Mentors
Jen rapp-sheridan, LPC, transition specialist
Jen joins the 360 team with a strong clinical background from a variety of settings. Raised in Georgia, Jen moved to Colorado to attend Colorado State University. While in Fort Collins she worked as a legal advocate and was a member of the domestic abuse response team at Crossroads Safe-House for vicitms of domestic violence. Jen thought her work there was incredibly rewarding and equally as challenging. After graduating with a Bachelor's in Sociology Jen moved to Utah to pursue a job in wilderness therapy.
Jen began working at Second Nature Wilderness Program as a field instructor in 2001 and maintained a position as a senior level instructor. She left Utah for a short time and decided that while she loved the mountains of the east coast and being close to her fmaily, she felt home was in Utah and returned to work at Gateway Academy, a therapeutic boarding school in Salt Lake City. She held the lead staff position which included both direct care with the clients as well as other administrative responsibilities.
While maintaining her position at Gateway, Jen completed her Masters degree in Counseling and later was licensed as a professional counselor. In 2007 Jen was offered a position as a therapist at the First Step House, a residential treatment center for adult males struggling with addiction and a variety of co-occuring mental health issues. Her cases primarily consisted of young adult men who were resistant to treatment. this experience helped Jen also develop her natural style of caring confrontation with firm boundaries and empathy. Jen also developed a six week parenting class course and co-facilitated the weekly family groups for the program.
In 2008, Jen was offered the opportunity to join a Utah based wilderness therapy program for adolescent boys as a therapist and was thrilled to return to wilderness therapy. While at Elements, Jen focused much of her efforts on developing family resources. With the support of her colleagues, she created and implemented a curriculum for the parents of the boys in the program. Relying heavily on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy, and other directive approaches, Jen has an innate ability to offer guidance and support as parents navigate their child's adolescence and early adult years.
Jen lives in Salt Lake City with her husband and they both enjoy mountain biking, snowboarding and skiing, traveling, and hanging out with their dog, Kane.
Bill Brown, Mentor
Bill was born and raised outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Bill received his B.A. from the University of Vermont in English and History. During his time in college and some years following, Bill worked in the Big Buddies program and for the YMCA. Both of these experiences provided the foundations for a career focused on helping teenagers work their way through the challenging years on the cusp of adulthood.
In December of 2004, Bill came to work for Second Nature as a staff member working in the field with students. In September of 2005, he was promoted to mentor level staff. This job allowed him to work directly with clients, offering a unique glimpse into the developmental process of teenagers. Working in the field also afforded invaluable insight into the clinical work delivered by Second Nature therapists. As a mentor, Bill worked to coach other staff, developing new approaches and building skills to produce more effective staff teams.
Bill’s experience working with adolescents and young adults taught him the importance of listening and positive regard. In so many instances he learned that teens specifically struggle to find allies and positive influences in their lives. They are looking for support and direction. The challenges faced in this search often dissuade them from the successes they are capable of. This understanding steers Bill in his work. He has sought to be this positive and encouraging influence.
Bill’s approach to working with teenagers focuses on empathy and rapport. He believes in the value of personal experience and respects the emotional challenges presented during adolescence. He is excited to meet others on their terms, work with them to accomplish their goals, and support the struggles that accompany this process. He believes in the curative effects of expression and dialogue and promotes experientially based learning to build self –awareness and confidence.
When not working with teenagers Bill is an avid skier, fly fishermen, guitar player, and all-around wilderness buff. He has traveled extensively in the American west, ridden his bike half way across the country, and traveled above the Arctic Circle. He is an avid cook and always has a novel and a book of poems in arms reach.
Bill lives in Vermont with his wife, Jen and their dog, Tuckerman. He is currently enrolled in a Master’s of Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Antioch University.
lisa roth, Mentor
Lisa was born and raised in Wheaton, IL a suburb of Chicago. Her passion for adventure and the outdoors was discoverd in the woods of Wisconsin where she spent her summers either at camp or at her grandparents' cottage with her cousins. These summers consisted of camping, fishing, conoeing and spending time working at her friend's farm. Following high school, Lisa moved further north to attend Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota where she received her B.A. in Education. It was during her time as a Heath Care teacher where Lisa recognized the need for students to be taught healthier coping strategies and practical life skills. Lisa discovered through this experience that she was drawn, not only to teaching, but to mentoring her students on a social, emotional level as well.
Following graduation from college, Lisa journeyed out west in June of 2008 when she was hired as a wilderness instructor for Second Nature Entrada. Lisa was excited to bring her passion for the outdoors together with her passion for teaching and mentoring. She started her work at Second Nature Entrada as a field staff, was soon promoted to a senior field staff position and eventually a mentor field instructor, the highest level of field instructor in the program.
During her time at Entrada Lisa worked in young adult groups as well as the adolescent boys and girls groups. This allowed her to work with a wide range of clients during her years in the field. Lisa gained great experience and insight during her time at Entrada. One of the many things she learned was the importance of empathy and providing everyone with the opportunity to share their life story with people who care. Over and over again she saw how this helped lay the foundation for a safe, honest relationship with the clients she worked with.
Lisa is excited about this next step in her career as a 360 Mentor. She looks forward to supporting young women at this stage in their process as they learn to translate the skills they have gained in treatment in everyday life. Lisa's ability to connect with her clients and empathize while simultaneously holding them accountable is an invaluable strength she brings to each of the clients she mentors.
