Phone: 801.382.9338
Fax: 801.383.0246
sandstone.psychology.utah@gmail.com
www.sandstoneautismservices.org Free Mental Health Screening
sandstone.psychology.utah@gmail.com
www.sandstoneautismservices.org Free Mental Health Screening
Background: Luke was born and raised in the Payson and Salem, UT areas as 4 of 11 children. He grew up on a small farm and could be found either playing a sport or roaming the orchards and hills near Payson canyon. He has been happily married for 15 years and has four young and energetic children who have ensured that he functions as their jungle gym each day. As an adventure enthusiast, he has discovered that connecting with others is the most meaningful adventure of all.
Education and work experience: Luke earned a bachelor’s degree from Utah Valley University in psychology with a pre-medicine focus. He went on to complete a PhD in Counseling Psychology from Brigham Young University. He has worked in various mental health capacities throughout Utah County and has been in private practice for 7 years.
Therapy Approach: Luke uses a generous mix of humor, warmth, compassion, and curiosity to connect with his clients. He views relationships as being the primary force of all healing and change. He incorporates the following research-supported third-wave cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approaches: Compassion-Focused (CFT), Acceptance and Commitment (ACT), and Dialectical Behavioral (DBT). He also uses Positive Psychology and Hope Theory practices.
Populations and Areas of Specialty:
Individuals (ages 10+)
Education and Work Experience: Liz is a licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in the State of Utah and Washington. She has over 20 years of experience working within the mental health field. She received her Bachelor’s in Psychology from BYU and her Master's degree in Clinical Psychology from Eastern Washington University. She has worked in multiple inpatient and outpatient settings.
Therapy Approach: Liz is compassionately committed to helping clients improve self-awareness and growing their capacity to enhance relationships and resiliency. She believes that the therapeutic process is relationship centered. She strives to cultivate a strong working relationship with her clients which characterized by mutual respect, authenticity, acceptance, and genuineness. She utilizes an integration of empirically supported treatments in her work (AEDP, ACT, CBT, DBT, Existential, Interpersonal, and the Gottman method for couples).
Populations and Areas of Specialty:
Background: Rachel was born in Murray, Utah, and spent her high school and college years living on the central coast of California. She has seven siblings, and she enjoys her 15 nieces and nephews who have stolen her heart. Rachel loves adventure and has spent some time living in Texas and Italy. Her current passions are spending quality time with good company, dancing, rock climbing, and anything to do with music (including beat saber).
Education and Work Experience: Rachel completed a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a minor in criminal justice at California State University Long Beach. She later returned to school and completed a master’s in clinical mental health counseling at Walden University. She acquired an additional specialization in marriage and family therapy. She recently obtained training in eye movement desensitization reprocessing (EMDR). She is passionate about pursuing additional specialized trainings.
Therapy Approach: Rachel has a warm approach and focuses on creating a genuine relationship where her clients can share their struggles and find a supportive ally. She views the client as an expert and works collaboratively towards their healing and/or development. She takes a holistic approach and enjoys working with diverse social and cultural backgrounds. Rachel integrates a variety of empirically based therapeutic approaches, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), compassion focused therapy (CFT), EMDR, interpersonal, experiential, Gestalt, EMDR, and play therapy.
Populations and Areas of Specialty:
Background: Vaughn has been happily married to the love of his life, Anita. They are the proud parents of four boys (all married) and they now enjoy 10 grandchildren. He enjoys photography, reading, spending time with family, and working in the yard/garden. He enjoys learning new things, is curious about how we make sense of things, and discovering the many good things in life.
Education and Work Experience: Vaughn received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Brigham Young University. He received his PhD in Counseling Psychology from the University of Kansas. He has worked for the past 30 years at Brigham Young University as a psychologist and clinical professor. During that time, he has been involved in providing psychotherapy services, teaching classes, and supervising doctoral students.
