Derry grew up in the mountains of East Tennessee and was lucky enough to have a family culture that valued outdoor adventures. After completing an Outward Bound Course in the Rocky Mountains at age 17, she committed herself to building a career that would help others tap into their deepest potential. During her undergraduate studies at The University of Georgia, Derry created her own program of study, merging Environmental Studies and Human Behavior.

In 2004, a year after graduating from college, Derry became a field guide for a wilderness therapy program in North Georgia. A year later, she was invited to join a new wilderness therapy program in the Adirondack Mountains of Northern New York State. After several years of working as a field guide, Admissions Counselor and eventually, Admissions Director, Derry moved to the Pacific Northwest to seek broader professional and academic experiences.

Derry graduated with her Masters in Mental Health Counseling from Western Washington University in 2011 with her sights set on becoming a wilderness therapist. That dream came true in 2013 after earning her license in Bellingham, WA. She eagerly packed up her car and drove across the country, ultimately joining an amazing team at a wilderness therapy program outside of Asheville, NC.

After 6 years supporting youth and their families move through crisis and toward joy as a wilderness therapist, Derry felt determined to bridge the gap between the dynamic growth that can happen in a therapeutic program and the ultimate training ground, home. Derry believes that families deserve the opportunity to thrive at home together and this passion evoked the beginning of Elevate Family Wellness in late 2019.

Derry is proud of the growing services and the evolution of the inspiring & collaborative team at Elevate Family. As a licensed therapist and board certified coach, she draws from attachment theory, family systems theory, DBT, Internal Family Systems and Motivational Interviewing. Essentially, Derry uses any approach focused on helping individuals recognize unique strengths as they chart a meaningful course for their life.

When she’s not helping families all over the country grow & thrive together, she is adventuring with her family in the mountains of Western North Carolina or traveling out west in search of bigger mountains to mountain bike and snowboard down.

Lisa believes that one of the most fundamental needs that all humans have in common is the innate need to connect and bond. For the past 7 years Lisa has focused her career on guiding adolescents, young adults, and their family members to heal the relational ruptures they have endured and enhance the felt experience of connection. 

Lisa graduated from the University of South Carolina with a joint degree in psychology and theater. She began working as a residential counselor in a psychiatric residential treatment facility for adolescents in Asheville, North Carolina. After 2.5 years as a lead residential counselor, Lisa decided to further her career by attending New York University’s Graduate School. She combined her love for psychology and theater by receiving a degree in Drama Therapy. Throughout her graduate studies, Lisa explored role theory and how the different parts of ourselves interact to form our unique selves. 

Her graduate internships with adolescents as well as her experience as a residential counselor demonstrated the unique importance of a family system in a young person’s healing journey. Lisa moved back to North Carolina after graduating with her master’s degree and began focusing her work specifically on family systems. Lisa helped develop the family therapy program at a therapeutic wilderness program for young adults and helped guide parents in their work to better understand, connect, and heal alongside their young adult living with dual diagnosis.  

In her coaching Lisa utilizes an attachment-based approach grounded in family systems theory. She offers psycho-education to support parents in meeting their loved one where they are at and equips parents with different communication and boundary setting tools to support them in balancing structure and nurture within their homes. Lisa has worked extensively with family systems living with divorce, trauma, adoption, addiction, behavioral disorders, autism spectrum disorder, learning disabilities, and high conflict dynamics. Lisa has a unique ability to balance both compassion and accountability in her work with families which helps family members feel supported and held. 

When Lisa is away from the office, she is enjoying her own experience of raising her child. Lisa understands first hand the difference between knowing something in theory and putting it into practice. Lisa also enjoys some self-care time including rock climbing, yoga, and reading a good book. 

I have worked with humans and their families for over 15 years. From residential treatment in Philadelphia, wilderness therapy in North Carolina, and transitional living in Oregon, I’m experienced, adaptable, and hard to surprise. I grew up in Nashville, playing in creeks, exploring rooftops, and listening to Dolly Parton. I went on to graduate from Davidson College studying expressive portraiture and receive a BA in Visual Art. Through these early experiences, I learned the importance of education and hard work, the value of creative expression especially when you can’t find the right words, and the necessity of humor. 

After graduation, I worked with Americorps in Philadelphia at a residential treatment and foster care program for children. As a mental health worker and art therapist there, I guided children through practical, emotional, and communal parts of their day. I also developed ways for my students to express themselves and explain to others without words. 

I then moved to Asheville, NC to become a wilderness field guide at a wilderness therapy program. I steadily progressed in my position there to become a senior guide and expanded my work into addiction-specific treatment. Inspired to continue work as a therapist, I graduated UNC Chapel Hill with my MSW, and went on to obtain my dual licensure as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist. I then settled into work as a primary therapist for a wilderness therapy program outside of Brevard, NC, with a passionate focus on quirky adolescents. It was during my tenure there that I learned from esteemed mentors, obtained my Sensorimotor Psychotherapy specialization, and presented at conferences across the country on working with non-binary and ASD youth.

