Clinical Team, Uintas

Duchesne, UT

Steve DeBois, Ph.D., Clinical Director

Fax: (801) 606-7516
Cell: 801-541-9861
Email: steved@snwp.com

Steve is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with extensive experience treating adolescents. He received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California at Santa Cruz, and completed his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Tulsa. He has conducted research examining school readiness in preschoolers, evaluation of intervention programs for adolescents, and the outcomes of DUI prevention.

Steve’s clinical experiences includes work in a variety of outpatient and residential programs with children and adolescents. He completed a doctoral internship at Primary Children’s Medical Center in Salt Lake City, and worked for Youth Care residential program prior to coming to Second Nature. Steve’s background includes psychological testing and diagnostic formulation as well as individual, family, and group therapy. He typically uses a combination of cognitive-behavioral, interpersonal, and systems theory interventions in his therapy. He is skilled at working with complex students who require flexible and creative interventions.

An avid outdoorsman, Steve is a natural fit for Second Nature. When he’s not hiking or skiing, Steve appreciates art, music, and cooking. Originally from New Mexico, he takes brief vacations from Utah in search of “real enchiladas” whenever possible.

Ben Pearson, MSW, LCSW, Asst. Clinical Director

Phone: 801 824 3402
Fax: 435 738 2046
Email: benp@snwp.com

Ben was raised in the Black Hills of South Dakota.  In his own teenage years, he resisted the idea of therapy, resented the outdoors, and struggled with academic and social challenges.  His therapeutic experience started as a wilderness instructor in the fall of 1997. During his time in Arizona, he developed a love for the changing power of the outdoors and developed an affinity for primitive living skills.  Ben came to Second Nature in the winter of 2000 and developed from a wilderness intern to a sophisticated therapeutic facilitator of complex treatment plans.  He lived with students in the field and witnessed their daily struggles and successes.  After seeing adolescents become more confident, open, and prepared to face their challenges, Ben interrupted his career with Second Nature to further his formal education.

While at Idaho State University, Ben focused much of his studies on sexual abuse and family systems. During his graduate studies, he worked with individual and families in rural mental health facilities in Washington State. In 2003, Ben received a Masters of Social Work from Eastern Washington University with a clinical focus on adolescents and families.  He returned to Second Nature and combined his clinical training with his field experience.  He now uses the wilderness and small group dynamics to help create an environment where adolescents can develop practical emotional and social problem solving skills. Ben helps each family explore and understand complex issues such as addiction, personal responsibility, emotional awareness, and healthy development. Ben is passionate about helping students sustain changes after leaving the wilderness.  He is active in helping professionals, aftercare programs, and families collaborate to better provide strong support to boys leaving wilderness. He has presented on these topics at several professional conferences on a regional and national level.

Ben enjoys wakeboarding, snowboarding, and just completed his first year of triathlon training and competition.  He keeps busy with home remodeling projects, playing games with his four beautiful children, and supporting his wife's successful photography business.

 

Devan Glissmeyer, Ph.D.

Phone: 801.201.8194
Fax: (435) 738-2046
Email: devan@snwp.com

Devan began his studies at the University of Utah where he received a B.S. in Psychology.  He attended Ball State University in Indiana and received a Masters of Arts in Counseling Psychology.  He returned to Utah and completed his Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy at Brigham Young University. Devan’s doctoral studies focused on family systems and adolescent development and treatment.  His doctoral research focused on the influence of parental and peer relationships on maladaptive behaviors (e.g. substance abuse, oppositional defiance and depression).  He began working with adolescents during graduate school, as a front-line residential staff member.  It was during this work that he began to focus singularly on adolescent development and treatment.  He has also been a college instructor, teaching psychology and communication courses.

