Passionate, Caring Expert Staff
Your family’s team will include your child’s primary therapist, a family therapist, a medical coordinator, a certified teacher, and an equine specialist and many more. Together, this team of experts will work to understand your child’s behavior in various contexts – family, peers, school, recreation, and alone. Combined, these diverse perspectives allow our team to customize your child’s treatment plan so they can experience success throughout their life.
Graham Shannonhouse
Executive Director, Founder
Graham Shannonhouse has been actively involved in wilderness therapy for more than twenty years. Graduating from the University of North Carolina in 1991, she spent the following decade working with a leading wilderness therapy program in central Idaho, serving as a hands-on Field Instructor, Field Supervisor, and finally Wilderness Program Manager. She returned to her Carolina home in 2002 to serve as Executive Director of a therapeutic wilderness program, where she remained until she resigned in 2008 to form Trails Carolina.
Clinical Team
Our highly skilled clinical team creates individualized treatment plans for each child and family. As a parent, you can expect to be working with therapists who will help your child gain personal insight, provide treatment, and produce a thorough assessment of your child. Combined, our clinical team has many decades of experience working with teens and their families.
Jeniveve Rollins – LCSW
Clinical Director
Jeniveve leads the clinical team with their therapeutic process.
Shalene Pierce – MSW, LCSW
Primary Therapist
With Trails since the beginning, Shalene leads girls groups ages 14 – 17.
Justin Messinger, MA, LCMHCA, LCASA
Primary Therapist
Justin is a therapist that works directly with our families
Todd Green MSW, LCSW
Primary Therapist
Todd uses his depth of experience to lead Boys ages 14 – 17.
Sarah Hutchison, MSW, LCSW
Sarah is a Primary Therapist who works closely with families and students at Trails Carolina.
Amanda Mojave, LPC
Amanda leads and works with our younger girls group, students ages 10-14.
Sarah McGahran, LCSWA
Primary Therapist
Sarah guides teens through the healing process and helps facilitate lasting change in family systems.
Jana Eilermann, LCMHCA
Jana works closely with Trails Carolina students and families throughout the therapeutic process.
Travis Wireback, LCSW
Travis works closely with Trails Carolina students throughout their therapeutic journey.
Melissa Turner, LCSW
Family Therapist
Melissa helps guide Trails Carolina families throughout the therapeutic process.
Taisir El-Souessi, LCMHCS, LPC
Family Therapist
Taisir provides guidance and support to families over the course of their child’s journey at Trails Carolina.
Kaitlin Kertesz, MSW, LCSW, RYT
Family Therapist
Kaitlin works closely with Trails Carolina families throughout the therapeutic process.
Rusty Murray, LMHC
Family Therapist
Rusty helps guide and support families throughout their child’s journey at Trails Carolina.
Admissions Team
Our admissions team understands that the decision to send your child to a wilderness therapy program is a difficult one. We’re here to help you to understand the value of our program and if it is the right fit for your child. You will be met with professionalism and compassion as our team works to meet your family’s individual needs.
Dottie Lank
Director of Admissions
Dottie works directly with families to help them make the decision and transition to Trails.
Julia Andrick
Admissions & Outreach
Julia began working in the therapeutic school and program field in 2000. Since that time, she has worked with countless families and witnessed the profoundly powerful impact wilderness therapy has had on their children.
Candace Bynum
Admissions Coordinator
Candace helps families successfully transition to Trails that are referred to us by, EC’s, Other Schools, and Previous Parents for Admission to Trails. She is also the Family Service Coordinator.
Wilderness Team
Expert wilderness and adventure camp staff for student success and safety
Above all else, our wilderness team is there to ensure your child’s safety. Dedicated field instructors provide direct, individual care to students as they explore the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains, as Field Staff work alongside our Clinical Team and Medical Coordinator to ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of your child are tended to.
Jeremy Whitworth
Program Director
Jeremy leads and oversees all day to day operations.
Rachel Bisker
Hiring Manager
Thor Jones
Head of Instructor Development
Thor supervises and manages the field instructors and staff.
Kyle Shepard
Youth Program Manager
Kyle helps develop the younger boys and girls groups at Trails.
Patricia Orr
Adolescent Program Manager
Patricia helps support and manage field staff.
Brandon Berthrong
Field Communication Director
Brandon supervises field staff and helps support students.
Residential Team
The Residential Team provides quality programming in the classroom and beyond. Our dedicated teachers work hard to design an engaging curriculum, and accreditations ensure that credits earned by your child will transfer to most other schools. Beyond the classroom, our equine specialist facilitates students’ connection with our herd of horses, helping them connect with their emotions and better understand non-verbal communication.
Elizabeth Chancellor
Academic Director
Elizabeth works to maintain our academic accreditation, trains new academic staff, and conducts yearly evaluations of all of our educators.
Steve O’Neil
Ecology Specialist
Helping our students understand the misunderstood through experiential learning
Lindsey Elliott
Health and Wellness Director
Manages health and wellness programming, Trails to Wellness.
Dr. Tony Fisher, MD
Consulting Physician
Tony does our physicals and basic medical stuff!
Anne Westall
Equine Specialist
Anne oversees the horse programming for Trails.
Betty Ervin
Office Manager, Parent Liaison
Betty is the “glue” involved in all aspects of Trails.
Debi Whitmire
HR Director
Debi oversees human resources and risk management
Ben Holtzclaw
Facilities Director
Ben manages all facilities at Trails Carolina.
Serena Sackett
Logistics Manager
Serena manages the day-to-day logistics at Trails Carolina.
