SKYlights

PREVIEW: Today we talk with Clinical Therapist Morgan Seymour about how societal expectations can discourage or prevent boys from developing emotional awareness, the skills to express emotions and feelings, or seeking help for depression, anxiety, social issues, or challenges at school. Additionally, Morgan explores how—in a new and unfamiliar environment in the wilderness—boys must face emotions they’ve previously avoided or covered up, and how wilderness therapy is an excellent way to strengthen, understand, and be aware of one’s entire self.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

PREVIEW: Turning 18 is one of the biggest milestones young people experience. Overnight, one goes from being labeled a child to an adult. However, the growth that occurs in that one day is not commensurate with the change in expectations, nor cognitive development. In this episode, clinical therapist Chris Blankenship discusses how Open Sky helps young adults and families navigate this transition. GUEST: Clinical Therapist, Chris Blankenship, LCSWSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

PREVIEW: Program Director Danny Frazer discusses Open Sky’s winter course area in Utah. He describes what the winter climate is like, explains how our base camp infrastructure enhances the student and family experience, and talks about the training our field staff receive prior to and throughout the winter season. Danny details the winter gear our students receive—including insulated boots, long underwear and down jackets—and how students’ diets are modified to account for colder weather. He also explains the physical, mental and psychological benefits inherent to a wilderness therapy experience during the winter. GUEST PROFILE: Director Danny Frazer, BBA Danny graduated cum laude from Texas A&M University with a BBA in Management and Human Resources. He took his first wilderness therapy job as an intern while in college in 1996, working for a small, family-run wilderness program. This experience inspired him to pursue work in the field of wilderness therapy after graduating. In 1998, he began working as field guide for Aspen Achievement Academy, eventually becoming Field Director. For six consecutive summers, while guiding at Aspen, he worked for the Montana program of the Voyageur Outward Bound School, where he served as an instructor, course director, trainer, and logistics manager. In that early 8-year period, he accumulated over 700 field days working directly with adolescents and young adults. Since Open Sky’s inception, Danny has served in multiple leadership roles, starting as the field and operations director and then as the first marketing and business development director. He eventually landed in admissions, where he served as the director. He brings a vast history of working in the field with special emphasis on risk management, safety, wilderness programming, and personnel development to Open Sky’s leadership team. In addition, he chairs the Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Council, the field’s leading organization representing over 20 wilderness programs throughout North America. TOPICS COVERED: Wilderness Therapy, coping skills, emotional and spiritual growth, self-confidence, emotional support, healing, young adults, recovery support, empowerment, destructive relationships, substance use, personal trauma, family dynamics, oppositional defiance, adoption/attachment issues, treatment resistance, navigating non-traditional and complex family systems, substance abuse, substance addiction, depression, anxiety, winter wilderness backpacking, winter backpacking safetySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

PREVIEW: Today we talk with Clinical Therapist Kirsten Bolt about the effectiveness of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. EMDR is a treatment that has been used to address a wide variety of clinical issues and the underlying negative core beliefs about oneself. EMDR is a helpful way for people to reprocess experiences and develop adaptive core beliefs, providing relief from frozen neural pathways. This paves the way for students to harness other skills and resources taught at Open Sky Wilderness Therapy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

