FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 27, 2006

Media Contact:
Eckerd Youth Alternatives
Tom Denham
727-461-2990 ext. 332

Gillespie Joins Eckerd Youth Alternatives
E-Sun-Alee as Director of Clinical Services

DEER LODGE, Tenn.– Richard D. Gillespie, Jr. has joined Eckerd Youth Alternatives’ E-Sun-Alee outdoor therapeutic program as director of clinical services, announced Richard Wentworth, E-Sun-Alee program director.

A licensed family therapist and clinical member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy and Association for Treatment of Sex Abuse, Gillespie has over two decades of clinical experience, primarily working with children and families.

He received his master’s degree from Emory University and a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Tennessee Tech.

The name E-Sun-Alee means “their tomorrow” in the Muskokee Indian language. Since 1988, the Eckerd Youth Alternatives’ E-Sun-Alee outdoor therapeutic program has helped thousands of youth leave their troubled pasts behind and open the door to a brighter tomorrow.

The Eckerd Youth Alternatives’ E-Sun-Alee outdoor therapeutic program, located on 326 wooded acres in Deer Lodge, Tenn., combines fully accredited education with group and individual counseling, high-interest adventure programs and relationship and communication-building skills in a therapeutic outdoor setting.  Individual treatment and education plans address special needs, while youths live, learn and grow in small, family-like groups.

About Eckerd Youth Alternatives
Eckerd Youth Alternatives is a not-for-profit organization that serves more than 9,500 at-risk and troubled youth each year through a range of 41 community-based and residential programs in eight states. Since 1968, more than 69,000 young people have been helped through Eckerd Youth Alternatives' programs. Headquartered in Clearwater, Fla., Eckerd Youth Alternatives provides youth programs in Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio, Vermont, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.