Therapy Approach: Vaughn is focused on helping people make and discover meaning in their lives. He believes we help to create the realities we live in. He understands and uses evidence-based therapies, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), and he works from a constructivist theoretical orientation. He recognizes that good listening and a therapeutic relationship are the essential components for change as well as helping people become curious about their problems rather than live in fear and threat.
Populations and Areas of Specialty:
Background: Hayden is a Marriage and Family Therapist who was born and raised in Spanish Fork and still lives there with his wife. He is the fourth of five siblings and adores his six nieces and nephews. Hayden finds deep fulfillment in developing close relationships with others. He loves singing and performing, and in his free time he enjoys reading and playing board games with his family.
Education and Work Experience: Hayden Gillies received a bachelor’s degree in Family Science and a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, both from Utah Valley University. He has worked with the Foundation for Family Life of Utah to oversee an addiction recovery program and has performed evaluative interviews and taught fatherhood classes at the Salt Lake County Jail. He has had the pleasure of working the last two years at a mental health clinic that focuses on serving couples and families.
Therapy Approach: Hayden is passionate about helping families, couples, and individuals. He believes that connection is vital to a healthy physical, social, and mental life, and he works hard to help his clients take necessary steps to achieve their goals. He is driven to help all those who may be struggling with anxiety, marital conflict, self-harm, and many other mental health and familial issues. Hayden is also highly familiar with, and adept at helping, challenges facing the LGBTQ+ community. Hayden uses several different evidence-based therapeutic methods, including Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), the Gottman method, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and client-centered approaches. He strives to use humor and genuine human connection to understand the needs of his clients more fully.
Populations and Areas of Specialty:
Background: Bo is a native of Portland Oregon and hales from a small suburb where he grew up surrounded by trees and green. He enjoys running, writing, reading, and spending quality time with his wife, Megan. If it’s outside, he has likely done it at least once (save for skydiving). He enjoys the creative process and loves to implement it into finding ways to help others feel more whole and empowered.
Education: Bo graduated with a bachelor’s in psychology from Brigham Young University in 2020 and recently completed his master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling, at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions.
Therapy Approach: Bo believes that healing and growth comes from authenticity, emotional vulnerability, accountability, healthy interpersonal relationships, and self-acceptance. He implements empirically established therapies from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Theory (ACT), along with Existential, and Family System approaches.
Populations and Areas of Specialty:
Background: Kimberly was born and raised in Utah county and loves all that Utah has to offer. Once a shy and introverted person, she developed more interpersonal courage from her relationships with her cross-country coach and team. She loves spending time outdoors and with her husband. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, running, swimming, playing the piano, and traveling.
Education and Work Experience: Kimberly graduated from Utah State University with a bachelor’s degree in Family Consumer and Human Development. She went on to complete her master’s degree in Social Work and is currently a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She has worked in inpatient, outpatient, and school settings. She is grateful for the experiences and opportunities these settings have given her to work with children, teens, and their families from a variety of cultures and circumstances. She is passionate about pursuing growth and connection.
Therapy Approach: Kimberly is passionate about helping clients develop awareness of themselves as they develop the ability to thrive in their own lives. She uses evidence-based approaches that are tailored to each individual client. She believes that acceptance, warmth, and curiosity are key to developing a healing relationship. Her greatest hope is for her clients to develop an acceptance and understanding of themselves as they become empowered.
Populations and Areas of Specialty:
Background: Julia was born and raised in Spokane, Washington as the second of three girls. She received her B.A. degree from Brigham Young University (BYU) in German Literature and is currently working on her PhD in Counseling Psychology at BYU. In her spare time, Julia loves going on hikes with her dog Bowie, skiing (both on snow and water!), and travelling to new countries.
Education and Work Experience: Julia is currently in her fourth year of BYU’s Counselling Psychology PhD program. During her training, she has had the opportunity to work in the university counseling center as a therapist, the university accessibility center as a psychometrician, and in a private practice setting performing psychological evaluations.
