Tom received his Bachelor of Science in English Literature from Radford University in 2003 and his Masters of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Western Carolina University in 2012. Tom is a National Board Certified Counselor. Prior to joining the Pacific Quest clinical team, Tom was a Primary Therapist at Chrysalis School Montana. From 2006-2010, Tom honed his clinical skills working as a Senior Field Instructor at a renowned and well-respected wilderness therapy program on the mainland. Tom was also secretary of the NATSAP Rocky Mountain Regional Conference Committee. Tom is a respected mental health clinician who comes to Pacific Quest with a great deal of direct experience in the industry.
Tom has a strong belief in wilderness therapy as a highly effective treatment setting, and has cultivated his clinical approach around building a positive therapeutic alliance using the Earth and its seasonal cycles as both a teacher and metaphor. Tom is interested in how natural change is linked to internal transcendence and emotional growth, and how this informs the unique growth experience that occurs at Pacific Quest.
Tom’s clinical interests and areas of expertise include clinical depressive disorders, grief and loss, oppositional behavior, anxiety, family systems, ADHD, adoption issues, as well as helping students develop healthy coping strategies necessary to master change and navigate transitions. Professionally, Tom practices dialectical behavioral, cognitive behavioral, reality and client-centered therapies.
Personally, Tom enjoys hiking, diving and generally spending time in nature, and connecting with the incredible natural environment Hawaii offers.