Clinical Staff

Jesse Quam, MSW, LCSW
Clinical Director

Jesse Quam is the Clinical Director for Phoenix Outdoor. Before earning his Master’s of Clinical Social Work from Boston College (May, 2005), Jesse worked for Aspen Achievement Academy, a therapeutic wilderness program in Utah. There, he worked as a Field Staff, Reunion Coordinator (facilitating the three-day reunion with families for students graduating form the program), and Field Director. After a year hiatus, Jesse returned to wilderness therapy to work as a senior field staff. While in graduate school, Jesse worked at The Walker Home and School, a residential home and school serving emotionally disturbed children and their families as a residential counselor and individual therapist. He also provided group and individual therapy to homeless veterans with substance abuse issues at the Brockton Veteran's Administration. Jesse is particularly interested in family systems, attachment theory and spirituality. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife, reading, hiking, grilling out, and fruitlessly hoping that the Minnesota Vikings will win the Super Bowl.

Lyn Wadsworth - LPC
Program Manager

Lynn is a Licensed Professional Counselor and has worked with adolescents and families for over 15 years. Her background includes working in Juvenile Correction Settings, Substance Abuse Treatment and prevention, Therapeutic Boarding Schools, Inpatient Hospitalization, HIV/AIDS counseling, and private practice. She completes a minimum of 20 hours of continuing education yearly to maintain my licensure and certification. She is committed to using the wide variety of her skills to contribute to every child's SUWS experience. Lynn's clinical interests include; family systems work, substance abuse, anxiety oppositional behavior, anger, motivational deficits, and grief work.

Eric Belsterling - LPC, NCC
Adolescent Therapist

Eric Belsterling is a Licensed Professional Counselor who brings 15 years worth of experience working with adolescents and there families in many different settings, 10 of which come in wilderness settings. He has worked with at level 5, inpatient residential programs, and various inpatient adult and adolescent substance abuse programs. The bulk of his experience comes from being an instructor for 2 plus years a SUWS of Idaho where he witnessed first hand the lasting power of Wilderness Therapy. His specialty is with adolescent boys. Along with his wilderness experience at SUWS of Idaho he as worked as a guide or therapist intern at the following programs: Four Circles Recovery Center, Aspen Achievement Academy, SUWS of the Carolinas.

Eric has dealt with his own personal battles with chemical dependency issues and has been clean and sober for over 10 years. He brings a passion to his work that reaches further than mere “book learning”, thus helping foster the therapeutic relationship, which has been empirically proven to be the most important component in creating change. As he states, “I must walk my talk”, and firmly believes he must model the behaviors, attitudes and principles he attempts to teach his students. He is currently working becoming a Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist (LCAS) in the state of North Carolina.

Eric has an well rounded approach to his work. He uses a combination of the following psychological theories depending on the student: Motivational Interviewing, Family Systems Theory, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Internal Family Systems Theory,  Humanistic Theory, Attachment Theory, Narrative Theory, Reality Therapy Theory, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Theory, Experiential Theory, Gestalt Theory and Transpersonal Theory.

I want to congratulate you on making one of the hardest decisions in sending you son or daughter to treatment. It has been my experience that adolescents learn best by being show an example. Therefore I must practice what I preach and be a model for the principles, attitude and behaviors I attempt to teach. Thank you for entrusting me with your son or daughter!

Kedar Brown - M.Ed, LPC
Counselor

Kedar S. Brown, M.Ed. LPC is a licensed professional counselor with over 25 years of counseling practice. He has worked extensively with teens and young adults with chemical dependency and duel diagnosis issues. Kedar has developed and facilitated wilderness rites of passage programs as a primary modality of treatment for addictions, and emotional and physical trauma.  He also integrates family systems therapy, body-centered psychotherapy, story-telling, poetry and music into his work. In 1995 Kedar founded Rites of Passage Council, non-profit organization that offers nature based retreats for men, women and teens. His Workshops and retreats have been offered across the US and in Ireland. Kedar has two daughters ages 21 and 14 and lives in the mountains of Asheville, NC.

“Kedar is a talented therapist who employs a variety of clinical methods. His work is grounded in various indigenous healing practices from around the world. He is uniquely talented at the use of story telling and ceremony to help clients regain a positive sense of themselves. He does a wonderful job at facilitating our experiential group process ceremony and purification lodge ceremony as part of our client’s Rite of Passage week. Our clients report an overwhelmingly positive experience after their time with Kedar.” 

Jack L. Kline, MS, LPC, LCAS, CCS-I, NCC Executive Director Four Circles Recovery Center

“My two daughters continue to be my most inspiring teachers about life, love and happiness.” “I look forward to working with you and your family.”

Every Blessing, Kedar