Clinical Team, Blue Ridge

Clayton, GA

Diana Gordick, Ph.D.

Co-Clinical Director, Primary Therapist

Phone: (706) 212-2037
Fax: (706) 212-0354
Cell: (706) 982-1038
Email: dianag@snwp.com

Dr. Gordick is a licensed psychologist experienced in working with children, adolescents, adults, and families. She has worked in various aspects of the mental health field since 1993 and completed her doctorate in 2002.

She received her B.A. in Psychology from Michigan State University, her M.S. in Community Counseling with a focus in family systems from Georgia State University, and a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology in Georgia State University. Diana enjoys working with teens struggling with self-concept, anxiety, depression, low-self esteem, peer difficulties, trauma, ADHD, learning difficulties, avoidance/withdrawal, oppositional behavior, and substance abuse.

Diana has specialized training in understanding and working with attention-deficit disorder as well as psychological assessment. In addition to working with teens and ulparents, she provides psycho-educational evaluations for Second Nature Blue Ridge. Diana enjoys hiking, camping, and renovating her 1928 home.

Jeff Scott, M.S., L.P.C.

Co-Clinical Director, Primary Therapist

Phone: (706) 212-2037
Fax: (706) 212-0354
Cell: (828) 301-0511
Email: jeffs@snwp.com

Responsibilities include Clinical Director, Treatment Team Coordination, and Primary Therapist. Jeff has been a clinician since 1994 and has been primarily involved in wilderness therapy since 2000. He is licensed as a professional counselor in Georgia and North Carolina. Jeff has specialized training and experience in adolescent development, addictions, identity disorders, sexual abuse, and is also a master practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming. In addition to wilderness therapy, Jeff has worked with at risk youth in a wide variety of treatment modalities, including residential treatment centers, outpatient therapy and special needs boarding schools. Jeff has worked at SUWS of the Carolinas as well as the Aspen Achievement Academy. He has also worked at Charter Provo Canyon School and the Heritage School.

Lu Vaughn, LPC, NCC

Primary Therapist

Phone: (706) 212-2037
Fax: (706) 212-0354
Cell: (404) 558-8747
Email: lvaughn@snwp.com

Lu’s education includes a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Mars Hill College, Mars Hill, NC; a Master’s degree in Public Affairs and a MS in Community Counseling, both from Western Carolina University. She is also a Licensed Professional Counselor. Prior to becoming a clinician, Lu worked as a Program Director with Boy’s Clubs of America and was a municipal Recreation and Parks Director. Her clinical experience includes 7 years with the State of North Carolina Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Center; Director of an adult therapeutic community; Primary Therapist and Clinical Director for an adolescent therapeutic boarding school located in Bahia de Kino, Mexico; Clinical Director for an adolescent therapeutic boarding school located in Samoa; as well as three years previous experience as a primary therapist and Assistant Clinical Director at Second Nature Blue Ridge. Lu specializes in addictions treatment along with treating oppositional defiance, adoption issues, behavioral issues and family issues.

Outside of her experience Lu brings a love of the outdoors, adventure and travel. She believes in challenging herself and her students to get outside of their comfort zones to learn more about themselves and the world around them.

Tony Issenmann, Ph.D., L.M.F.T.

Primary Therapist

Phone: (706) 212-2037
Fax: (706) 212-2037
Cell: (828) 301-0304
Email: tissenmann@snwp.com

Tony was born and raised in the Midwest, near Dayton, Ohio. Before beginning his undergraduate studies, he moved to Switzerland for a year to learn about himself and others around the world. Upon returning to the States, Tony earned a B.A. in German with a History minor from Anderson University (Indiana). For his junior year of undergrad, Tony moved to Germany and completed a year of coursework at the Universität Konstanz. He then began graduate school and earned his Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Appalachian State University. He continued his graduate career at Virginia Tech, and he earned his Ph.D. in Human Development with an emphasis on Marriage and Family Therapy theories. Tony is licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist.

Tony has worked in a variety of settings including community agencies, a day treatment center for schizophrenic clients, and family therapy centers. He has worked with a varying population, but has focused his work primarily around the adolescent and parent system.

Before joining Second Nature, Tony worked at a community mental health agency in Ohio, where he worked with adolescents and their parents. Tony developed a program to help parents increase their parenting skills and develop a greater awareness of their family’s dynamics. Tony felt the traditional outpatient setting was a barrier to effective therapeutic work with adolescents. He believes the wilderness setting provides adolescents with an ideal environment for the experiential learning necessary for meaningful change. Tony embraces experiential learning and utilizes interventions from family systems, cognitive-behavioral and choice theory.

Tony has extensive experience working with adolescents with oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, substance abuse/dependence, ADHD, depression, and anxiety, as well as individuals with anger management problems, grief issues, and enmeshed/disengaged family systems. When not working, Tony enjoys taking hikes with his wife and their Newfoundland - Highland. Tony is also a runner and has recently completed his first marathon.

Mary Flora MBA, MA, LPC, LCAS, NCC

Therapist

Cell: 828.230.3117
Phone: 706.212.2037
Fax: 706.212.0354
Email: maryf@snwp.com

Mary is dually licensed as a Professional Counselor (LPC) and a Clinical Addictions Specialist (LCAS). She has been working in the adventure based therapy industry since 1999 serving youth and adolescents.

Mary received her MA in Counseling Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. She has worked the past four years as an adolescent therapist in a wilderness setting serving both girls and boys with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. Prior to wilderness, Mary worked with special needs youth, adolescents, and their families as an instructor, and therapist in equine assisted therapeutic programming.

Mary enjoys joining with teens in their efforts to deal with substance misuse, dependence, and compulsive behavioral patterns, depression, a-motivational syndrome, relationship issues, anxiety disorders, low self esteem, identity confusion, trauma, loss and grieving, and emotional dysregulation. Mary has specialized training and experience working with learning differences, and sensory integration dysfunction.

Mary's therapeutic orientation is grounded in Depth Psychology and uses strength based approaches in working with adolescents. Relational Therapy, Narrative Theory and Motivational Interviewing are approaches often used to build rapport while facilitating a shift in self defeating behavioral patterns and cognition. Mary also relies on her training in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) when working with emotionally disregulated adolescents. Nature is the perfect backdrop for self discovery and fostering self reliance that can lead to the shift in consciousness and rite of passage often sought and needed in adolescent development.

In her spare time, Mary enjoys time at home with her dog, cat and horse, running, gardening, and travel.