staff
The quality of any wilderness treatment program is directly linked to the quality of its staff. Passages To Recovery is utilizing some of the therapeutic wilderness industry's most experienced and gifted guides and therapists. Our staff is selected for their years of proven leadership, therapeutic skills, wilderness experience, personal recovery experience, spiritual depth, and commitment to the vision and mission of Passages To Recovery.
Dori Them
Executive Director
Dori has spent most of her personal and professional life in a quest to help individuals find meaning, hope and passion in life. Her pursuit has taken her to places as distant as Mongolia and as remote as The River of No Return wilderness. It is this same passion that inspires her work at Passages To Recovery.
Dori’s education includes a B.A. in English, teaching certification, and Masters level Health Practitioner of Nuerolinguistic Programing. Her work in the mental health field began in 1990 when she accepted a job for Mount Bachelor Academy as co-head of the lower school in their academic department. Following her passion, curiosity and love for learning she later accepted director and supervisor positions at TREX, SUWS of Idaho and SUWS of the Carolinas.
Read Dori Them's complete bio.
Rosalynd Munson, MA
Clinical Consultant
Rosalynd is a clinical professional with over 27 years of comprehensive experience. Her career includes a private practice covering a wide variety of individuals and families with an emphasis on adolescent issues. She spent several years as a contract worker with the Division of Child and Family Services in Las Vegas, NV, served as clinical therapist for psychiatric hospitals, has lead therapeutic interventions, and supervised interns. She has also worked in intensive outpatient drug and alcohol treatment.
Read Rosalynd Munson's complete bio.
Keith Hooker, Dr.
Medical Director
Keith Hooker M.D. Arizona State University BS 1961
University of Oregon M.D. 1965
Internship Riverside County, C.A. 1965-1966
USPHS Anchorage AK 1966-1968
Kotzebue AK 1968-1970
BYU health center 1970-1971
Utah Valley Regional Medical center E.R. 1971- present
Board Certified Emergency medicine 1982- present
Co Founder Aspen & AYA and medical director 1985- present
Paramedic advisor Provo, Utah & Lone Peak District Team physician with Utah climbers on Mt. Everest 1992
EMS Physician of year for Utah 1985
Physician advisor for Utah County Search & Rescue Emergency
Physician at Utah Valley Regional medical center E.R. Prove, UT 1981- present.
Dennis Thompson, LSAC
Family Services
As one of three founding fathers whose soul and sweat created what we know now as wilderness therapy, distilling Dennis’s wisdom, skills, knowledge and vision for his work into a few paragraphs is like trying to capture the experience summiting Mt. Everest in a few sentences. It is his spirit and energy that gave the form, thought, and shape to this industry.
Dennis, along with two colleagues, pioneered the wilderness therapy industry in 1984. Dennis’ initial role was teaching the skills necessary to live in wilderness to adolescents searching for purpose and meaning in their lives. Since that time, Dennis has worked in every area and aspect of wilderness therapy programs. He’s grown many from the ground up, and been hired by organizations to mentor and train directors in programs across the country.
Read Dennis Thompson's complete bio.
Brandi Bradbury
Admissions Director
Brandi’s background is mostly in business; the business of helping people. She started out pursuing a career in elementary education with a desire to work with young people. Through life’s twists and turns she found herself working with young adults, and loving it.
Brandi made her way to the admissions department at Passages To Recovery after working for two mental health organizations that serve adolescents. Her experience encompasses areas such as transportation, residential counseling, supervisory roles, receptionist, and office manager, just to name a few. Along with her years of dedicated work, Brandi has sought out and completed important trainings in substance abuse issues, de-escalation techniques, and suicide assessment.
Read Brandi Bradbury's complete bio.
Ray Barlow, LSAC
Field Director
Ray has spent years of his life in the wilderness. As a young man he began professionally guiding trips in the mountains and deserts around south central Utah. Over time he continued to guide, but also spent time working at a ski resort, in outdoor sporting goods stores, and at several Utah backcountry wilderness jobs with the Department of Fish and Game and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. His B.S. degree is in Zoology with an emphasis on wildlife biology. Ray's therapeutic foundation is extensive as well. He receives his Licensed Substance Abuse Counselor license January, 2008. His certifications include QPR Suicide Prevention Certification, Wilderness Clinical First Responder certification and Wilderness Risk Management certification. Ray is also trained in counseling models and techniques that include Stages of Change, Motivational Interviewing and Positive Control Systems Certified Instructor.
Read Ray Barlow's complete bio.
Bryan Thomas, MAI
Wilderness Therapist
Bryan started his work with adolescence in 1999 when he joined the Juvenile Aid Bureau of the Poughkeepsie Police department as the Coordinator of a juvenile mentoring program. He followed that with 5 years as the Program Manager of a community outreach program serving adults with mental illness in California. Throughout this work Bryan gained a growing desire to explore the therapeutic value in rites of passage for individuals in the process of healing and personal growth. He carried this curiosity as he continued to advance his education with a Master’s degree in the field of mental health at Naropa University. Bryan’s education also includes a Bachelors degree in Psychology, Wilderness First Responder certification, and completion of the Tom Brown School standard course.
Read Bryan Thomas's complete bio.
Kate Brown
Office Manager
Should you ask, Kate will happily tell you that if she could choose any job, it would be the one she has. Helping people is the driving force around her work at Passages to Recovery. Kate's vision for Passages to Recovery is to maintain a friendly, well organized work place that creates only the highest quality possible in all areas of the business.
Kate earned her B.A. in Business Administration from Utah State University in 2005. Her work at with Passages to Recovery started after she married and moved to Wayne County. She was completing her final year of college classes when she joined our team as a part-time office assistant. With her strong organization and interpersonal skills and honest desire to help staff and clients, Kate quickly moved into a full time position as office manager on her way to becoming business manager.
Read Kate Brown's complete bio.
Kim Bradbury, LSAC
MAPS House Manager
Kim’s work in therapeutic settings began in 1997. She and her sweetheart had recently married, united families, and settled in central Utah. Prior her move, Kim’s professional experience was almost exclusively in business. She had co-owned a tile store and had several positions working as a bookkeeper. If fact, her first position in a therapeutic setting was in the business office of Aspen Ranch, a sister program of Passages To Recovery. Her ability gain rapport and supervise students quickly became apparent, and she moved from her office job into a position working directly with students. It was clear Kim found her niche.
Read Kim Bradbury's complete bio.
Ed Zalkus
Facilities Manager
Growing up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains around Lake Tahoe instilled a love of the outdoors that Ed still embraces today. He studied Plant sciences at the University of Nevada, Reno, and then ran the largest cemetery in Nevada. Ed's completed numerous courses in building, grounds, and business management, and has worked for and managed several successful landscape companies.
Ed's many responsibilities at Passages To Recovery include the care and handling of our Llama herd. He is our resident Llama Master, training each llama and all the MAPS House counselors and Field Guides in how to work with them.
Ed studied Martial Arts all his life and was an instructor for over five years. He spends his off days hunting, fishing, camping and long range rifle target shooting.