Clinical Team, Entrada

Matt Hoag, Ph.D.

Partner, Clinical Director, Primary Therapist

Phone: 435.674.9310
Fax: 435.674.9309
Cell: 801.201.1776
Email: secondnaturematt@gmail.com

Matt completed his studies at Brigham Young University, receiving his B.S. in Psychology and Sociology, as well as his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in child, adolescent and family therapy. Matt is a licensed clinical child psychologist who has been practicing in Utah since 1994.

Matt has specialized in the treatment and assessment of adolescents and their families, predominantly in wilderness settings. He has been working in the wilderness over the last nine years. He worked for three years at Aspen Achievement Academy as a field therapist, assistant clinical director and director of research. Prior to Aspen, he worked at RedCliff Ascent in southern Utah. At both programs, Matt conducted psychological and psycho educational evaluations with adolescents. He has also worked at both Second Nature programs in Utah, and done psychological testing at all 4 Second Nature programs.

He has also worked in private practice, children's hospitals, and a variety of outpatient and nonprofit clinics in Utah and Kansas. He has numerous publications in several mental health journals relating to group dynamics and group psychotherapy, programs for juvenile delinquents, childhood sexual abuse, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and the efficacy of wilderness therapy. Matt has presented research and theory at national and regional psychological conferences. He serves on NATSAP’s research committee, a committee designed to further research efforts within the NATSAP community.

Currently, Matt is a field therapist and Clinical Director at Second Nature Wilderness Program - Entrada. He is the primary therapist of a group of adolescent boys and their families. Clinically, he specializes in the treatment of depression, substance abuse, oppositional defiance, ADHD, as well as working within complex family systems. He also coordinates the psychological and psycho educational evaluations for the 4 Second Nature programs.

He is the oldest of 5 children, born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and raised in Minnesota. He is a Vikings and Timberwolves fan, and in general a sports fan. He has fun collecting art and designing his arcade and theatre room. His latest hobby is riding his Harley in southern Utah, something he tries to do year round. He loves to spend time with his family (four daughters and one son) hiking and being outdoors. He has been married for 16 years and enjoys traveling with his wife.

Mike Hench, M.S., M.B.A., L.M.F.T.

Asst. Clinical Director, Primary Therapist

Phone: 435.674.9310
Fax: 435.674.9309
Cell: 435.669.3144
Email: mikeh@snwp.com

Mike received a B.S. degree from Brigham Young University in Family and Human Development. He continued his education at the University of Kentucky, completing a M.S. degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. Mike is a licensed marriage and family therapist in the state of Utah. In addition Mike has an M.B.A. degree from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.

Mike's professional experience has included working in private practice, as a contract therapist with a school district and as an employee assistance professional for a state university. Mike has published on substance abuse epidemiology and prevention issues, sexual decision-making among college-aged students and helped write a curriculum for adolescent and parent communication about sexual issues called PACT (Parents and Adolescents Can Talk). He has presented at several national conferences on issues related to working with young adults in a wilderness setting.

Most recently Mike has worked as a program therapist for a residential treatment program and as the director of a competing young adult wilderness program. He has been at Second Nature Entrada since 2005. Mike's clinical specialties are in working with attachment/adoption issues, borderline personality, social anxiety, low self esteem, family relationship problems, 17 year olds turning 18, oppositional defiance and sex addiction. Mike's strengths and approach as a clinician include attention to detail, balance between confrontation and sensitivity, family systems context, creativity, narrative/solution focused approach and building rapport with treatment resistant clients.

Mike was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania and spent most of his youth in the Baltimore, Maryland area. His wife is from Sothern California and they live together in St. George, Utah with their three children. Mike still enjoys visiting the East Coast but considers the Southwest home now. He enjoys playing softball, weight training, watching professional and college sports and playing outdoors hiking, riding ATVs', mountain biking and exploring canyons.

Paul Goddard, Ph.D.