PREVIEW: Today we talk to Clinical Therapist and Education Director Melia Snyder, who’s not only an expert on nature-based expressive arts therapy, she wrote the book on it! In our conversation with Melia, we discuss how her background led her to therapy and education, her fascination with nature-based expressive arts therapy—and what it is—how this type of therapy promotes overall health, and how she helps her students craft a positive, productive, healthy and thriving life. GUEST PROFILE: CLINICAL THERAPIST AND EDUCATION DIRECTOR MELIA SNYDER, PHD, LPC, REAT Dr. Melia Snyder earned her MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and a Certificate in Expressive Arts Therapy from Appalachian State University. She earned her Ph.D. in Counseling from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Registered Expressive Arts Therapist. During her doctoral studies, Dr. Melia immersed herself in studying factors and behaviors that contribute to wellness and thriving despite life’s inevitable challenges. She conducted her doctoral research on salutogenesis (the promotion of health) among young women in recovery from substance use disorders. Her study revealed that those who participated in a structured group therapy intervention that incorporated the arts, experienced significant gains in their sense of meaning, coping capacities, and ability to make sense of their lives in comparison to those who just participated in the usual treatment. Dr. Melia is excited to bring her passion for health promotion and the arts to students and families at Open Sky. Prior to joining the Open Sky team, Dr. Melia was a counselor educator and supervisor in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. She also directed the Appalachian Expressive Arts Therapy program, which teaches counselors, educators, and other helping professionals to incorporate the arts into their work. Her focus within her academic career was bringing the health-promoting capacities of wilderness, nature, and the arts into counseling—a topic she explores in her book Nature-Based Expressive Arts Therapy. Additionally, Dr. Melia brings more than 15 years of experience working with families in crisis. She has worked in a variety of settings including wilderness, community mental health, integrated care, and private practice. She is trained in Family Centered Treatment and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and enjoys studying depth psychology and ecopsychology. Dr. Melia was drawn to Open Sky’s strong focus on whole person health, the depth-oriented and nature-based Student Pathway, and the integrity with which families are integrated into treatment. As a clinical therapist, Dr. Melia shares her expertise in issues relevant to adolescent girls, including cultivating resilience and addressing the need for connection and intimacy in relationships. She is passionate about helping her students develop skills to maneuver the challenges of adolescence, including those associated with technology and social media, body image, and sexuality. As the Education Director at Open Sky, Dr. Melia brings her knowledge and experience to support curriculum development at Open Sky. In her downtime, Dr. Melia enjoys writing poetry, eating good food, engaging in meaningful conversation, and exploring the beautiful San Juan Mountains with her partner and dog.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

PREVIEW: SEBASTIAAN ZUIDWEG, MA, LPC Sebastiaan Zuidweg knew early on that his calling was a life of being in service to others. Sebastiaan believes in Open Sky’s holistic family systems approach as a catalyst for change, and the power of the wilderness as an effective medium for therapeutic work. His clinical approach is rooted in the belief that every individual has the ability to activate his or her potential, and pursue health and wellness.  TOPICS COVERED: Wilderness Therapy, coping skills, emotional and spiritual growth, self-confidence, emotional support, healing, young adults, recovery support, empowerment, destructive relationships, substance use, personal trauma, family dynamics, oppositional defiance, adoption/attachment issues, treatment resistance, navigating non-traditional and complex family systems, substance abuse, substance addiction, depression, anxiety, meditation, mindfulness, motivation, self-harmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

PREVIEW: Clinical therapist Kirsten Bolt explores the reasons people self- harm and the steps involved in treating self-harm. With assessment and reassessment, we start to understand the history, severity, circumstances, and intentions surrounding the behavior, allowing us to help students to develop the skills to regulate emotions and communicate their needs to others. GUEST PROFILES: KIRSTEN BOLT, M.ED., LMFT Kirsten is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She graduated from Syracuse University in 1999, Summa Cum Laude, with a BS in Health and Exercise Science. Instead of following her projected course to study Biomechanics, she turned west, seeking something that felt missing. That trip landed her in Utah amid stunning red-rock canyons, wide sandy rivers, and abundant sunshine. Kirsten finds wilderness to be a uniquely powerful setting for young people to connect to themselves, to others, and to their means of contributing to the world. Kirsten finds inspiration observing the landscape, running whitewater rivers, climbing sandstone cracks, mountain biking, trail running, skiing, playing guitar and piano, and spending quality time with her husband, children, dogs, and cats. Kirsten is humbled daily by her personal experiences as a mother, stepmother, and partner, and she believes her clinical work is significantly deeper as a result. TOPICS COVERED: Wilderness Therapy, coping skills, emotional and spiritual growth, self-confidence, emotional support, healing, young adults, recovery support, empowerment, destructive relationships, substance use, personal trauma, family dynamics, oppositional defiance, adoption/attachment issues, treatment resistance, navigating non-traditional and complex family systems, substance abuse, substance addiction, depression, anxiety, meditation, mindfulness, motivation, self-harmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

PREVIEW: Senior Clinical Therapist, Mariah Loftin, MA, LPC explores the often-misunderstood differences between gender and sexuality, including sexual orientation and gender identity; how unaddressed gender and sexual issues can result in health risks to young adults; and how families can best support children navigating these issues. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