Therapy Approach: Julia approaches therapy with an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy lens, which is a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy. She works to help clients become more aware of, accepting of, and compassionate toward their emotional experiences in order to help them make decisions for a more value-driven, intentional life. She emphasizes the importance of the therapist-client relationship and strives to create a safe environment for her clients.
Populations and Areas of Specialty:
Background: Nate was born in northern California and has lived in a handful of states across the U.S. before coming to Utah. He loves spending time with his wife and playing robots or making messes in the kitchen with his two kids. In his free time, he may also be found fanatically researching recipes for a variety of foods, gardening, reading, or playing games with friends.
Education and Work Experience: Nate graduated with a B.S. in psychology from Brigham Young University. He is currently completing a PhD in Counseling Psychology, also at BYU. Nate has worked as a psychotherapist at his university’s counseling center and has also done assessment for a range of psychological disorders.
Therapy Approach: Nate uses several types of cognitive behavioral therapies, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT). He emphasizes developing a kind and compassionate relationship with his clients and strives to work with them collaboratively to help them achieve their goals.
Populations and Areas of Specialty:
Background: Daniel was born and raised on the sunny shores of Southern California, and has spent a couple years living in Argentina and Colorado. He has been married for almost a decade and enjoys his relationship with his wife and three children. They can usually be found road tripping, camping, or enjoying a pizza (most likely all at the same time). A musician at heart, Daniel loves to play any musical instrument he can get his hands on and sing in his car at full volume.
Education and Work Experience: Daniel holds bachelor’s degrees in both Psychology and Social Work with a minor in Spanish from Utah Valley University. He later attended the University of Denver where he earned his Master’s in Counseling Psychology. Daniel has worked in various settings with students experiencing learning differences, including Autism and ADHD, as well as suicidality and end-of-life counseling. He also currently teaches Psychology at Utah Valley University.
Therapy Approach: Daniel focuses heavily on the strength and power of the therapeutic relationship to promote belonging, acceptance, and safety. His approach centers around understanding each individual as a whole person, gaining insights into our existence, and moving through these unique experiences with peace and love. He adopts a mixture of evidence-based Existential and Humanistic techniques to foster change, promote authenticity, and facilitate healing.
Populations and Areas of Specialty:
Background: Bango was born and raised on the Big Island of Hawaii. He grew up playing in the sugar cane fields of the Hamakua coast as well as participating in basketball, volleyball, and football. He and his partner are the parents of three energetic boys. During his free time, he enjoys playing music, fishing, cooking, camping, and spending time with his family.
Education and Work Experience: Bango earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Hawaii of Hilo in psychology. He later obtained a master’s degree in community counseling from Washington State University. He recently completed his PhD in Counseling Psychology from Brigham Young University. He has worked in community mental health, college counseling centers, and private practice.
Therapy Approach: Bango’s work is guided by the principles of Trauma-Informed Therapy (safety, choice, collaboration, trustworthiness, and empowerment). He views humans as relational beings who are continually seeking connection throughout their lifespan. As such, Bango focuses on experiencing interpersonal connection with his clients by using authenticity, humor, and vulnerability. Bango uses an integration of evidence-based approaches (Interpersonal Process Therapy, Compassion Focused Therapy, Gestalt, Relational Psychodynamic Theory, and Dialectical Behavioral Thearpy).
Populations and Areas of Specialty:
Background: Adam was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He is a sports and adventure enthusiast who loves to summit mountains in the surrounding areas. He and his marriage partner have two incredible, and adorable young children. Connecting with his family and those he works with in his profession bring him the most meaning and joy in life.
Education and Work Experience: Adam received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from SUU and is currently completing a PhD in Counseling Psychology at BYU. He brings 5 years of clinical training and experience in therapy. He is passionate about group therapy, has co-created educational psychotherapy groups, and serves as group coordinator.