Phone: (435) 674-9310
Fax: (435) 674-9309
Cell: (435) 669-5871
Email: paul@snwp.com

Paul received his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia in Clinical Psychology, with specialization in Child and Family. Since that time he has worked in both residential and outdoor based programs as a therapist, clinical director and executive director for some of the nation's premier programs. He has chosen to return to his "first love" to work with the "kids" as a field therapist for Second Nature. His experience and training include work with trauma and abuse, attachment issues, depression and anxiety, eating disorders, substance abuse, learning difficulties, attention deficit, oppositionality and self-esteem. He challenges students to "find that which is best within and to express that inner strength to make the world a better place."

When not working, Paul enjoys riding his Honda ST1100 through Southern Utah, gardening and spending time with family and friends. He also enjoys learning of various cultures, and has visited Russia and Costa Rica in the recent past.

Justin Stum, L.M.F.T.

Phone: 435-773-2709
Fax: 435-608-4417
Cell: 435-773-2709
Email: justins@snwp.com

Justin began his clinical training at Brigham Young University where he received a B.S. in Family Studies. Justin pursued a post graduate degree, receiving an M.S. in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Kentucky. While in Kentucky, Justin gained clinical experience including work with adults and adolescents treating sexual abuse, depression, marital discord, and substance dependence. During his time at UK, he received a number of awards at state and local conferences for his contributions to the university and community. He has also presented results from clinical research he conducted at a national AAMFT conference on therapeutic intervention and client outcomes.

Prior to coming to Second Nature, Justin was employed by RedCliff Ascent, a wilderness therapy program in southern Utah where he served for three years as a therapist. Justin treated adolescents and their families providing individual, group, and family therapy in the wilderness. In addition to his past work at RedCliff, Justin also maintains a small part-time private practice in St. George, Utah.

Justin is a licensed family therapist in the state of Utah. His clinical specialties include treating oppositional defiance, substance abuse, depression, and enmeshed/disengaged family systems. Much of his work involves restructuring boundaries, clarifying expectations, and nurturing understanding in familial relationships. Fostering choice and accountability also play a significant role in his therapy. Justin typically takes a systemic approach with an emphasis in narrative and experiential therapy paradigms.

He grew up the oldest of eight children in a blended family setting. He enjoyed many mountaineering expeditions in the Northwest. Justin is happily married and keeps quite busy with his four children. You can generally find him with his kids geocaching or playing in a city park. Outside of his family time, he enjoys running, weight training, and building computers.

Allison Hilemon, Psy.D.

Primary Therapist

Phone: 435.674.9310
Fax: 435.674.9309
Cell: 503.490.8294
Email: allisonh@snwp.com

Allison began her undergraduate studies at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, studying Philosophy and Religion. Longing to return to the mountains, she transferred to Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, where she received a B.A. in Psychology, Philosophy, and Religion. Following a brief sabbatical from academia, Allison moved to Portland, Oregon to pursue a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, receiving her M.A. and Psy.D. from Pacific University. While in Portland, Allison worked with adults, adolescents and couples at the Psychological Service Center, providing individual, group, and couples therapy and conducting psychological assessments. During this time, Allison also co-created and facilitated an art therapy program at Outside-Inn, a shelter and outreach program for homeless youth struggling with substance abuse, major mental illness, and gang involvement. In 2001, Allison joined Project Quest Integrative Health Center, providing individual, group, and couples therapy to clients diagnosed with HIV/AIDS as well as facilitating outreach nutritional programs for terminally ill patients.

