Shane Ward

Background

About Shane Ward

I found wilderness therapy in 2015 and as a full-time field guide for 3 years, I found the true meaning of grit, leadership, perseverance, collaboration, and creativity. As a senior guide with Open Sky Wilderness Therapy, I worked collaboratively with a team of guides and therapists to utilize the healing power of wilderness to create life-affirming and self-empowering experiences for clients, as I lived in the field among them for 15-day shifts. I was able to bring my most authentic self to the work, which is something I value. It was through working at Open Sky and living with an amazing community of colleagues that I learned to love myself unconditionally and trust myself as a leader for those struggling with their mental health in the complexities of modern life. Wilderness therapy led me to seek out my MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, which I am currently in the process of attaining from Prescott College. I am working on my clinical internship with Open Sky Wilderness Therapy as an Associate Therapist, helping to craft and facilitate meaningful therapeutic spaces for families as they reunite with their children who have been living outdoors for up to 15 weeks straight. I love the depth of the work and the endlessly complex puzzle that working in family therapy brings. Being able to witness their growth and guide clients through challenges gives me a deep sense of joy and fulfillment. I'm due to graduate from Prescott College at the end of 2023 and feel excited at the prospect of one day having a private practice and focusing on nature-based healing modalities, possibly paired with psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.