Therapists
The Ski Therapy program offers uniquely qualifies therapists to facilitate emotional healing in natural settings. The team is directed by Andrew Rose, Jody Radtke, Katie Asmus, and Amy Winchester, and also includes S. E. Rafferty, Holly Bryson, Heather Menzie, Oakley Ogden and Caitlin Slutzky.
Andrew Rose MA, Director, Trauma Specialist, Anger Management Instructor
Andrew developed Ski Therapy from a felt sense of health that accompanied his back-country and resort ski trips. After training and practicing EMDR and Brainspotting in office settings he discovered the trauma resolution protocols to be effective in the resort environment. Andrew is in private practice in Boulder, Colorado specializing in individual adult and child trauma resolution, and teen and couples therapy. Andrew is keenly interested in improving therapies for emotional regulation and trauma using neurofeedback, and has incorporated heart rate variability monitoring into therapy in novel ways. Andrew has counseled families, teens and children as a member of the Family Team at Access Counseling, Boulder.
Andrew is a seasoned outdoor leader, teacher, and guide, and has 5 years of outdoor leadership experience, with advanced skills in backcountry navigation, snow camping, skiing, canoeing, wilderness medicine, and rock climbing. Through teaching high school and guiding adolescents in recovery, Andrew acquired experience and counseling skills that support Ski Therapy's outdoor ethics, values, and clinical themes. Andrew has field experience with adolescent wilderness recovery programs in Arizona, Nevada, and Utah, and degrees in Secondary School Education (San Francisco State University) and Transpersonal Counseling Psychology concentrating in Wilderness Therapy (MA Naropa University), and a BA in Mathematics from Cornell University.
Katie Asmus MA, LPC, Program Clinical Supervisor
Katie has over 13 years of counseling experience with individuals, groups, and families. She also has 18 years of experience leading groups in the wilderness with organizations such as Outward Bound and The Women’s Wilderness Institute. She is a faculty member in the Master of Wilderness Therapy and Somatic Psychology Programs at The Naropa University, and an instructor for MA Adventure Based Psychotherapy & Education students at Prescott College. Her written work has been published in various journals, and she presents internationally on topics such as Trauma & the Body, Contemplative & Creative Arts Practices, and Wilderness Adventure Therapy. Additional Courses & Trainings Include: EMDR, Body-Mind Psychotherapy Practitioner/Instructor, Matrix Works Group Leadership, Wilderness Directions Hendricks Work, Right Use of Power Practitioner/Instructor, Hypnotherapy, & Energy Medicine
Amy Winchester MA, Grief Specialist
Amy Winchester is a psychotherapist practicing in Boulder, CO. She specializes in grief and loss, and has extensive experience in wilderness environments as a therapist, guide, and educator. She currently divides her time between grief counseling at HospiceCare of Boulder & Broomfield Counties, her private practice, and spending time outside in the mountains of Colorado. Amy received her master's degree in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology and Wilderness Therapy from Naropa University in 2005, and since then has counseled teenagers, families and individuals experiencing a variety of challenges towards a more healthful and balanced way of being.
Read The Medley That Is Grief, by Amy Winchester, Ski Therapy Grief Specialist
Jody Radtke MA, LPC, Program Clinical Director, combines her years of experience in the outdoor profession leading individuals and groups on adventures in self-discovery with a deep understanding of personal needs, authentic expression, relationships, right use of power and creativity. “I believe in the inherent wisdom that lies within each and every one of us. Tapping into this Truth is our greatest life mission. One that is well worth the effort.” Jody brings a lifetime of passion, presence, commitment and enthusiasm to working with clients. She has studied and has extensive experience in leadership, wilderness risk management, counseling psychology, conflict mediation and group dynamics.
Jody's degrees, experience and awards include: Bachelor of Science, Outdoor Leadership, University of Wisconsin 1992, MA Transpersonal Counseling Psychology, Naropa University 2001, Outward Bound Exceptional Staff award, Colorado 2004, Professional speaker on group dynamics with adult women, since 2005, Program Director at The Women’s Wilderness Institute, 2005 to present, and Adjunct Field Staff at Naropa University Wilderness Therapy Program, 2003 to present.
jodyradtke.com
Jonathan Mitchell MA, Family Counseling Specialist
Having worked therapeutically with youth and families for over eight years, Jonathan has a deep passion for combining the healing power of the wilderness with each individual’s innate ability to become whole. After working extensively with children, adolescents, adults, and families specializing on issues including addiction, attachment, depression, anxiety and trauma, Jonathan has built a solid foundation for transformative inter- and intra-personal work with his clients. Jonathan has worked for six therapeutic programs focused on successfully changing unhealthy familial and personal dynamics. He also is passionate about facilitating rites of passage for young adults.
