Meet The Team

My Bio:

Matthew grew up in Southern California and has a deep fondness for the the ocean and water in general. He's lived in most of the western united states and attended school in Oregon, where he earned a few degrees in business including, marketing, leadership and organizational management and a Masters in Business. Matt has a huge passion for working with young men to increase their chances of success and credits his current success to the many positive male role models that helped him grow into manhood.

He loves spending time outdoors, swimming, diving, exploring, spearfishing, fishing and camping. He often participates in martial arts competitions and spends part of his free time in the gym sparring or becoming more physically fit.

ISFJ in a Nutshell

My Bio:

Brook dedicated himself to helping others early in his life. He grew up in Sunny Orange County California, then joined the Marine Corps at the age of 21 serving five and half years as a helicopter crew chief and then as chief accountant. His journey with this type of work began when he volunteered as a Young Marines Instructor during his time in the Marines, helping kids get off the street, improve their lives and develop as a leader. After his tour Brook left the Marines to pursue a career in experiential therapy by attending Southern Utah University where he majored in outdoor recreation with a minor in psychology.

Brook has seventeen years experience working for a variety of different therapeutic and transitional programs across the nation. His thirst for knowledge drove him to learn and study successful therapeutic models and programs across the country, most notably Outward Bound. Brook has experience working with therapeutic, residential, military, wilderness and transitional programs for adults and adolescents.

"I absolutely love to share my passion for Mother Nature and the unique lessons only she can teach. In my free time I enjoy being immersed in the outdoors and spending time with my wife and our daughter."

ENFJ in a Nutshell

My Bio:

Dr. Dan Sanderson is a clinical psychologist who has been working in the area of psychological assessment and treatment for more than 25 years. He earned his doctorate degree in clinical psychology from Brigham Young University. He has performed hundreds of psychological evaluations and is an expert in the area of psychological assessment.

He is a well-known clinician in the field of wilderness therapy, is one of the founders of the STAR Guides and Family Bootcamp programs and enjoys conducting psychological evaluations in the Therapy Associates wilderness programs. He has many years of experience working in various areas of psychological assessment and treatment including forensics.

"Doc Dan" is what his clients and fans like to use to reference him. Dr. Sanderson is the creator of the "developmental vacation model" which is a highly successful and unique theory for treating adolescent and young adult behavior issues. Dr. Sanderson is also the father of five children. Dr. Sanderson provides psychological evaluations as part of the forensic services offered at Therapy Associates.

INFJ in a Nutshell

My Bio:

Ben is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who specializes in Mindfulness, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Ben has spent time as a wilderness therapist learning powerful therapeutic techniques to help young people better discover their identity, transition into adulthood, and better their life. Ben is passionate about culture and community and brings these elements to the Forte Strong team. Ben has been married for nearly 10 years and has 3 beautiful children. Ben's family recently fulfilled their dream of living in Saint Gorge, Utah which ultimately brought him to us! When Ben loves spending time outdoors; specifically fly fishing and motorcycles, both road and dirt bikes. We appreciate the passion, knowledge and skills Ben brings to the Forte Strong team.

ENFJ in a Nutshell

My Bio:

Elliot Spaulding is a Clinical Mental Health Counselor who specializes in the treatment of young adults and adolescents. Elliot first developed a passion for helping others by working for the Boy Scouts of America where he grew up in southern California. His outdoor career progressed as he earned a degree in Parks and Recreation Management from Northern Arizona University. During his time in Flagstaff Arizona he worked for the university outdoor program, specializing in wilderness survival instruction, white-water rafting, and experiential education on a high ropes course. Elliot put his outdoor skills to the test In 2005 as he challenged himself by hiking 2,300 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada.

Elliot's interest in clinical mental health began while working with adolescents and young adults in wilderness therapy. This inspired him to return to school and complete a master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. After working at a university counseling center, Elliot joined the Forte Strong team in 2016. While not at work, Elliot enjoys rock climbing, playing guitar and spending time with his wife.

INFJ in a Nutshell

My Bio:

Taylor is a licensed marriage and family therapist. Taylor graduated with a bachelor's degree in Family Science from Brigham Young University and then obtained a master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Abilene Christian University. In addition to failure to launch issues, Taylor's experience has been in working with addictions and family and marriage counseling. He enjoys reading, hiking, and birding as well as being a part of the change process for so many people. The most important thing in Taylor's world is his family.

INFJ in a Nutshell

My Bio:

Tyler’s natural passion for understanding the individual and his years of study make him effective at understanding and helping the students he works with. He grew up in in Iowa, Arkansas, and California; before spending two years living in the Philippines giving service and teaching English in the Visayan region. He is fluent in Cebuano, one of the native dialects found in the Philippines. These experiences have given him a compassion and insight into people from all walks of life. For the past 8 years Tyler has lived in Utah and grown to love the beautiful expanse of nature that Utah has to offer.

Tyler is currently working on his bachelor’s degree and then his master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. His ultimate goal is to become a Marriage and Family Therapist and work with teens and young adults.

He is a Specialist in the Army Reserve and has learned leadership in his past three years of service. His time as a soldier has given him an understanding of how to motivate different kinds of people. Tyler spends time each week working with troubled teens in the area and is always looking for opportunities to connect with people in the community. Tyler enjoys reading, running, and spending time out in nature. Tyler’s greatest joy comes from spending time with his wife and young daughter.

