Blogs Archives - Mountain Valley Treatment Center

Alumni Spotlight: John Wyetzner

Posted on October 30, 2025October 30, 2025 by Sarah Shebek

Can anxiety serve as a compass? If you’ve had the Mountain Valley experience, it can. John Wyetzner, LCSW, felt paralyzed by anxious thoughts, but his short time at MV was transformative. Today he’s accumulating expertise as a therapist specializing in OCD treatment, engaged to be married, and using fear as a motivator to make—not avoid—decisions.

Tell us about your background and how you came to Mountain Valley?

I grew up in Manhattan in New York City. I had anxiety from an early age, just in general. But as I got older it steadily got worse, never to the point where I couldn’t function, but just a constant part of my life. Eventually I couldn’t go to school. I woke up one morning and it felt too hard to do. That happened for almost a month, waking up, feeling super anxious, and not being able to attend school. I felt depressed and I didn’t know why I couldn’t push through it. It became a cycle—it went on for so long that it felt like it would be super weird for me to return, and it just compounded.

I had been in therapy, mostly talk with some CBT and ERP, but nothing super intense. At that point, it was clearly not enough, and I needed a higher level of care. It was 2012 and my parents found Mountain Valley, which was still a new program. It took a lot of convincing for me to go, because I didn’t think it would help. Eventually I realized I had nothing else going on and I should give it a try.

I remember the night we drove up, and I was terrified. But the next day I looked around, and it felt welcoming and warm, which was a new experience for me. I decided to try it out. It was my first time being around other people who had anxiety and felt comfortable talking about it. It was very reassuring to me to not have to hide it.

What was your biggest fear and how did you work through it?

I really worried about being anxious in front of others in public and not feeling like I had a safe place to retreat. My anxiety was often somatic, and it would show up as nausea. I would throw up sometimes and that made me feel very anxious. A lot of my exposure work centered around having a stomachache and what it would feel like to throw up. We also did a lot of social exposures, which included talking to new people and strangers.

Once I was there, I felt super motivated to put in the work. I turned the corner because I was around people who made me feel comfortable with vulnerability. I spent most of my time with eight other residents, which was certainly a big change from the city but also comforting. It was also helpful for me to get outside and get fresh air, even though I attended during the winter, it was good to just walk around campus to the different buildings.

What did life look like after Mountain Valley?

The plan was for me to return home and go back to school, but we decided that therapeutic boarding school would be a better fit. I managed my anxiety and was able to go to college after that. Since mental health had been such a big part of my life, I decided to major in social work. College went well and I didn’t have any big concerns, which was a nice change. After college, I went on to graduate school and got my MSW so I could work as a therapist.

How did you end up in your current practice setting?

Based on my own experience, I knew I wanted to specialize in OCD work. After a few years I got my higher-level license, and I wanted to move back to the city. I found the Child Mind Institute, and it was a perfect fit. We do a lot of outpatient sessions, parent work, and collaborating with other clinicians and schools. We also run an OCD intensive program.

I think I understand the issues well because I’ve been through them myself. It helps me understand my clients’ mindset and connect with them. If sharing my story feels appropriate, I’m happy to do that and talk about how I went through a similar journey but came out on the other side.

I think our exposure work is powerful because OCD is the disease of doubt. You get so stuck in your head problem solving that you’re on a mental treadmill. Exposure gets you out of that headspace by challenging you to test your thoughts. Once you do that, you see that what you thought would happen is often wrong and that OCD is lying to you.

Tell us about a success story you’ve had with a client?

One of my clients had OCD centered on perfectionism, especially getting good grades. She had a hard time turning in work if it wasn’t perfect, and she would catastrophize. We spent a lot of time talking about her feared outcomes and how they felt bad, but we didn’t know that they would happen for sure. And if they did happen, maybe they wouldn’t be as bad as she thought. For an exposure I gave her a short, timed writing assignment. She didn’t like doing it, but it was helpful. She saw that she could make a mistake and that it was still okay—she didn’t have to listen to that part of her brain.

How has your life changed since you attended Mountain Valley?

My time at MV heavily influenced who I am today. In my career, I want to continue helping clients and the public better understand OCD. The media and society tend to misrepresent it as simply a hyperfocus on cleanliness or symmetry. It’s so much more complicated than that, so let’s normalize the other ways it presents.

I got engaged recently which has been great, I’m starting to think about our future together. It’s exciting and nerve-wracking. But I’m so much better equipped to deal with my anxiety today. When I notice I feel anxious about something, like attending a party, that feeling tells me I should do it and that it will be a good exposure for me. It’s a good compass for me, even though I don’t always enjoy pushing through. But 95% of the time, it turns out better than I expected. Once I show up that anxiety almost always goes away.