He holds a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Wilderness Therapy from Naropa University in 2007 and is a graduate of the Gestalt Institute of the Rockies. Additionally, Jonathan has experience as a NOLS Certified Backpacking and Rock Climbing Instructor, a certified Wilderness First Responder, an active spiritual mentor and teacher for youth and parents, holds degrees in Mathematics and Physics, and has taught college Mathematics. He is passionate about teaching, guiding, and serving others in their own evolution, and enjoys backcountry skiing.
S.E. Rafferty MA, Grief in Children and Families and Family Counseling Specialist
Rafferty has 11 years of professional experience working therapeutically in outdoor and indoor settings, including wilderness work with adolescents struggling in their family systems and social surroundings, and residential work with young women with addictions in an after-care program. She specializes in creating programming for young people ages 5-24 in winter travel, backpacking, rock climbing, equine-facilitated psychotherapy, and watercrafts. Currently, she is a Clinician for adolescents in the Colorado foster care system.
Rafferty personally found the healing aspects of the wilderness through a 2168-mile walk on the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. Learning to telemark ski has been an effective form of somatic expression for her since moving to Colorado in 2005. She holds a BA in Psychology from University of Virginia (1997) and an MA in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology, Wilderness Therapy from Naropa University (2008), and is earning a Gestalt Therapy Certification from the Gestalt Institute of the Rockies (2010).
Holly Bryson MA
Holly currently works as a clinician with juvenile offenders and their families and she has worked with adults for three years in a mentoring capacity, as well as with children. Holly is a certified kundalini yoga and meditation instructor, since 2007. Her method is a relational one, to work with what is alive in each moment, and to create and release through movement. Her approach acknowledges the body's natural responses and intelligence. She holds a BSc in Psychology from the University of Otago, New Zealand and will graduate with an MA in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology, Wilderness Therapy from Naropa University in May, 2009.
Holly has been passionate about the creation of a ski therapy program for many years. She competed internationally on the Australian Development Mogul Team for five years, and has coached and judged competitions. This experience initiated an exploration into new ways of relating to the snow and mountains: to meet these rather than attempt to control them. Holly brings with her a love of the outdoor world and a passion to bring the whole spectrum of life into the therapeutic process.
Heather Menzie MA
Heather is currently a therapist at Open Sky Wilderness Therapy in Durango, Colorado. Through body-centered and experiential psychotherapies, Heather supports her adolescent and adult clients in healing from past traumas, anxiety, and depression through mindfulness based practices and staying connected with their bodies. Heather also coordinates and facilitates wilderness trips for families. Her heart is open to offering her experience and to holding sacred and safe space for individuals and their families. Heather has experience guiding for Wilderness Quest, a Utah based wilderness therapy program, where she helped students achieve changes in substance use/abuse and personal responsibility, and for the Women’s Wilderness Institute, strengthening the courage, leadership, and confidence of girls and women through expression of voice and body movement.
Previously, Heather taught high school in one-to-one and small group settings for students with special developmental and emotional needs. Heather guided for Arkansas River Tours for seven years, leading trips for families, youth groups, and organizations focused on team building and deepening communication skills. She also led several specialized trips for people that are blind, have brain injuries, and are terminally ill.
Heather holds a BA in English from the College of William and Mary, and an MA from Naropa University in Transpersonal Psychology, concentration in Wilderness Therapy.
Caitlin Slutzky MA
Caitlin weaves together her love of the natural world with her love of the human spirit as she supports others in healing their relationships with self, other, and nature. This passion has underscored her 10 years of professional experience working in a variety of therapeutic and educational roles, including an elementary and high school educator, wilderness guide for teens and young adults, and mindfulness instructor. Currently she offers psychotherapy for individuals, families, and groups in the Denver/Boulder area working with trauma, addiction, differentiation, grief, and transition. She is inspired to work towards restoring relationships within families and empowering individuals to unlock their creative essence and personal truths. Her holistic approach addresses the unique needs and desires of each client, and helps support the re-integration of body-mind-spirit.
Caitlin received her MA in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology, Wilderness Therapy in May 2009, from Naropa, and expects her Gestalt Therapy Certification from the Gestalt Institute of the Rockies in September 2010.