Allison began working with at-risk adolescent boys in 2002 at St. Mary's Home for Boys, a residential treatment center located in Beaverton, Oregon. While at St. Mary's, Allison provided individual and family therapy, as well as psychological evaluations and assessments for adolescent boys with psychological disorders including Conduct and Oppositional Disorders, Mood and Anxiety Disorders, Schizophrenia, Reactive Attachment Disorders, and ADHD. Additionally, Allison worked with both sexual abuse victims and perpetrators, providing Sexual Offender Treatment groups to registered sexual offenders and trauma recovery groups to sexual abuse victims. While at St. Mary's, Allison became certified in, and incorporated EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) into her therapy to treat adolescents suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. During her training in clinical psychology, Allison developed an appreciation and interest in indigenous healing traditions, traveling and working with numerous healers from Haiti to Africa. Towards the end of her graduate work, Allison devised a plan (a.k.a. dissertation) to synthesize her seemingly polar interests (not to mention gain some travel time). Allison spent a year conducting research on substance abuse treatment at Takiwasi Integrative Health Center in Tarapoto, Peru. Takiwasi focuses on integrating indigenous healing into contemporary clinical psychology afforded Allison with an appreciation for both healing traditions.

Allison joined Second Nature in June 2007, and has worked in both boys and girls groups. She has worked with a wide-range of diagnostic presentations, including trauma, attachment issues, substance abuse, and personality disorders. In her free time, Allison enjoys rock climbing, mountain biking, backcountry snowboarding, traveling in parasite-ridden countries, playing guitar, blowing glass, and praying that the Utah Jazz will take a championship.

Mayer Jeppson, Ph.D.

Primary Therapist

Phone: 435.674.9310
Fax: 435.674.9309
Cell: 435.669.8912
Email: mayerj@snwp.com

Mayer completed his Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology from the University of Utah in June, 1996. In June of 2000 he completed his Master’s of Science in Education (M.S. Ed.) in Mental Health Counseling through the Counseling Psychology Department at the University of Miami, Florida. Mayer completed his Ph.D. through the Brigham Young University Clinical Psychology program in August, 2008.

Mayer focused his clinical experience on at-risk adolescent and adult populations. He has conducted psychological assessments and/or conducted individual and group therapy through St. Elizabeth's Hospital (a forensic mental hospital based in D.C.); the Northwest Child and Family Community Support Center in D.C.; the Juvenile Addictions Receiving Facility (JARF) at Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, Florida; Juvenile Detention Center (JDC) in Miami, Florida; South Miami Excel Shelter (a secure housing unit for unruly, truant, runaway, school failure, conduct disordered, and substance addicted adolescents); University of Miami Institute for Family Living; Brigham Young University Comprehensive Clinic; Utah State Fourth District Juvenile Court; Utah State Adult Probation and Parole Salt Lake City Daily Reporting Center; Utah State Board of Pardons; Utah State Prison Sex-Offender Treatment Program; and the Utah State Prison Olympus Forensic Mental Health Unit.

Before his psychology internship from September 2006 to September 2007, Mayer worked as an assistant therapist and primary therapist at the Second Nature, Duchesne site. He is excited and thankful to return to Second Nature, more particularly Entrada, and continue work in the wilderness with adult clientele. Mayer loves the outdoors and in his spare time he enjoys activities with his wife and children. In addition to his passion for family, he enjoys hiking through and photographing the slot canyons of Southern Utah (called canyoneering), watching and playing rugby union football, playing racquetball, snowboarding, and traveling.

Lauren Roberts, M.S.

Primary Therapist

Phone: 435.674.9310
Fax: 435.674.9309
Cell: 435.773.7046
Email: lroberts@snwp.com

Lauren Roberts graduated from Prescott College with her B.A. in Human Development with an emphasis in Women’s Studies and a minor in Outdoor Education. Lauren’s passion for travel and social change led her to Thailand to participate in tsunami relief work. Lauren’s passion for the outdoors has led her to guiding wilderness trips for adolescents in Northern Wisconsin and for young adults in Arizona.

Lauren was delighted to begin working as a field staff at Entrada in the winter of 2006. In May 2007 Lauren began working as a Therapist Assistant for Entrada. She has worked as an assistant in several groups with a variety of populations including adolescent females, adolescent males, and young adults. Lauren received her Masters in Mental Health Counseling through a local University of Phoenix ground campus. She works in town doing part time outpatient treatment focused on trauma work, anxiety, depression, and some acute mental illnesses. She also runs a weekly anxiety and depression group in town. She feels blessed at the opportunity to continuously apply the theoretical framework she is gaining in her outpatient treatment directly to the clients in the field.

