide investigation

On the morning of February 3, 2024, a 12-year-old boy was killed by staff after one night at Trails Carolina wilderness program by Family Help and Wellness. The Transylvania County Sheriff's Office launched an investigation in the death of the boy he had arrived at Trails Carolina on February 2, 2024 after being transported by two men from New York to Trails Carolina.[16] On February 6, the investigators executed a search warrant on Trails Carolina. Trails Carolina refused to co-operate with the investigation.[17] on the February 13, 2024 North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services told Trails Carolina it was to stop new admissions during the investigation. Later on February 18, 2024. All children were removed from Trails Carolina.[18] On May 17, 2024 the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services permanently revoked Trails Carolina's license. On June 25, 2024 the medical examiner's report was released. The cause of death was determined to be asphyxia, and it was ruled as a homicide.[19]

North Carolina investigation into Asheville Academy

On May 8, 2025, a thirteen-year-old killed herself at the school. In response, the state ordered on May 27, 2025 that Asheville Academy owned by Family Help & Wellness must stop new admission to the school.[20] On May 29, 2025, a second death occurred.[20] On May 31, 2025, Asheville Academy released all of its students.[20]

References

  1. ^ "About Us". Family Help & Wellness.
  2. ^ a b "About Us - Family Help & Wellness". May 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ "Residential treatment school closes in North Carolina after deaths of 2 girls". The Independent. 3 June 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025. Family Help & Wellness in Oregon, which owns both North Carolina schools,
  4. ^ a b "Tim Dupell Partner Letter – Elevations RTC". elevationsrtc.com. Elevations RTC. Archived from the original on February 19, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  5. ^ O'Grady, Eileen (February 2022). "The Kids Are Not Alright: How Private Equity Profits Off of Behavioral Health Services for Vulnerable and At-Risk Youth" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-02-28. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  6. ^ Sormani, Angela (March 31, 2014). "Trinity Hunt Partners Makes Growth Investment in Family Help & Wellness". Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  7. ^ "Rollups: Private Equity Eyes Youth Treatment Centers as a Takeover Target". 17 February 2022. Archived from the original on 17 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference huffpo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Family Help & Wellness Announces Growth, Addition to Management Team". All Kinds of Therapy. September 14, 2016. Archived from the original on 19 May 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  10. ^ Moody, Robin (January 18, 2007). "Sunwest hit with California class-action suit". bizjournals.com. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  11. ^ "SEC Charges Operators of Multi-Billion Dollar Real Estate Enterprise With Fraud". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. March 2, 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  12. ^ Sudo, Chuck (August 3, 2021). "Former Sunwest CEO Harder Ordered to Pay Back Investors Nearly $80M". Senior Housing News. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  13. ^ "Steven Stradley Linkedin". May 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-05-16.
  14. ^ Weaver, Emily (December 2014). "Autopsy: Missing teen died of hypothermia in Nantahala". Archived from the original on 2018-09-19.
  15. ^ Ochsner, Nick (June 2021). "Top DHHS regulator defends agency's oversight of N.C. wilderness therapy programs".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ "12-year-old died less than 24 hours after he arrived at North Carolina wilderness camp, officials say". NBC News. 2024-02-09. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  17. ^ "Boy's death at therapy program didn't appear natural, but sheriff says they're awaiting cause". AP News. 2024-02-08. Retrieved 2024-11-11. On Tuesday, investigators executed search warrants at the base camp where the boy was found and another location at Trails Carolina where other children from the cabin were moved after the boy's death.
  18. ^ "Officials order all children removed from North Carolina wilderness camp where boy died". NBC News. 2024-02-16. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  19. ^ "Autopsy report rules 12-year-old's death at camp for troubled adolescents a homicide". NBC News. 2024-06-25. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  20. ^ a b c "Residential treatment school closes in North Carolina after deaths of 2 girls". AP News. 2025-06-03. Retrieved 2025-06-05.
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