clink on a team member to learn more about the team

Jayson Gaddis, founder, coach, field guide
Michael Vladeck, coach, counselor, field guide
Keith Kurlander, lead psychotherapist
Ruth Wharton, lead field guide
Dan Riggan, lead field guide
Garret Conway, lead field guide, california division
Will Scott, lead field guide, california division
Reuvain Bacal, field guide

Jayson Gaddis, MA, CGT, LPC, director

Founder and Director of innernature, Jayson Gaddis leads transformational rite-of-passage expereinces for men, women couples and groups. He coaches and counsels people to become fully who they are and live the life they want.

He received his master’s in Transpersonal Psychology and Counseling from Naropa University in May 2005. He studied at the Gestalt Institute of the Rockies for three years. Jayson is a facilitator for the Authentic Man Program in Colorado. He is a certified meditation instructor. Jayson works with clients over the phone and in his private office in Boulder Colorado. Since 2001, he designed and has led over 15 backpacking rites-of-passage trips for collegiate men.

For many years, he worked as an outdoor educator, ski coach, and group facilitator. Jayson is passionate about helping people grow. He is gifted in working with personal transformation one on one and in groups.
Jayson appreciates spending time in nature and connecting with friends. He has been a committed meditation practitioner since 2002 under the tutelage of Reggie Ray and is often on retreat for 1-2 months out of the year. He is a certified Wilderness First Responder.

Jayson was recently interviewed on Fallingfruit.tv about rites of passage trips for men. click here to listen:http://fallingfruit.tv/episodes/join-fraternity-be-all-you-can-be-now-youre-man-right

More about Jayson.

contact jayson 303.818.8411 (jay@innernature.org)

Michael Vladeck

Michael is a Parent-Teenager Coach and Counselor (www.ConnectWithYourTeen.com), has been a Course Director and Lead Instructor for Outward Bound Wilderness and other outdoor educational organizations for the past decade and a half, and is on the Leadership Team for the BVSD’s Parent Engagement Network.  Having overcome fifteen years of clinical depression by the age of 19 and fully healed from an “incurable” form of cancer after eight years by the age of 29, Michael has been able to support hundreds of teenagers on their individual journeys of personal development and transformation.  He has a private family counseling practice in Boulder. michael@connectwithyourteen.com

Ruth Wharton, MA

Ruth Wharton, an experienced wilderness guide, mentor, and counselor. Ruth has worked extensively with people of all ages in wilderness, residential, and therapeutic settings. She has trained at and guides with The School of Lost Borders and is deeply committed to re-introducing rites of passage into the world. This woman delicately weaves the lessons and beauty of nature through the world around her. Ruth has a B.A. in Therapeutic Use of the Wilderness Experience and Cultural Anthropology from Prescott College and a M.A. in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology from Naropa University. Ruth has also been a Wilderness First Responder for 9 years.

contact ruth 303.494.177 (ruthwharton@yahoo.com)

Keith Kurlander, MA, LPC, lead psychotherapist

Born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in a suburb in central New Jersey, Keith received his B.A. at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and his M.A. in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology from Naropa University in Colorado. He received additional therapeutic training from the Gestalt Institute of the Rockies. Keith has worked as a therapist in a variety of settings. He was a crisis clinician for an emergency psychiatric service in Colorado, where he evaluated and diagnosed children and adults in hospitals, jails, and homes, as well as provided direct intervention services for clients in suicidal and other acute psychiatric states. He has also been an outpatient therapist at the Longmont Mental Health Center, providing weekly counseling services to adults, families, and children suffering from a broad spectrum of psychological issues. Keith has facilitated a high school drug recovery group, and has led other teen groups focused on anger awareness and healthy expression. In May 2004 Keith became a field therapist for SUWS, a wilderness therapy program for struggling teens. At SUWS Keith fell in love with using the wilderness as a therapeutic ground from which to explore ones deepest truths. While at SUWS Keith led rites of passage rituals and therapeutic interventions focused on trust, attachment, and early adulthood transition. Keith is passionate both professionally and personally. He has a strong spiritual practice and intends to make choices that come from heart and soul. He believes that growth comes from courageously looking into one self, and taking total responsibility for our perceptions. He is a certified yoga instructor, and bodyworker, and has basic first aid/cpr certification. He has traveled internationally and likes to ski, hike, camp, read, play guitar and drums, and meditate.