Lauren is passionate about mind body healing and using wilderness to emphasize this connection. Lauren believes that wilderness creates a focus on self-empowerment that gently moves clients into a new and healthier way of being.

During her free time, Lauren spends her time reading, running, hiking, biking, and doing yoga. She is happily married and loves exploring all the natural beauty Utah has to offer.

Sean Roberts, M.S.

Primary Therapist

Phone: 435.674.9310
Fax: 435.674.9309
Cell: 435.773.8706
Email: seanr@snwp.com

Sean Roberts earned his Bachelor of Arts from Prescott College in Psychology with an emphasis in Family Systems Theory and a minor in Education. He spent two years creating and implementing an Emotional Intelligence based curriculum while teaching in a middle school classroom in Prescott, AZ. While he completed the credential process to become a teacher, he found that the psychology subject area didn’t fit in the traditional classroom.

His passion for travel, service learning, and community building brought him to Costa Rica with Outward Bound, to Mexico to teach English, and to the Dominican Republic as a program director for service-learning and cross cultural immersion trips. Sean also worked for Outward Bound’s Department of Juvenile Justice and DCF programs taking youth out of jails and into the wilderness. It is there that Sean witnessed the potential for actual rehabilitation and change to occur.

Sean joined Second Nature Entrada in the early fall of 2005 as a wilderness instructor. He became a Senior Field Instructor and worked in the field for a year and a half before joining the clinical team and setting roots down in St George. He received a Masters of Science in Mental Health Counseling and volunteers at a local community mental health clinic providing individual and group counseling for those in need.

Sean is happily married and his hobbies include playing basketball, reading historical fiction, and exploring the many beauties of the Southwest by foot or bike.

Jillian Broeckert, B. S.

Assistant Therapist

Phone: 435.674.9310
Fax: 435.674.9309
Cell: 435.669.5370
Email: jillianb@snwp.com

Jillian had worked in wilderness therapy for over five years. She has held various positions in the field, including senior field instructor, graduations coordinator, and logistics coordinator. She has a passion for the work and has seen it change many lives. Jillian earned her undergraduate degree at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. She received her B.S. in Marriage, Family, and Human Development in 2005. She is now continuing her education at the University of Phoenix's St. George, Utah campus. Jillian is working toward her Masters in Mental Health Counseling, through which she will become a Licensed Professional Counselor.

Jillian grew up in the north woods of Minnesota, where she developed her love for the outdoors. Her family vacations were spent camping and exploring nature. In her free time Jillian enjoys rock climbing, hiking, and pretty much anything outdoors. She also enjoys reading, art, spending time with friends, and playing with her dogs.

Jennie Sorensen, B. A.

Assistant Therapist

Phone: 435.674.9310
Fax: 435.674.9309
Cell: 435-669-3195
Email: jennies@snwp.com

Jennie Sorensen has worked for Second Nature for over ten years. She worked for 5 years at the Uintas program in April 2000 and helped start Entrada when it began in 2005. Jennie has played many various roles during her time at Second Nature including a senior field instructor, a mentor field instructor, and staff recruiter. She joins the clinical team with experience in wilderness therapy and a passion for working with youth and young adults. Jennie has worked in multiple groups throughout her tenure at Second Nature and has learned from a pool of talented therapist’s in the industry.

Jennie is a native of Utah growing up in Provo, right outside of Salt Lake City. She graduated from Utah State University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and is currently furthering her education. Her style in the field is challenging, supportive and empowering. She uses metaphor and creates experiential interventions to help teach and challenge clients. Jennie loves nature and is grateful that her “office” is outside working with youth and young adults.

Jennie is happily married and has 2 young boys that keep her life busy outside of work. She loves running and training for endurance races, playing racquetball, golfing with her family, as well as reading in her spare time.