Devan is a primary therapist at Second Nature's original wilderness program (Second Nature Uintas).  He manages the longest running group at Second Nature (founded in 1998).  In addition to his role as co-founder and partner, Devan works with boys showing high levels of opposition or are having core struggles in basic social functioning.  The three main profile of students he works with include social skill deficencies (and accompanying isolation and computer game abuse / addiction), habitual deception and substance abuse.  Students with social skill deficits often struggle to maintain friends and have regularly found themselves isolated and chronically struggling with peers.  These boys are often found on ‘the spectrum’ and have non-verbal learning disabilities, traits of Asperger’s disorder or a full diagnosis of Aspergers.  These boys need the emotional safety of regulated social interactions, while being given compassion and patience at the highest levels.  Ultimately, they need improved competence, especially in social interactions.  The boys described in the habitually deceptive group often get to the point that they are “lying when they don’t need to” (e.g. when it doesn’t seem to make sense or provide them even a short-term reward).  They have become so adept at lying that the habit seems to be part of their personality. Devan enjoys the challenge of the chess game that these students present. Substance abuse happens concurrently with other problems, and becomes an important treatment issue depending on the depth and breadth of the problem.  Most often, substance abuse is clearly a secondary problem that is symptomatic of underlying issues.  

Born in Pennsylvania and raised in Kansas City, Devan has resided in Utah since 1985.  Married since 1990 with three sons, Devan appreciates any time he is able to share with his family.  He enjoys coaching his son's basketball teams and spending time on the lake with his family during the summer.  He loves tennis and also enjoys skiing in the inspiring mountains of Utah. He loves the beauty of his ‘office’ at second nature, especially when he has a camera from which to journal his wilderness travels.

Jennifer Wilde, LCSW, MSW

Phone: 801 885-9493
Fax: 435-738-2046
Cell: 801-885-9493
Email: jwilde@snwp.com

Jennifer Wilde has been working with adolescents for seventeen years.  Jennifer obtained her Masters in Social Work from the University of Utah in 1997.   Although Jennifer has found many areas of adolescent treatment rewarding, she specializes in girls with emotional difficulties, depression and anxiety, history of abuse and trauma, substance abuse, oppositional behaviors, family conflict and family system difficulties.  Jennifer’s approach to treatment includes many techniques focused on teaching girls to make better decisions for themselves including positive relationship development, communication, intimacy, emotional awareness, and moral and values reasoning.

Jennifer has worked in residential treatment in both long term and short term programs, which have included both private and correctional facilities.  As a Supervisor for the Department of Youth Corrections, Jennifer was instrumental in creating an early intervention program and a shelter care program for at risk youth.  Moving to a private facility in 1999, Jennifer worked at Island View Residential Center for seven years.  While at Island View, Jennifer was able to supervise her colleagues working towards licensure and was able to fulfill an adjunct faculty position for the University of Utah supervising Masters level students.  She has also worked as the Clinical Director at Willow Creek School where she was able to enjoy additional program development opportunities. 

Throughout her life Jennifer has sought out outdoor activities.  She is thrilled with the opportunity to bring this love of the outdoors to her work with teenagers.  Jennifer enjoys backpacking, snowshoeing, skiing, hiking and canoeing on her time off with her husband and two boys.

Bryan Lepinske MSW, LCSW

Phone: 801-350-1655
Fax: 435-738-2046
Email: bryan@snwp.com

Bryan received his B.A. in Anthropology from Syracuse University and his Master’s of Social Work from the University of Utah.

Prior to his return to Second Nature Bryan was on the clinical team at Willow Creek School, a clinical boarding school in Provo, Utah.  He has also served as a primary therapist at Vista Adolescent Treatment Center in Magna, Utah.  In these programs Bryan has worked with both adolescent and young adult males and females with a wide range of issues including behavioral acting-out, substance abuse problems, mood disorders, and developing character disorders.  While completing his graduate work Bryan served an advanced practicum at Odyssey House for Women and Children in Salt Lake City Utah.  There, he provided individual, group and family therapy, as well as substance abuse counseling, to women with co morbidity of substance dependency problems and antisocial personality disorders.  Bryan had several years of supervisory experience both in wilderness and residential therapy programs prior to becoming a therapist.