More about Keith.

contact keith 303.358.6259 (keith@innernature.org)

Reuvain Bacal, MA

Reuvain Bacal, MA is a psychotherapist and professional mentor for young adult men. He received his Master’s degree in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology at Naropa University where he has taught Group Dynamics and Leadership. Reuvain is a graduate of the Peacemaker Institute and is trained as a meditation instructor. He has taught both leadership and peacemaking in Boulder schools, and has been professionally engaged in transforming conflict in Israel. Reuvain has started and led men’s groups for several years.

contact reuvain 720.530.4859 (reuvainbacal@gmail.com)

Dan Riggan, MA

A Berkeley, California native, Dan graduated from Naropa University in 2005 with a Masters degree in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology, with a concentration in Wilderness Therapy. For fifteen years Dan worked at several outdoor education companies in a variety of capacities and in multiple wilderness settings. These adventures have included ice climbing, scuba diving, whitewater rafting, and backpacking all over the United States, including Alaska, as well as Australia, Fiji, Spain, Italy, France, and Canada. He spent many of these winters managing an adaptive ski program for people with mental and physical disabilities in Lake Tahoe, California. Dan is a certified Wilderness First Responder.

In 1999, Dan co-founded an experiential education program in New Hampshire which serves a variety of clients, ranging from youth-at-risk to corporate managers. In 2000, Dan was trained by The School of Lost Borders as a rites of passage facilitator. This training helped to ignite a passion for wilderness rites of passage that still burns within him. He utilizes Gestalt, body-centered therapy, transpersonal psychology, and EMDR as therapeutic modalities to aid in his client’s healing process. Currently Dan is a family therapist at the Monarch Center for Family Healing in Georgetown, Colorado.

When Dan is not working, you will likely find him playing basketball, outdoor recreating, or eating ice cream in front of a good movie. Dan is often accompanied by his fantastic companion, Luna, a stellar mountain dog and lover of all beings (except squirrels).

contact dan 303.641.2023 (danriggan@hotmail.com)

Garret Conway, MA

For over a decade, Garret Conway
M. A. has been dedicated to the healing potential of the wilderness and rites of passage. He has worked extensively with a diversity of populations including inner city teenagers on probation, adults in life transition, families, university students, children K-17, emotionally challenged special education students, and affluent at-risk youth. He has lead wilderness trips in Australia, Fiji, British Columbia, the U.S., and Costa Rica and has directed wilderness leadership training programs, summer camp programs, ropes course, and after school programs. Garret has taught ecopsychology through the University of California Extension. He has an undergraduate degree in Wilderness Therapy and a Masters Degree in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Wilderness Therapy and is trained as a Wilderness First Responder. Garret is the co-founder of The Wilderness Within, a program specializing in the healing process of wilderness rites of passage. His passion lies in the healing potential of wilderness experiences, music, and ritual. He currently lives in Idaho serving as a clinical field supervisor and therapist for troubled youth.

contact garret 720.284.8253 (gconway@onebox.com)

Will Scott

Will Scott is a gifted teacher and guide whose infectious enthusiasm and creativity can transform any trip into a lively, fun and soulful journey. Will received his B.A. from the University of California at Santa Cruz where he focused his studies on ecopsychology and the effects of the wilderness experience. He went on to assist in teaching a variety of wilderness field programs through the UC extension. An experienced wilderness guide, Will has worked with a variety of organizations to lead trips both locally and internationally. As a teacher, guide, and facilitator, Will has worked with students and individuals of all ages in classrooms and in the field. When not in the wilderness, Will is a teacher of environmental science and ecopsychology, as well as a group facilitator and organizer. Will co-founded The Wilderness Within in 2003, with Garret Conway. He is a certified Wilderness First Responder and has trained in wilderness quest guiding with The School of Lost Borders. Will currently lives in the San Francisco area where he works locally as a teacher and a guide.