In 2021, I moved to Oregon and I began work at a transitional living program for young adults. Here, I led recovery groups for addiction and support groups for ASD and LGBTQA+ humans.

My coaching involves helping translate skills from intensive treatment to “the real world” and maintenance of those helpful skills and resources learned there. Sessions often incorporate psychoeducation about a person’s specific brain and what that means for how they show up at the dinner table, school, or when they’re alone.

When not in sessions, you can find me engaging in social justice activism alongside my husband, Eric, in the wilderness alongside my dog, Larry, or coaching CrossFit.

Sarah began her career as an entrepreneur, opening a grocery store and café and managing a farmer’s market following her graduation from Franklin & Marshall college with a BA in Economics and Environment Studies. Her entrepreneurial spirit led her on to manage a social purpose enterprise helping refugee women from Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, and Nepal with employment and job training. As a part of her Master’s Degree, Sarah did a field rotation at a wilderness therapy program in NC, and fell in love with the innovative approach wilderness offers young people and families whose needs are not met by more “conventional” therapeutic modalities.   After obtaining her LCSWA, Sarah became a wilderness therapist and honed her specialization in working with neurodivergent teens and their families. 

Sarah’s focus remains on the psychology of motivation, communication within family and workplace systems, and relationship dynamics; these themes are apparent throughout her approach.

In her free time, Sarah enjoys running, biking, and playing outside with her family and her dogs. Sarah loves to travel and is known to make an adventure possible at any destination. 

I began my career in 2009, working intensively with families of adoptive children, both internationally and domestically. In this capacity, I developed a special interest in supporting families to cultivate safe attachments and heal from trauma. I graduated from Howard University in Washington, D.C. with my Masters of Social Work in 2013. I worked for over four years in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area as a crisis response and senior social worker; partnering with local and federal law enforcement agencies to recover and support youth and young adult survivors of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation.

In 2017, I relocated with family to Asheville, North Carolina. I continued to pursue my passion in wilderness therapy as a wilderness field instructor. As a licensed clinical social worker, I began working as a family therapist and then as a primary therapist to girls, ages 14-18 in a wilderness therapy treatment setting. In 2022, I moved out of the residential treatment setting with the aim to offer clinically robust therapy with experiential wilderness opportunities through Elevate Family Wellness Programs.

Jason began his career in 2003 working with teens, couples, and families at a local community center.  After Jason completed his Master’s degree in both Child & Family Studies and Marriage & Family Therapy, he went on to develop family support and programming for those struggling with substance use and recovery.  Jason saw the effects that trauma and substance use can have on the whole family system and wanted to intervene even earlier in the process as a way of prevention.  

In 2006, he travelled to Asheville, NC to work exclusively with teens and families in a wilderness/nature treatment model.  Jason went on to develop family programming at several programs to increase the amount of support, information, and transformation for parents and siblings of those seeking treatment.  He continued on to lead and direct clinical teams, programs, and oversaw treatment programs in their growth and development to improve and enhance clinical services for clients and their families.  Additionally, Jason has taught as an adjunct professor for graduate studies, become a life & parent coach, has co-authored a book, and has presented at workshops and conferences.

Jason has seen how impactful treatment experiences can be and also how challenging keeping and maintaining those skills at home can be.  It was one of the many things that drew Jason to join Derry in co-founding Elevate Family and supporting her in making her dream of a transition program that is the best possible.  

Jason approach draws from many therapeutic and coaching models that combine to create supportive, informative, and healing focused process for parents and families.  Jason is able to see patterns in families communication that once addressed helps parents and families feel more seen and understood, which then can lead to more respect, accountability, and healing in the family relationship.

Outside of helping families grow and prosper, Jason enjoys spending meaningful time with his family, DIY projects at home, traveling, and doing nature/landscape photography.  Jason also donates his time to local children’s homes, supporting outreach in Asheville, and with Habitat for Humanity.

Mel was born and raised in the Sunshine State. She spent much of her childhood drawing, swinging from the monkey bars and annoying her big sister (as little sisters do). When she graduated from the University of Florida, she packed up her truck and moved to the mountains of Western North Carolina.

The mountains proved to be a place of adventure and exploration for Mel. She guided for a wilderness therapy program, led summer camp groups to the best swimming holes in the area, identified the spring ephemerals (wildflowers), and biked, hiked and climbed miles and miles and miles of trails.

Mel’s adventurous spirit is shaped by curiosity and compassion. In 2017 she graduated from Western Carolina University with her master’s in social work. As a clinician, she worked with various community mental health programs, a residential program and as an outpatient clinician.

September of 2021, Mel and her husband welcomed their son into the world. Life continues to be an adventure, just at a different pace and with a baby in the backpack. When not seeking adventure, you can find Mel puttering in her garden.