Therapy Approach: Honoring and developing compassion for all lived experiences is the framework of Adam’s practice. He recognizes and values that all people come from a valuable and diverse heritage and background. As evidence suggests, Adam believes that the brain is wired to develop and heal in social contexts, particularly in compassionate ones. He integrates research supported therapies, including interpersonal psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approaches.
Population and Areas of Specialty:
Background: Carlton was raised in the American Fork, UT area. He is the second oldest of five children. When not working in a therapy office or on school work, he enjoys watching movies, reading books, and playing games. He enjoys getting into deep conversations with others and continually learning something new.
Education and Work Experience: Carlton obtained his B.S. in Psychology at Utah Valley University. He is currently working towards a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Utah Valley University. Carlton has worked with special needs individuals and teenagers in day treatment and residential settings.
Therapy Approach: Carlton is learning to follow an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) approach. He strives to use compassion, listening, and empathy to create relationships of trust with his clients. Carlton works collaboratively with his clients to create and move toward goals that align with the individual’s feelings, values, and beliefs.
Populations and Areas of Specialty:
Background: Kip has had a varied and wide-ranging career, having worked in seven states. He has been married for 34 years and has raised three children. He enjoys playing sports and is the author of works both in his professional field as well as in fiction. He has also had a side pursuit of painting the world of JRR Tolkien and has placed work in the film industry and in many Tolkien-related anthologies.
Education and Work Experience: Kip received his MS degree in Family Studies from Texas tech University and his PhD in Marriage and Family Therapy from BYU. He has spent many years working in both inpatient and outpatient settings, especially with eating disorders and youth.
Therapy Approach: Kip believes that nearly everyone is working hard to be happy but has found that certain principles, initially believed to be helpful are, in practice, overwhelmingly destructive to mental health. Some of these beliefs include perfectionism, and being overly critical of both self and others (in the case of relationships). He has seen that seemingly trivial beliefs can lead a person to deep unhappiness but has also found that apparently small changes to a person’s daily life can bring much relief and increased happiness and success. This is especially true in the case of making relationships work better, with certain small changes leading to an almost complete reduction in relationship contention.
Populations and Areas of Specialty:
Background: Jen enjoys spending time with her family, reading, golfing, fishing, and taking road trips to explore the beauty of Utah. Her love language is humor and her approach is to balance that humor while honoring space for the difficult experiences people have in life. Jen has learned that healing and growth often come from the difficult challenges.
Education and Experience: Jen received her Bachelors degree in Psychology, with a minor in Neuroscience, at Weber State University. Having a love for neuroscience and wanting to deepen her understanding of the connection between brain and behavior, Jen went on to attend Westminster College studying Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Jen has a long standing history of working with adolescents, families and adults in various capacities. Her experience includes working with teens and their families in residential treatment centers, and adults and families in hospital and outpatient settings.
Therapy Approach: Jen believes in a relational approach to therapy and enjoys building therapeutic relationships with her clients. Jen strives to help individuals and families see their inherent worth and discover the direction they want in life. Jen utilizes EMDR, Brainspotting, CBT, DBT, Seeking Safety and as well as Family Systems in her work with individuals and families. She believes in the power of experiential therapies and has trainings in several different experiential techniques. She recognizes everyone has a different need from therapy and as such she works in collaboration with her clients to determine the right therapy modality for each client.
Populations and Areas of Specialty:
Individuals (Ages 14+)
Families
Education and work experience: Clay earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah. He studied psychology and family/consumer science. He went on to complete a PhD in Counseling Psychology from Brigham Young University. Clay has worked in an administrative capacity for both disability services and private practice over the last five years. He has also specialized in psychological assessment and has completed hundreds of evaluations over the last few years.
Therapy Approach: Clay strives to provide an environment of safety, security, and warmth where exploration and reconstruction can occur freely. He integrates evidenced-based approaches to assist clients as they work out difficulties related to development and belonging. Clay’s work is heavily influenced by attachment theory, constructivism, emotion-focused therapy, and compassion-focused therapy.
