We aim to provide accessible, quality mental health services for our Summit County community in the great outdoors.

Who we are

Kristen Greenwald

LCSW, SPT, WFR

Wild Youth Passages Clinical Director, Wild Nature Wellness Founder & Individual Therapist

I am passionate about supporting people to reach their highest potential, through transforming challenge and pain into healing, strength, and empowerment.  As humans, we tend to carry unresolved, unintegrated issues with us, blocking us from reaching our best selves and our best possible lives. As a therapist, my work is to support my clients to identify these barriers to their personal happiness, heal from that which is holding them back, and begin to actively live the life they strive for.

I work with people of all ages as I find great enjoyment working with people in various stages of life.  I serve children, teens, and adults. This includes children and adolescents experiencing trauma, depression, stress, anxiety, bereavement, eco-anxiety, climate anxiety, solastalgia (distress from environmental change), and ADHD. Part of this work often includes providing parenting support and coaching to help the child reach their highest potential and increase connectedness between children and parents/caretakers.

Additionally, I work with adults healing from complex trauma, eco-emotions, climate distress, anxiety, stress, depression, emotional regulation challenges, and barriers to actualizing their goals.

Trained in many different modalities, I use those which are most appropriate to my client.   I have speciality training in EMDR, Climate-Aware Therapy, Ecotherapy, Interpersonal Neurobiology, Synergetic Play Therapy, Horticultural Therapy, Experiential Therapy, Adventure-Based Therapy, and Animal-Assisted Therapy.  As an EMDR therapist, I am able to help clients reprocess difficult and traumatic memories and experiences which have resulted in maladaptive responses in the present, clearing away stress responses, negative self-cognitions, and maladaptive patterns of behavior.  As a Synergetic Play Therapist, I am able to support children and teens in working through issues, while learning to regulate their nervous system, and subsequently their bodies and emotions. While I use these modalities frequently, I also use DBT and CBT interventions in my work.  Finally, as a yoga instructor, I am passionate about the mind-body connection and integrate mindfulness and body awareness work into sessions as appropriate.

I believe in creating environments which are stress-reducing and inspiring to do this work within, and therefore specialize in creating therapeutic garden and nature settings as my “office space”, which research studies indicate are correlated with a decrease in stress hormones, depression symptoms, a sense of “getting away”, and an increase in an overall sense of wellbeing.  I strive to make these settings an option for those who prefer these environments.

Contact

Phone: (970)-368-2141

Email : kristen@wildnaturesummit.com

Hello! My name is Melissa and I am a Licensed Social Worker. I am a compassionate and dedicated therapist utilizing a trauma-informed, person-centered approach to the therapeutic process and believe that every individual I meet with holds their own unique potential to overcome life’s inevitable challenges by harnessing inner strengths and resilience. In addition to traditional modes of talk therapy, I am trained in EMDR and believe that a great amount of healing can be done by reprocessing traumas, maladaptive memories, and negative core beliefs that affect us in our everyday lives. 

To give some background on my personal journey as a therapist, I graduated from the University of Denver in June of 2023, earning my Master’s in Social Work with a concentration in Mental Health. Prior to my time at DU, I attended Purdue University, graduating in June of 2020 with a B.S. in Psychology and B.A. in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. While working towards my MSW at the University of Denver, I completed internships providing therapy in a school setting, as well as in an experiential, adventure, and nature-based program for youth.

Since graduating from my Master’s program, I provide women’s DBT groups and serve as a clinician for the Wild Youth Passages Program in Summit County, which is an experiential, adventure and nature-based therapy group for youth experiencing moderate-severe mental health challenges. Along with weekly group therapy sessions, Wild Youth Passages embarks on quarterly nature retreats, including hut trips, backpacking retreats, camping retreats, and rock climbing retreats. 

I’ve found my passion in working with adolescents and adults experiencing complex trauma and other mental health challenges such as PTSD, anxiety, depression, self-harming behaviors, and suicidal ideation. As for my individual client caseload, I am currently seeing adolescents and adults, utilizing therapeutic interventions such as CBT, DBT, Mindfulness, and EMDR. Along with these interventions, I believe that nature can be a strong proponent in an individual’s healing journey so I offer walk-and-talk sessions, as well as sessions taking place along Lake Dillon, depending on client preference.

If interested in either group or individual therapy, please reach out to me at melissa@wildnaturesummit.com to inquire about current availability and to schedule an intake session! I look forward to hearing from you. 

Contact

Email: melissa@wildnaturesummit.com

I am passionate about creating wellness through intentional, supportive, community-based work. I am the Program Coordinator and Wilderness Guide for Wild Youth Passages and a student in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Master’s program through The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, aiming for a Licensed Professional Counselor licensure. As a longtime Outdoor Educator, I have witnessed the transformative impacts of intentional group work done in outdoor settings. I am a Wilderness First Responder and spend my time hiking, biking, running, skiing, and more.

My previous work includes instructing and leading at the High Mountain Institute and Colorado Outward Bound School in Leadville, Colorado, the Thompson Island Outward Bound School in Boston, Massachusetts, and numerous other youth-oriented outdoor organizations. Here at Wild Youth Passages, as the Program Coordinator, I help facilitate meaningful experiences for our teens through thoughtful partnerships, group-appropriate challenges, and intentionally developed programming. When I’m not working, I enjoy outdoor adventures, cooking, board games, and spending time with loved ones.

Contact

Email: sam@wildnaturesummit.com