Sharon McCallie-Steller and The Transition Beyond Mountain Valley

Posted on October 24, 2025October 25, 2025 by Sarah Shebek

The discharge from Mountain Valley is not the end of the journey, but the beginning of a new chapter. For many residents and families, this transition can feel both exciting and unsettling. The structured environment that provided safety and support gives way to a less predictable daily life, where progress must be carried forward without the same immediate scaffolding.

Phase 4: The Return was designed to bridge this gap. This optional, separately billed phase offers thirty days of structured guidance to help residents and families integrate what they have learned, establish lasting supports, and thoughtfully say goodbye to the community that has been central to their growth. Sharon McCallie-Steller, MS, MHC, who helped design Phase 4, has a long history with Mountain Valley and currently serves as the director of transition services. Learn more about Sharon’s background and Phase 4:

How did you end up at Mountain Valley?

I was in the middle of raising my family of four children, my youngest two were early teens getting through high school. I was starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and as my son was looking at colleges, I started doing some introspection myself about what I was really doing with my life.

Most of my career decisions had really been focused on making money and getting benefits. It wasn’t really about what I wanted, it was looking at what next job would give me the leg up that helps my family. At the time, that was an appropriate choice. But all of a sudden I was really questioning what I was doing.

One of my sons grew up with an anxiety disorder, and a lot of teachers and counselors helped us really learn how to help him. I was very participatory in all the school meetings, therapy, all the things. I started thinking about going back to graduate school, and when I was 40, I went back and got my mental health counseling degree. I looked for a job before I graduated because I have a family and I needed to get back to work.

I went to visit Mountain Valley and saw everything they did, and I felt like I was made for the job. I knew what it was like to be a parent of a child who struggled with anxiety. I was shocked they rolled the dice on me because I was a non-traditional applicant, in my mid-forties at the time, just getting out of school. I asked the clinical director at the time why he hired me, and he said, ‘you just can’t teach passion.’ I dove in and I learned so much, working as one of the first clinicians from 2014-2019, before Mountain Valley moved to Plainfield.

How did you land in your current role?

After Mountain Valley, I worked in an assessment program for boys in the foster care system, and as a therapist at a specialized boarding school. But that life was very intensive and COVID hit, so I started looking at other things. Will Laughlin ended up calling me and mentioned interest in transition work at Mountain Valley, adding some supports for families based on feedback he’d received. Will knew I had this experience, because I did a lot of family therapy and parent coaching as a clinician. He also knew I had the personal experience parenting a child with an anxiety disorder, and asked if I’d like to be part of the transition services team.

I think part of what has led me back to this moment is how can I help parents? Parenting is really hard, it’s hard in general. It dovetailed nicely, I was able to use my experiences and meld it all together to help support families post-treatment. I think a lot of times there’s a gap when someone leaves treatment and they start therapy outside of treatment. A new therapist doesn’t have the precise language of the sending program, and they don’t really know what’s gone in in the treatment center. Phase 4 helps with the continuity of care to have a bridge of someone who really understands ERP and knows how it all works. That’s an important part of what we’re doing with Phase 4 and our transition work.

Tell us a little more about how your background prepared you for this role?

I think my life experience helps me relate to parents. I have my own children, who are now from ages 24 to 36, and I’ve been through all stages of parenting. My son with anxiety struggled in so many ways, but he overcame his challenges and became a Marine. I have another son who has battled with addiction and is sober now. I’ve been through it. I’ve walked this path.

And I have a lot of experience in general. Before I went back to school, I worked in a lot of different industries doing all kinds of administrative work. That knowledge has really allowed me to be mindful of how to work with teams and succinctly put information together. Then work together to make sure we’re all moving in the same direction.

It’s kind of like I picked up all these pebbles on my way through life, now they’re in a jar and I’m using them in this work. It’s nice to feel that all the time I was doing other things, they were still valuable for what I’m doing today.

How did Phase 4 develop?

Our first round of transition services helped some families, but we found it didn’t help as many Mountain Valley families as we’d like. I wasn’t involved in the transition planning for families until the very end. We decided we should come at it from a different angle. We have three phases of treatment, and we want to do a fourth phase that’s a very specific, short-term support for families. A bridge from Mountain Valley to a more normalized environment that doesn’t have a robust therapeutic component. It might be home, it might be a boarding school, or maybe it’s college.

Zack and I got together and brainstormed on how to improve our transition process. We wanted Phase 4 to have the same type of approach as our other phases. We have a checklist, we have expectations of what we’re working on. But in this phase, it titrates down so we pull support back and guide families toward their community supports.

We decided I should come in to help with transition planning right from the start, and now I meet parents just a couple of weeks into their child’s treatment. I’m supporting the clinicians, making sure we’re having our meetings and that the right people are invited. It just takes another thing off their plate.

