Staff
Shawn Farrell, MEd.
Executive Director
In 1996, after several years working as a climbing guide and canyoneering specialist in southern Utah, I found my way to the Aspen Achievement Academy. There I launched into a career of working in wilderness therapy programs. Since those days as a field instructor, I have traveled the country learning from and working for a variety of therapeutic wilderness programs. In the intervening years I have worked in a number of positions, including Field Director, Operations Director, Program Director, and Academic Director. Most recently, I spent three years as the Director of Operations for the Outdoor Division of Aspen Education Group, assisting in the oversight of their wilderness programs.
My professional experience has been complemented by an academic career attending Sterling College in northern Vermont. There I was immersed in an experiential educational curriculum, where classroom study was tested with real world application. My time there ultimately resulted in an Associate of Arts degree in Resource Management, but more profoundly taught me the importance of engaging students in multiple learning styles and the power of “experience” in education. I later continued my studies completing a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and a Master’s in Education from the University of Kentucky. The master’s program allowed me to further explore the theoretical foundations of education, school system reforms, and the necessity of reaching students on a variety of academic, intellectual, and emotional levels.
Throughout my professional and academic career I have been a student of adolescent development and wilderness programming. I have maintained leadership positions within the industry and the Aspen Education Group including membership on the Outdoor Best Practices and Academic Best Practices committees, and Chairman of the Ethics committee for the Outdoor Behavioral Health Industry Council. I continue to look forward to the future of Phoenix Outdoor and positively impacting our students’ and families’ lives.
Professional Experience:
AEG Outdoor Division - Operations Director
SUWS of the Carolinas – Executive Director, Program Supervisor, Academic Director, Senior Field Instructor
Passages to Recovery - Interim Executive Director
Explorations Wilderness Program - Program Director
Aspen Achievement Academy - Senior Instructor, Logistics Coordinator
On Track - Field Instructor
Special Project Experience:
Project Manager opening Four Circles Recovery Center
Family Brat Camp UK - Program Director
Television Documentary: “Britain's Youngest Boozers” - Program Manager
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 at Passages to Recovery, a spiritually based 12-step recovery program in southern Utah. 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: Passages To Recovery, 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!
Erin Levine, LCSW, LCAS
Clinical Director of Admissions
Erin Levine is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist with 17 years of experience treating individuals seeking recovery from addiction.
In her most recent professional roles, Erin was the Clinical Director of the largest private mental health company in South Florida where she supervised over 40 licensed mental health practitioners and a cadre of other medical professionals to ensure best practice methods were being utilized in the treatment of the individuals and families. She was also on the start-up team at Four Circles Recovery Center as the Clinical Director.
With 20 years of personal experience in recovery, Erin truly understands the difficulties encountered by individuals and their families on the path to recovery. The tremendous depth of Erin's personal and professional experience makes her the best person to interact with individuals and families seeking help for dual diagnosis issues.
