118: Louise Slater: Educational Consultant and Parent of a Wilderness Therapy Student

Louise Slater is an educational consultant at The Price Group and is the parent of a former wilderness student. Louise shares the story of her family's struggles with different treatment options before deciding to place their son in a wilderness therapy program in Georgia in 2004. Louise tells us about what her family's wilderness experience was like, what she and her family learned from the process, and how the field has changed over the years.  She shares how she helps parents prepare for wilderness experience as an educational consultant and former parent.

Bio from The Price Group Website:

As one of the two business partners at The Price Group, Louise brings her knowledge of psychology, her love of young people, and her many years of evaluating organizational leadership and culture to the educational consulting practice.  Working with and for young people has been a passion for Louise for many years.  After her own sons had been clients, she learned that Ann Carol Price, founder of The Price Group, was interested in retiring and transitioning the business to new owners.  She approached her friend and colleague, May Peach, a career educator, about purchasing the business. 

Louise completed her B.A. in Psychology at Furman University and her M.A. in Psychology at Western Michigan University.  She had a long career in the corporate world of Organizational Development and taught on the faculty of the University of South Carolina Business School.  She is still actively involved in her family businesses, as Chairman of the Board of Consolidated Systems, Inc. and is a board member of Bonitz, Inc.  She is former board chair of Glenforest School, a private school in Columbia, South Carolina, for children with learning differences and is currently serving as the secretary on the board of Presbyterian College, a small liberal arts college located in Clinton, South Carolina. 

 

Louise is a professional member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), former chair of the IECA Learning Differences Committee and in 2009, received the Irv Katz Award, an award given by IECA, recognizing her commitment to children and education, particularly her volunteer work as the founder of the Friends of Juvenile Justice (FJJ), an organization that advocates and provides resources to the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice.  Louise has a certification as a CEP (Certified Educational Planner), as a Parent Coach (PCP) and completed level one certification as an ARISE interventionist (CAI-1).  ARISE is a family centered intervention process to support recovery from substance abuse and mental health issues.  She is also a member of the Young Adult Transition Association (YATA) and enjoys mentoring young adults and helping them “launch”.

Louise has three sons, a step-daughter, and two grandchildren.  In her spare time, she enjoys kayaking rivers and marshes with her friends, working out at the gym, traveling with her husband, cooking, reading, biking, and spending time with her dogs, Roxy and Chloe.