Populations and Areas of Speciality:
Background: Julie grew up in Spanish Fork, Utah. She continues to live in southern Utah County and enjoys waking up to the animals in her small farm outside of town. She is married, has 8 children in a blended family, and she also has 15 adorable grandchildren. You can find her spending time with family, boating, surfing, and being outdoors.
Education and Work Experience: Julie graduated with a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University in secondary education, dance, and special education. She later obtained a master's degree in counseling from the University of Phoenix. She is currently finishing up a doctoral degree in psychology from California Southern University. She has over 30 years of experience in counseling and therapy.
Therapy Approach: Julie uses several different approaches in therapy with a strong emphasis on the client/therapist relationship and ensuring the client's comfort/safety. She utilizes various evidence-based models including CBT, EMDR, and empirically driven forms of Play Therapy.
Populations and Areas of Speciality:
Background: Laurie thrives on spending time with her husband and their growing family. Some of her favorite moments have been exploring beautiful places, dancing, drawing and painting, dress designing, coaching as a personal trainer, and playing with her grandchildren. Experience has shown her that we discover our greatest strengths and resiliencies as we move through and beyond our personal and interpersonal challenges.
Education and Work Experience: Laurie is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Brigham Young University. She is grateful for her training and experiences with all ages, at the Utah County Children’s Justice Center, with active-duty military members and their families, and with mental health clinics in our communities.
Therapy approach: Laurie welcomes clients with genuine regard. Her practice is focused on helping each individual come to know and accept themselves, and the people who matter most to them. She works to empower the client to live with more authentic freedom, deeper meaning and purpose, and improved relationships. Her standard of treatment is integrative. She practices evidence-based approaches as appropriate to the individual (i.e. CBT, ACT, EMDR, EFT, AEDP, DBT (skills only), Mindfulness, Sand tray, Art, and Spirituality).
Populations and Areas of Specialty:
Background: Jenn grew up in a small casino town in Nevada. She is a wife and a mother to 5 children. Jenn loves nature, music, painting, and crocheting. She loves playing board and card games with her family and friends.
Education and Work Experience: Jenn is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in the State of Utah. In recent years, she has worked as a Licensed Professional Counselor in Ohio. She received her bachelor’s degree in Sociology and certificate in Criminology from the University of Utah and her master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Capella University. She has worked in multiple residential treatment centers and as an in-home therapist.
Therapy Approach: Jenn is committed to helping clients improve self-awareness, improve relationships, reduce trauma, and live a value-directed life. She believes that the therapeutic process is relationship centered. She believes that healing begins with feeling safe, accepted, and respected. She utilizes an integration of empirically supported treatments in her work (ACT, CBT, EMDR, DBT, Interpersonal, Play Therapy, TFCBT, and Family Systems).
Populations and Areas of Specialty:
Background: Jason Lefrandt was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii as the middle child of five. He enjoys spending time with his wife and sons. They like going on hikes, playing sports, and traveling. He also enjoys working out at the gym, being outdoors, and reading psychology-related material.
Education and work experience: Jason earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology, master’s degree in marriage and family therapy, and doctoral degree in counseling psychology from Brigham Young University. He gained therapeutic and evaluative experience in a variety of settings, including medical centers, state and federal prison, outpatient clinics, assessment centers, and private practices. He has conducted multicultural research, including traveling to American Samoa and New Zealand.
Therapy approach: Jason utilizes a variety of empirically based practices, including cognitive behavioral therapy and emotion focused therapy. He helps equip clients with a “toolbox,” or set of coping skills in times of high stress or problematic external situations. In addition, he recognizes empathy, understanding, and a safe space is vital for client growth.
Populations and Areas of Specialty:
Background: Kristy is a Marriage and Family Therapy Intern who was born and raised in Orem, and after spending some time living in the San Francisco Bay Area, Spain, and Las Vegas, she has returned to her roots in order to be closer to her favorite (and only) niece. Kristy is fluent in English, American Sign Language, and Spanish. In her free time she enjoys watercolor painting, attending plays, and listening to podcasts.