Areas of clinical interest include treatment of developing personality disorders, chemical dependency problems, attachment disorders, and oppositional defiance.  Bryan is trained in Motivational Interviewing, and subscribes to this therapeutic modality in his work with oppositional and substance abusing clients.  Other areas of interest include systems theory, solution focused therapy, and relational models of therapy.  Cultural discourse and the anthropological lens influence Bryan’s approach to therapy greatly, and he continues to find ways of marrying these disciplines.

Bryan grew up in beautiful Central New York, which he still calls home.  He enjoys the company of family and friends, and travels back to New York less often than he or his family would like.  Personal interests include running and biking, skiing, live music, books, exploring and great conversation.

Jason Dalton, MSW, LCSW

Phone: 801.550.0385
Fax: 435.738.2046
Email: jasond@snwp.com

Jason earned a B.S. in Family Science in 1997 and then went on to complete his Masters of Social Work in 1999, both from Brigham Young University.

Jason’s clinical experience while at Brigham Young University included working at the VA medical Center both on the inpatient psychiatric unit as well as with the homeless population.  He also spent time in an adult substance abuse program.  Jason then worked with the Family Support and Treatment Center providing therapy for children, adolescents, couples, and families.  Here he was trained in play therapy and sandplay therapy, the latter he has incorporated into his ongoing work with adolescents as an adjunct to individual and family therapy.  Since completing his Master’s degree Jason has worked with adolescents in the residential treatment setting.  The last program he worked at before joining Second Nature was Logan River Academy where he worked for nearly 3 ½ years.  While working at LRA, Jason saw a large number of students coming from wilderness programs and developed a strong interest in better understanding the wilderness experience and how to help students make the transition from wilderness to their follow up placements more effective and successful.  This interest ultimately led Jason to employment with Second Nature in October of ‘05.

Prior to Jason’s clinical experience he worked with adolescents in a variety of community and treatment program settings since 1993.  Jason has a great love and appreciation for adolescents and the struggles that are unique to this stage in life.  In his clinical work he enjoys drawing on his training and education, as well as his personal experiences while he works to understand each student and their individual struggles and strengths.

In his spare time Jason loves spending time with his wife and four daughters.  With four daughters Jason has been regularly cautioned about the time his own children become teenagers.  He smilingly replies that he will continue to patiently wait for this time, though it is quickly encroaching upon him. The wilderness is a natural fit for Jason as he enjoys spending the remainder of his spare time mountain biking, skiing, hiking, camping, and photographing in the great outdoors.

Jess Jewell, M.S., CPCI

Phone: 801-633-6094
Fax: 435-738-2046
Email: jjewell@snwp.com

Jess received her B.S. in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her M.S. in Educational Psychology from the University of Utah.

Prior to working as a therapist at Second Nature, Jess worked with adolescents in other capacities.  She coordinated outreach efforts with at-risk youth and conducted crisis counseling with teens and parents.  Jess also worked at Gateway Academy, a residential treatment program in Salt Lake City.  In addition, Jess completed an internship with ChoicePoint Therapeutic Services where she studied adolescent sexuality and trauma-specific therapy.  She also conducted psychological and risk assessments with adolescents who had been involved in sexual misconduct.  Her experience has included individual, group, and family therapy with a variety of clinical presentations, including mood and anxiety disorders, substance abuse, oppositional defiance, personality disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, autism spectrum disorders, and attachment problems.  In addition, Jess worked as a Field Instructor at Second Nature for several years before returning to graduate school.

Jess takes an eclectic approach to her work with clients.  She focuses on obtaining an accurate assessment of presenting and underlying issues and typically focuses on empowerment, self-esteem and self-efficacy development, effective coping, and accountability.  Jess utilizes aspects of motivational interviewing, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and psychodynamic theory in her approach with clients.

A native of Northern Wisconsin, Jess grew up camping, fishing, and hunting with her family and also helped her dad run a small maple syrup operation.  She enjoys running, hiking, biking, and camping with her husband and dog.  When she is not playing, she is tending her withering gardens, cooking a fabulously messy dinner, or watching reruns of Law & Order.