We have been unable to locate an adequate biography of Mel Wasserman on the web. He was the founder of the Cedu Schools.  The best sources we are currently aware of are on the websites associated with the Synanon organization.  We believe the information that shows as of October 8, 2008 on the "I Speak of Dreams" website includes a substantially accurate timeline of events in his life associated with the Cedu organization.  We do not endorse or criticize this website apart from what is stated in the previous sentence. We note that websites not in our control, as this  one is not, can change and may add information would lead us to withdraw the link once we know about it.

We also call attention to Dan Earle's tribute to Mel on the Struggling Teens website. 

We further note that FamilyLight^sm was never entirely comfortable with the original Cedu model although we did make a few referrals when there were modifications in the Cedu schools, adding a broader and more standard range of intervention methods.  We referred to the King George School during the short time it was called a Cedu School, although it never truly embraced the original Cedu tradition. The original Cedu model was the antithesis of what  we now call Positive Intervention^sm. 

Having said that, the Cedu/Synanon tradition emerged into a vacuum of effective mental health interventions following the 1960s when drugs and youth rebellion against traditional values became a major concern.  Some of what this tradition introduced has been instrumental in improving the ability of traditional mental health services to impact populations that were otherwise unreachable. 

We may add other information about Mel when we find it.

Last updated October 8, 2008