Education and Work Experience: Kristy Mathisen received a bachelor’s degree in DeafStudies and a minor in Spanish from Utah Valley University. Her first career is as a certified ASL Interpreter for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing. For the past 8 years, she has worked as an interpreter for schools, universities, agencies, and video relay service providers. Kristy is now pursuing a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at UVU with the goal of providing therapy services to the Deaf Community in ASL so that they won’t have to talk to a therapist through an interpreter.
Therapy Approach: Kristy values diversity and is passionate about serving minorities and underserved communities. She empowers her clients through witnessing, accepting, and validating their unique lived experiences. Kristy recognizes the impact that privilege and oppression have on individuals, couples, and families, and she works hard to encourage and enable her clients to become who they want to be. She is motivated to help all those who experience depression, suicidal ideation, trauma, interpersonal conflict, and many other mental health and relationship issues. Kristy is highly familiar with the needs and concerns of people with disabilities, and is particularly poised to help them achieve their goals. Kristy uses multiple evidence-based therapeutic methods, including SFBT, CBT, EFT, attachment theory, and the Gottman Method.
Populations and Areas of Specialty:
Background: Steve was born and raised in Provo and is happy to call Utah County home. He loves doing anything outdoors, especially backpacking and fishing. When not at work, Steve can be found exploring the canyons and trails of Southern Utah with his family. Steve and his wife Klyss have three children and five grandchildren. His greatest accomplishment is that he can still make Klyss laugh after 41 years of marriage.
Education and work experience Steve Smith currently works part time for Sandstone Psychology. He has worked full time at Counseling and Psychological Services at BYU for the past 30 years and was director from 2011 to 2021. He has maintained a small private practice for the past 34 years. He received his bachelor’s degree in Special Education and his master’s degree in Counseling and Guidance from BYU. He received his doctorate in Counseling and Student Personnel Psychology from the University of Minnesota. Prior to coming to BYU, Steve worked in counseling centers at the University of Minnesota and University of Utah. In addition to counseling and therapy, he served as an adjunct faculty member in the Counseling Psychology Doctoral program for 12 years.
Therapy Approach: Steve has extensive training and experience in empirically supported treatments, specifically Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy and Compassion Focused Therapy. During his doctoral training, Steve completed courses at the University of Minnesota’s Marriage and Family Therapy program and has practiced couple’s therapy for 35 years. During therapy, Steve strives to create an atmosphere of warmth, understanding, and empathy. He believes that change takes place when clients feel safe and free to examine their thinking and learn to treat themselves with compassion and understanding.
Populations and Areas of Specialty:
Background: Allison was born and raised in Orem, UT. She ventured to warmer weather for a few years, then returned to her hometown to pursue her education, as a single mother of two. Recently, she remarried, moved to Genola, and is enjoying the peace and quiet of the small town with her family. She is a converted dog lover, enjoys playing board games, and spending quality time with her family and friends.
Education and Work Experience: Allison earned her bachelor’s degree with an emphasis in family studies from Utah Valley University. She continued her education at the University of Utah, where she completed her master’s degree in Social Work, with a clinical focus in mental health. She has completed training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and is currently working on Gottman Method Training. She has work experience in school settings, residential treatment, and outpatient services.
Therapy Approach: Allison believes the therapeutic relationship to be extremely valuable in the client’s growth and strives to work in a collaborative way with her clients. She draws from an attachment theory perspective, is trauma-informed and client-centered. Her passion is helping others find their inner strength to get through their dark moments in life. She uses an integrative therapeutic approach rooted in her client’s needs. She utilizes a mix of evidence-based modalities such as CBT, EMDR, Mindfulness, IFS, and Somatic Experience.
Populations and Areas of Specialty:
Background: Davis was born and raised in Hawai'i, on the island of O'ahu. He and his partner are the parents of two children. Outside of his professional roles, he enjoys exploring nature, cooking, powerlifting, and singing his favorite tunes during his commutes to and from the office.