INFP in a Nutshell

My Bio:

Eric grew up in Kanosh, a small farm town of just over five hundred people in central Utah. He helped take care of the animals and the fields of his father’s small family farm. Needless to say, he is no stranger to work. He has an insatiable desire for learning, and a passion for good books: his mother taught him to read when he was four. He has spent most of the last six years working as a field staff in wilderness therapy where he coached students on primitive fire skills, making and setting traps and other important wilderness skills. He also coached staff as they learned leadership skills and as they learned to disrupt dysfunctional behavior in the students.

Eric loves brainstorming with people. He loves to help people organize their thoughts and change their dreams and desires into tangible, achievable goals. He loves to help people to discover their passions and to help them find ways to use their passions to realize their goals. He is passionate about building great teams and organizations and helping others succeed.

INTJ in a Nutshell

My Bio:

Will grew up in Alberta, Canada and has a passion for people and the great outdoors. As both an American and Canadian citizen, Will visited many places and mingled with many kinds of people, throughout Canada and the United States. Will has worked in many different fields over the years and has realized how these opportunities have allowed him to discover what really brings him joy... helping others grow and achieve their goals.

He loves camping, hunting, mountain biking, woodworking, fishing, and weight lifting. He spends as much of his time as he can building and creating something new with his own two hands.

ENTP in a Nutshell

My Bio:

Spencer grew up in New York and lived there for the first 23 years of his life. Helping others has been a passion of his since he was young whether tutoring or doing ESL classes at the local library. Spencer moved out to Utah last year and through personal growth and challenge has found himself in the desert assisting young men grow and learn to not settle for being alive, but to strive to thrive.

ENFP in a Nutshell

My Bio:

My name is Zack Gross. I was born and raised in southern New York. I enjoy any and all sports, especially auto racing. I have been described as high-energy countless times throughout my life, but sometimes want nothing more than to read a great novel. After high school I spent a lot of time soul searching, living out a life I was not happy with for many reasons. At the end of my twenties(with some heartfelt intervention from those closest to me) I decided to enroll in wilderness therapy in the high dessert just two hours from St. George. This experience was life changing for me. I enrolled in Forte Strong immediate after my time in the back country. At Forte Strong I used my time to solidify the changes I had made in the previous two months. During my time at both therapy programs I realized, amoung other things, the I value and enjoy therapeutic intervention as well as my perception of what working as a coach entails. Five months after my graduation, I was offered a part time job as a coach at Forte Strong. I have since transitioned to a full time coach. I love my job. Not only do I believe I have the skills necessary to be an effective coach, I feel a deep sense of satisfaction from the work that we all(coach's, directors, and students) do everyday.

ENFP in a Nutshell

My Bio:

Zach was born and raised in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. After working in property management for several years, he decided to pursue his love for the outdoors by performing conservation work in Montana and Colorado. Through these experiences he discovered a love for coaching, team building, and conflict resolution. He further developed his skill sets working as a field instructor and clinical assistant at a Wilderness Therapy Program. Zach enjoys using his experience to mentor young men and support their choices to grow by building courage and resilience. In his free time he enjoys hiking, climbing, yoga, and hockey.

INFJ in a Nutshell

My Bio:

Rick was born and raised in Utah. He served in the Utah Army National Guard and is an Iraq War Veteran. His deep sense of comraderie and compassion make him an effective teacher in helping people reach their full potential. Rick also enjoys staying physically active, camping, fishing and being a dedicated father to his two children. He is always looking for new ways to grow as a person and to help others do the same.

ENFJ in a Nutshell

My Bio:

Jake was born in Indiana but the natural beauty of the Southern Utah landscape grabbed his heart. Jake has a charismatic personality. Growing up in a family of eight kids there was never a shortage of an audience to feed his extroverted side. In his younger years reading was his escape, then competitive sports became his sole focus. After school Jake moved to San Francisco where he discovered his passion for soccer.

Jake eventually returned to Utah which became the years of self discovery. "I found out what friendship really means and what it takes to maintain healthy relationships in my personal and professional life. I also experienced the flip side of the coin and learned what signs to watch for and what actions to take when there is someone in your life that doesn't have the best intentions."

A self described Jack of all trades, Jake has worked in every industry you can imagine and one thing remained constant throughout, his love for helping people smile and find enjoyment in their everyday lives making Forte Strong the perfect job.

ENFP in a Nutshell

My Bio:

Charlie was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii where he spent his childhood learning from and absorbing the arts and culture of his home state. After high school he moved his life to the mid-west where he went to school at Grinnell College pursuing degrees in music and anthropology as an extension of his love for art and humans.

In 2012 he found himself living and working in SW Utah for Second Nature Entrada, a wilderness therapy program based in Santa Clara, Utah. Through working for this program he experienced an immensely transformative year that solidified his desire to continue to work in counselling and therapeutic fields at large. When his time in the wilderness was up he went to join the team at Whipporwill LLC., a small program based in St. George that focused on 1 on 1 life coaching for individuals who have experienced large amounts of trauma in their lives. Charlie worked with them to help the program evolve over 5 years until finally helping them transition locations from St. George to Asheville, North Carolina.

Outside of the therapeutic world Charlie is an athlete and artist based in Santa Clara who uses the rugged natural landscape of Southern Utah to influence his music, visual art, and movement based sports and activities.

ENFP in a Nutshell

My Bio:

I'm Samoan, and from San Bernardino, Calif. I love St George and plan on raising a family here sometime. My other hobbies include, DJ'ing, personal training, hiking, athletics, watching movies, and having a good time in general.

I'm religious, educated at Dixie State University, and ambitious in the field of therapy. I love to help others out. I love to volunteer. And love to meet new people and get to know their stories.

ENFP in a Nutshell