A.J. Dennison

Milieu Manager

I have been working with adolescent’s ages 12 to 18 years old who are struggling with emotional, behavioral, and substance abuse problems. My previous experiences include working at White Pine Boy’s Ranch in Nevada, a therapeutic working cattle ranch for adjudicated youth. I also did a two year volunteer service mission in inner city Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania working among displaced families, adolescent substance abusers, and delinquent youth. My exposure to residential programs came early in life as my father, a clinical therapist, worked in the juvenile prison system, residential treatment facilities and a therapeutic boarding school. Listening to him talk about intervention strategies and attending graduate courses or workshops he has taught, inspired me to work within the field of troubled youth programs. I have chosen to make my career in adolescent residential treatment programs.

My educational pursuits include enrollment in a psychology degree program and I will eventually become licensed as a therapist. As a Milieu Manager, I am responsible for direct care of youth placed at Journey’s Quest. I also have the responsibility to oversee and have direct supervision of the behavioral health milieu technicians, staff scheduling, staff discipline and evaluations, taking a leadership role in crisis intervention. Additionally, I have a good knowledge of adolescent development and the concepts and principles of chemical dependency and behavioral health treatment interventions.