Education and Work Experience: Davis received his doctoral degree in counseling psychology from Brigham Young University and completed a pre-doctoral internship at the University of Hawaii – Mānoa. He is a member of several professional organizations including the LGBTQ+-Affirmative Therapist Guild of Utah.
Therapy approach: Davis’ work is guided by Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Compassion-Focused Therapy. Davis works collaboratively with his clients in helping them to deal with difficult internal and interpersonal experiences in workable ways and living a life that is guided by core values and beliefs. Davis also strives to create a therapeutic space that is safe, empathic, affirming, and compassionate.
Populations and Areas of Specialty:
Background: Abbey was born and raised in Evanston, Illinois as an only child. She enjoyed taking trips to Chicago and swimming in Lake Michigan. She lived in Tennessee for four years and enjoyed the country music scene and delicious barbeque. Since she has moved to Utah, Abbey spends her free time hiking, reading, running and hanging with friends.
Education and Experience: Abbey obtained her B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Sociology from Belmont University, located in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee. She is currently attending Utah Valley University and working towards obtaining her masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy.
Therapy Approach: Abbey believes that the ability for an individual, couple and family to feel seen and heard within therapy is of the utmost importance. She provides an empathetic stance to create a safe space for clients to heal and grow throughout their therapeutic journey. She believes that growth and healing derives from self-awareness and acceptance, emotional vulnerability and curiosity of one's self. Abbey strives to assist and empower her clients to flourish and thrive as their authentic self. Abbey utilizes multiple evidence-based therapeutic models, including Gottman Method, Solution Focused Brief Therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy, Structural Family Therapy and Attachment Theory.
Background: Ruby lives in Salem with her husband LaMar, a few alpacas, goats, chickens, and a dog. She is a Utah native who spent about 10 years pining for Utah while living in Southern California, Miami, Florida, and Panama City, Panama. She has 2 children, 4 step-children and 3 grandchildren. She loves art, hiking, biking, and homesteading.
Education and Experience: Ruby has been an RN since 1978 and received her MSN in December 2021 from Frontier Nursing University in Versailles, Kentucky. She is currently enrolled in a Doctorate of Nursing program there. She became a board certified Psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner in January. She recently trained at Davis Behavioral Health, Provo Canyon Behavioral Hospital, and Provo Pediatrics.
Populations and Areas of Specialty:
Individuals (ages 13+)
Background: Kaprena grew up moving all over the country with her parents and her nine other “army brat” siblings. She loves soaking up the richness of different cultures and the unfamiliar. On any given night, after putting her two kiddos to bed, you might find Kaprena and Boone, her husband (also a therapist), discussing the strengths and limitations of CBT, dissecting a therapy podcast, writing a parenting blog post or debating attachment theory. Basically, total nerds! Kaprena also enjoys writing music on the piano, listening to audio books, spiking a volleyball, eating out with her sisters, and wrestling her kids.
Education and Experience: Kaprena received a B.S. in Clinical/Professional Marriage and Family Studies and a minor in Spanish from Brigham Young University-Idaho. For the past 4 years Kaprena has worked as a relationship and parenting coach. She also created and directed the Rock n’ Roll music program at a residential treatment facility for teen girls in Southern Utah. As an intern, Kaprena worked with teen boys and their families with an emphasis on substance abuse. Kaprena is currently completing a Masters in Social Work from Utah Valley University.
Therapy Approach: Kaprena believes that when people feel safe and heard their innate ability to heal can be fully utilized. She strongly prefers to work with individuals and their families in an effort to create a strong, therapeutic support system for every client. She practices Emotion Focused Therapy and operates with a trauma-informed lens. She has a passion for helping her clients reconnect with nature’s whole-body process of healing from trauma. Common tools Kaprena teaches her clients include DBT skills and mindfulness practices. She continually seeks feedback from her clients to develop a therapy approach that caters to her clients' individual needs.