During Lisa's free time she enjoys hiking with her dogs, camping and fishing with her husband where she lives in Rifle, Colorado and most importantly cheering on her Chicago Bears. Go Bears!
hawk dykes, Mentor
Hawk grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. He began his career in the mental health field in high school where he mentored children in foster homes. Following graduation he went on the earn a BS in Psychology from Berry College. It was through his volunteer work during college in environments that ranged from psychiatric facilities to summer camps that Hawk discovered a passion for working with people and engaging them in the challenge of discovering a better life for themselves.
Hawk began his professional career as a Social Worker helping adolescents and young adults with servere mental illness and substance abuse issues. Throughout this role Hawk developed his own unique style of mentoring. His approach of guiding the individual to discover the tools and motivation to help themselves rather than doing it for them has been the cornerstone of his success. Hawk's ability to step along-side, encourage and provide accountability for the young men he works with results in an engaging, effective and dynamic mentoring relationship.
In April 2008 Hawk brought his skills to the field at Second Nature Entrada. It was through this experience that he discovered the unique opportunity to combine his love for the outdoors with his passion for working with people. Through his two and a half years as a Senior Field Instructor at Entrada, Hawk worked extensively with clients from across the country with a wide range of stuggles and behavioral issues. Hawk felt strongly that his ability to be proactive, creative, and dynamic when addressing entrenched behaviors as well as listening were the most important agents of change he offered his clients.
Hawk is excited to take the experience that he has gained through his years in the field as a wilderness instructor as well as his other experiences and apply this to his mentoring relationships with his 360 clients.
During his free time Hawk enjoys cooking, hiking, biking, photography, travel and projects that involve creativity and working with his hands. Hawk currently lives in Sisters, Oregon.
patrick devlin, mentor
Patrick was born in Dallas, Texas and raised in the surrounding area. He currently resides in Bend, Oregon where he is completing a Masters in Social Work at Portland State University's satellite campus. Patrick joined the Second Nature team in April 2008 as a field instructor. During this two and a half years as a field instructor Patrick developed his clinical skills, his ability to connect with clients, and also refined his philosophy of treatment and recovery. While working at Second Nature he completed his Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Prescott College.
Patrick believes his process of being drawn to the human services field was motivated by his own personal struggles with substance abuse and correlating issues after graduating high school early and beginning his college career at the University of Arizona. Challenges in his personal life during the first two years of college led him to begin his own journey of healing and recovery. It was not an easy path, and it was only when Patrick entered his own therapeutic wilderness experience at Second Nature Entrada that he discovered a deep connection with nature and with himself which led to his healing. Following this experience, Patrick dedicated himself to assisting others in their own healing process.
During his training, Patrick worked with a wide range of clients. This allowed him to gain a balanced perspective on a number of treatment approaches. He worked at a local family relief nursery with two to three year olds, a non-profit agency that serves adults with developmental disabilities, and more recently at a state run secure mental health facility for adults with severe mental illness. Although Patrick is grateful for this broad range of experience, he recognizes that his passion lies in working with young people.
Patrick is open with his clients and their families about his own process of recovery which allows him to both empathize and mentor from a first person perspective. He believes his life experiences provide him with an innate ability and passion for working with people, and he brings this passion and commitment to his work with the young men he mentors at 360.
When he is not working or studying, Patrick enjoys trail running, biking, rock climbing, yoga, backpacking, watching his Dallas based sports teams, reading, writing and watching movies. He is also the single parent of a Whippet-Pit Bull mix named Maya. He has been clean and sober since July 2, 2007.
zachary millman, mentor
Zak grew up in Nashville, TN with his parents and older sister. In 2006 he joined the Second Nature Entrada field instructor team and was subsequently promoted to the senior instructor level where he remained until his departure in 2008. By working with clients in the Second Nature field Zak learned the power of listening before suggesting, empathizing before judging and trying before denying. Zak was struck by the degree to which these guidelines allowed him to establish genuine connections with clients and co-instructors alike; he was equally impressed with the prominent role a positive relationship holds in a person's treatment or recovery process. Throughout his instructorship and in subsequent years mentoring, Zak kept these lessons close in both mind and heart.
Committed to broadening his impact on the field of mental health, Zak left Entrada in 2008 and began his undergraduate education at the University of Colorado, Boulder. There, Zak worked with a research group on trials of Family-Focused Therapy for youth with, or at risk of developing, Bipolar Disorder. In addition to his involvement in clinical research, Zak developed and supervised several ongoing psychology related programs, including a high school mentorship program benefiting youth enrolled in alternative high schools. In conjunction with his field work, Zak's research experience inspired him to pursue a career in Clinical Psychology that integrates clinical and research activities. Now in between graduation and graduate enrollment, Zak is living in Boulder and remains involved in a variety of mentorship and research projects. Zak recently graduated from the University of Colorado Phi Beta Kappa and Summa cum Laude in Psychology and Neuroscience.
In his free time, Zak enjoys running, hiking, writing and cooking. He is an enthusiastic live music attendee and feels fortunate to live in a state where high quality live music never ends. He is involved in a local grassroots marketing company for which he volunteers to promote musical events. As a means of further engaging his passions for music, writing, the local community and social connections, Zak also hopes to begin writing concert reviews for the company in the near future.