The clinician’s job is to work on treatment, and our parent coach Dr. Lisa Rosen’s job is to do the parent coaching so parents are learning about anxiety and OCD. And my job is to make sure all of us keep an eye on the clock. Because 90 days goes very quickly when you are steeped in treatment and visits.

I’m everyone’s executive functioning brain when it comes to transition planning, and it makes it an easier transition when I take on the parent coaching in Phase 4. Parents are already comfortable with me—they’ve seen me on meetings, and I often work on the family agreement with them as their child is leaving treatment.

It’s early, but how do you think Phase 4 is going so far?

I’m excited, we have two families we’re working with currently and a couple coming up. It’s already helping parents recognize their patterns as they show up—helping them problem solve and identify those patterns in their communication. It’s a nice way for parents to not feel like they’re alone in the wilderness for the first four weeks. They have someone they can call, and access to me after their child graduates. We’re finding that having these students work with a mentor they knew while in treatment helps to reduce barriers to communication. Our mentors are having consistent and meaningful communication with the students they’re working with.

We may find that families need support for longer than the 30 days we provide, and I can help them find the next step, like a parent coach for parents or an executive functioning coach for the student for example. I can also brainstorm with their educational consultant, if they have one, to help them get more support.

I host a post Mountain Valley parent support group every other week on Tuesdays. Parents can join anytime they want, and they can talk to other parents. That group has great advice and support for each other.

I’m really kind of steeped in it. Even if I don’t have the answers, I can offer that lifeline. It’s really rewarding to be that support for parents in a time where there’s so much going on.

What have you noticed has been most helpful for families during the transition?

A lot of my work is telling parents that they do know what they’re doing and helping them recognize old patterns. They do have the tools they need to succeed. I’m here to boost their confidence and be their cheerleader—you’ve got this, you really are moving forward. When you’re parenting a kid who struggles and has extra special needs, it’s hard to remember.

Staff Spotlight: Camille Wrege

Posted on October 10, 2025October 10, 2025 by Sarah Shebek

Healing Through Meaningful Activities

At Mountain Valley, occupational therapy informs the treatment philosophy and the environment. Our program is intentionally designed to promote healing through meaningful activities, fostering a sense of community and belonging that is crucial for recovery. Camille Wrege, MS, OTR/L, leads OT programming at Mountain Valley and came to the Upper Valley from New York, where she obtained her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Ithaca College. She’s passionate about tailoring purposeful sessions for residents that help them tap into identity and give them confidence to overcome daily challenges.

How did you decide to pursue a career in occupational therapy?

I took a trip to Costa Rica in high school and worked with kids with developmental disabilities. They struggled to access the meaningful things they wanted to do, like education or just playing with their friends. I got to work front and center with these kids before I even considered an OT program, and it was really enjoyable. I wondered if there was a job out there that could continue to help people access the things that are the most meaningful to them.

My mom introduced the OT profession to me—I had never heard of it. She had gone to school in the area and knew that Ithaca College had an occupational therapy program, so I ended up there. I’ve also always been interested in mental health, so in college I started a mindfulness club for students who struggle with anxiety. As I got more into my coursework and started learning about the body and the nervous system, I really wanted to learn more, so I focused on neuro rehabilitation.

How did you end up at Mountain Valley?

After I graduated, I started working in several different settings to gain experience. These included mainly older adults settings, a nursing home, assisted living facility, and a hospital. I loved working with people who have neurological impairments, like stroke or Parkinson’s. Although I really enjoyed that, I wanted to explore some other populations. I did a 360 and worked with the early intervention age, kids from age 0-3. That was cool too because I was still working on neuro rehabilitation and the nervous system, but it had a lot more to do with developmental delays and regulating. The job was pretty inconsistent though, and I wanted something that was more team-based and collaborative.

I love the outdoors, so I started looking for OT jobs where I could be outside, maybe with animals since I grew up on a farm. When I was searching, I also had a mental health focus in mind and Mountain Valley popped up. I’ve been here ever since.

What does a typical day look like?

I work closely with the residents in a mix of individual sessions and groups. I lead groups on Mondays and Fridays that have a lot of different themes, but they’re usually focused on engagement and meaningful occupation. We have wellness themes that focus on sleep, nutrition, and mood. We also have physical wellness groups, where we play sports like soccer and talk about the importance of movement. I really like to emphasize the importance of maintaining your health because that’s a huge part of regulating your nervous system and mental health in general.

Other groups focus on executive functioning, social skills, life skills, and connection. I do a lot of identity groups because this is a very important developmental stage for these kids, where they just aren’t sure who they are. It’s a lot of focus on who you want to be and how you want to present in the world. I usually average 10 or so residents in my groups.