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Background: Brittani’s dedication to help others can be traced back to her childhood where she spent time working hard and loving and caring for horses. As she grew, she has taken great joy in combining her passions by working with horses, therapeutically, to create safety and connection for clients.
Education and Work Experience: Brittani earned her master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, specializing in Equine-Assisted Mental Health. She is also EAGALA and O.K. Corral Certified, which means that she provides equine-assisted psychotherapy. She is an EMDR therapist with advanced training in Structural Dissociation of Personality and Equine-Assisted EMDR Protocol. Brittani has additional advanced training in Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) for couples.
Therapy Approach: Brittani uses a blended approach of experiential therapy, EMDR and trauma focused therapy, structural dissociation of personality, attachment theory, Emotion Focused Therapy, and equine-assisted psychotherapy to better serve her clients on their healing journey. Brittani seeks to understand each of her clients, and she feels honored to assist clients in discovering what keeps them from feeling connected to themselves and others.
Populations and Areas of Specialty:
Background: Josh was born and raised in Provo but has been glad to call Payson home for the last five years. He is passionate about cooking and barbeque and is happiest though when gathered with family and friends and enjoying good food. Josh and his wife Elena have two children and love spending time together as a family along with their two dogs, parrot, and tortoise.
Education and Work Experience: Josh earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Brigham Young University and completed a master’s degree in clinical social work at Michigan State University. Josh has worked in a variety of settings, including the Marriage and Family Therapy Clinic at Michigan State, two residential treatment programs, and private practice. Josh has extensive experience working with individuals on the autism spectrum and with learning difficulties.
Therapy Approach: Josh likes to use a relational approach in his therapy and believes in creating a strong relationship with his clients. He has found that many individuals struggle greatly in their relationship with themselves and that this impacts their relationships with others. Josh works with individuals to see themselves in a more compassionate light and to better their relationships with the people around them. Josh wants to help his clients to face their struggles with confidence and not to beat themselves up about their imperfections. Josh has training in EMDR and DBT and uses these modalities when appropriate.
Populations and Areas of Specialty:
Individuals (ages 10+)
Families
Group
Background: Jeff was born and raised in the Fillmore, UT area. He is the 3rd of 5 boys. He grew up on a small farm and could be found either playing a sport or bucking bales with his dad and brothers He has been happily married for 5 years and has 1 child with twins on the way! He loves coaching basketball and going to Disneyland when he can find the time! Jeff has a passion for helping and listening to others.
Education and Work Experience: Jeff earned a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University in Spanish and Psychology. He is currently pursuing a master's degree from Rocky Mountain University in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. He has worked primarily in the education setting working as a special education counselor.
Therapy Approach: Jeff uses humor and compassion to connect with his clients. He views relationships as the key to healing and understanding. He is learning to follow research-supported theories and practices such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and Compassion-Focused (CFT).
Background: Megan was raised in the small town of Goshen, Utah. She is married to her high school sweetheart. She is also the mother and professional taxi driver for three wonderful children who keep her on her toes. She loves to spend her free time camping, reading, and planning her next vacation. She has been working in the medical field for 20 years. She loves getting to know clients and has a knack for helping them feel comfortable and welcome in the office.
Collette Merrill, MS, Supervisor of Testing Services
Education and Work Experience: Collette obtained her B.S. degree from Utah State University in Early Childhood Special Education. She began her career teaching in a preschool for children with autism and severe disabilities in Washington County School District. After moving to Utah County, she taught children with disabilities in the Nebo School District before obtaining her M.S. degree in Special Education from Brigham Young University. Collette has always enjoyed assessment as part of her teaching duties and has worked for Riverside Insights since 2018 as a Clinical Examiner during the standardization of various educational standardized assessments. At Sandstone, she enjoys traveling to various schools as a psychometrician, providing educational assessment services. As a former teacher, she knows how important it is for an examiner to understand the school climate and she aims to provide services and recommendations that will be relevant to hard-working school professionals.