PREVIEW: In this episode of the Open Sky Wilderness Therapy podcast, Family Wellness Counselor Norman Elizondo will guide you through 20 minutes of meditation. The premise of meditation is learning to have a healthy mind, and research shows that this happens. Neuroscientific studies have documented anatomical and physiological changes in the brain and cell structure as a result of meditation, including studies on neuroplasticity, showing restoration of gray matter and the healing of the brain. Mediation gives one the capacity to respond to situations in a way that lines up with one’s values. As one develops mental strength, he or she may be better able to resist an addiction craving down the road. Ultimately, this non-reactivity and awareness are what lead people to live fulfilled lives. GUEST PROFILES: Norman Elizondo, BS Norman earned his BS in Business Management from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Following the death of his mother, he considered her parting advice about doing work that really helps people and began his career in wilderness therapy as a field instructor. As an immigrant from the Philippines, becoming educated and assimilating into American society has driven Norman to work hard, adapt, and feel a tremendous sense of gratitude for being a U.S. citizen. As such, he has enjoyed tremendous opportunities; one of the most meaningful was to help found Open Sky. Norman takes great pride and pleasure in helping Open Sky parents understand their child’s work. He assists parents in developing the same basic skill sets including emotional regulation, assertive communication, and effective boundary holding, all of which are crucial in parenting. Norman facilitates Open Sky’s Wellness Weekends, parent support calls, graduations, meditation instruction, and field guide training. Meditation has been a cornerstone of Norman’s life. With prior study and practice in the Southeast Asian Theravada tradition beginning in 1995, Norman has been studying and training as a meditation instructor in the Tibetan tradition since 2001. Norman is a certified meditation teacher with the Dharma Ocean Foundation. TOPICS COVERED: Wilderness Therapy, coping skills, emotional and spiritual growth, self-confidence, emotional support, healing, young adults, recovery support, empowerment, destructive relationships, substance use, personal trauma, family dynamics, oppositional defiance, adoption/attachment issues, treatment resistance, navigating non-traditional and complex family systems, substance abuse, substance addiction, depression, anxiety, meditation, mindfulnessSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

PREVIEW: We hear a lot of buzz terms today: “lawnmower parenting”; “helicopter parenting”; or even “bubble wrap” parenting. At the route of these terms, the common theme is a parent-child relationship in which parents aren’t allowing their kids to think for themselves or develop a sense of self-confidence. In this episode of the Open Sky Wilderness Therapy podcast, counselor Jonathan Mitchell explains techniques parents can use to begin shifting out of the “helicopter parent” trap and help their children build confidence and resilience. GUEST PROFILES: Jonathan Mitchell, MA, LPC Jonathan is a Licensed Professional Counselor with extensive experience serving adolescents, young adults, and families. He grew up in Wisconsin, earning his BS in Mathematics and Physics from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire in 2000. Instead of getting a job traditional to his field of study, Jonathan took to the outdoors to work with people. Over the next six years, he worked extensively in the wilderness therapy field, in roles such as field director and field manager. Inspired by the magic of the wilderness to motivate change, Jonathan returned to graduate school and earned a Master’s in Counseling. During this time, he worked as both a therapist at an intensive outpatient addiction treatment center for teens and a college math teacher. He has continued to expand his clinical training, earning a certificate in Gestalt Therapy from the Gestalt Institute of the Rockies in 2008. In 2009, he joined Open Sky as a Family Quest Therapist and is now a primary clinical therapist for adolescent boys. Jonathan’s areas of clinical expertise include oppositional defiance, adoption/attachment issues, treatment resistance, navigating non-traditional and complex family systems, substance abuse and addiction, depression, anxiety, and trauma. His clinical approach draws on the teachings of dialectical behavioral therapy, Gestalt therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and years of experience as a field guide. As a therapist, he is appreciated for his pleasant and direct nature, intuitive connection with clients, and knack for working with defiant and strongly guarded adolescents. When not working at Open Sky, Jonathan can be found exploring the Southwest: rock climbing, trail running, and telemark skiing. He has traveled extensively in India, and his daily meditation and yoga practices are core parts of his life. A Green Bay native, Jonathan is an avid Packers fan. TOPICS COVERED: Wilderness Therapy, coping skills, emotional and spiritual growth, self-confidence, emotional support, healing, young adults, recovery support, empowerment, destructive relationships, substance use, personal trauma, family dynamics, oppositional defiance, adoption/attachment issues, treatment resistance, navigating non-traditional and complex family systems, substance abuse, substance addiction, depression, anxietySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.