Individual sessions can look a lot of different ways, but I try to keep them as functional as possible. I’m not a talk therapist and I try not to stay in the office too much—I like to go out and engage in functional activities and incorporate the skills and strategies we’re working on. For example, if I’m working on executive functioning skills with a resident, I might be coming into their room and helping them with the sequencing and problem-solving that goes into cleaning it up. I also love taking kids off campus to help them interact with strangers, people they wouldn’t normally interact with like cashiers or baristas.

It’s neat because you can take what they’re working on in therapy, like social anxiety, and combine some exposures with the hard skills from OT. I’m always collaborating with the clinicians and coming up with creative intervention ideas. But no matter what, I’m trying to relate it back to the individual based on what’s meaningful to them. Motivation is key.

Tell us about a meaningful experience you’ve had with a resident?

Recently I worked with a resident who’s on the autism spectrum and really struggles with feeling like he’s not capable and his identity in general. A lot of times in OT I like to do arts and crafts, hands-on things for motor skills work. This resident struggled with some motor skills and giving up if he’s not getting it. It’s devastating to him—it creates panic symptoms, and he shuts down. He’ll ask to leave the activity and be alone.

I noticed that one day in group and was able to see what was going on. After group I talked to him, and he was fully in a panic attack. I walked him through what we call the zones of regulation, just a simplified way of discussing the nervous system and all the states you can be in. We talked about his current state and tried to help him build more body awareness in that moment. A lot of people on the spectrum don’t have the interoceptive awareness to name what’s going on in their bodies.

After we spent some time together, he was able to go back to the activity that caused the panic attack and complete it. He was able to recognize that he could feel very intense feelings and challenge himself to be outside of his window of tolerance. It was a good session and it felt more meaningful to me because it was very in the moment and functional. We were able to work through what was impairing him in the moment, and that’s what I love about OT.

How would you sum up occupational therapy in a few words?

OT is very holistic, but the scope of the practice is so big that it can feel kind of confusing to define it. For me it’s about promoting engagement in meaningful occupations. That can look like so many different things. I’m always encouraging people to keep asking questions about how OT can be involved, the impact of it, and what it looks like in real time. I love promoting our field and the impact I get to make on a daily basis.

Alumni Spotlight: Sara Fairbank

Posted on October 1, 2025October 2, 2025 by Sarah Shebek

Sara Fairbank is from McLean, Virginia and attended the Potomac School before joining Mountain Valley in 2019. After successfully completing the program, she enrolled at Georgetown University and completed a degree in nursing. Today she’s a registered nurse serving the D.C. area, with plans to pursue a graduate degree and make an even bigger impact in the field.

What brought you to Mountain Valley?

I’ve always had anxiety, but my last year of high school I became pretty depressed, and my anxiety was much harder to manage. I finished out the school year but then immediately enrolled at Mountain Valley. I had a good experience—of course it was tough, but I was growing a lot and learning a lot more about my anxiety. I 100% think it was the best thing for me.

I think I challenged myself to grow, even though it was difficult to make it through and come out the other side. I had to use my new coping skills in an environment that caused me so much anxiety before. The relationships I made at Mountain Valley were very valuable and it was a great program for me.

What are you doing today?

I’m a clinical nurse at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. During nursing school, I started working there as a student nurse technician and I’ve been with them ever since. Today I’m on the adult medical intermediate care floor, we see pretty much everything with adult patients but it’s one step below the ICU.

I’ve always loved science, but I also love working with people. Compared to physicians in the hospital setting, I get much more time with my patients. On my floor I work with three or four patients a day, and I get to have a personal connection with them.

Tell us about a memorable connection you’ve made with a patient?

When I was still on orientation, we had one relatively stable patient. We were fully staffed and had extra time that day to talk. He shared with us that he’s an artist and loved drawing. To thank us for everything we did he drew me a cartoon of Spiderman that says, “Thank you Sara.” It’s a physical reminder of the impact I have, so I definitely want to frame it.

How do you think Mountain Valley made a difference in your life?

Mountain Valley gave me the tools to advocate for myself in a very important way. I had a lot of anxiety in nursing school, and while my time at Mountain Valley didn’t reduce my anxiety, it gave me the tools to work with it. I was able to communicate my needs with my professors to help me complete nursing school successfully, which was essential since I started during the pandemic.

What are your future goals?

I’ve thought about becoming a nurse practitioner, but I think I’d really like to pursue teaching. I might go back and get my master’s in nursing education. I promised myself when I entered healthcare that I’d be relatively open with my patients, using therapeutic communication and relating to their experiences with anxiety. I’d love to get more involved as an alum with Mountain Valley and volunteer more of my time—my experience there was transformational.

Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Hero’s Journey

Posted on September 29, 2025September 29, 2025 by Sarah Shebek

A few years ago, we implemented a three-phased model to guide and structure the treatment experience at Mountain Valley. The purpose of this restructuring was twofold:

To improve the fidelity of the care we provide by delivering Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy — and other core therapeutic content — through an evidence-based, standardized process.
To create a therapeutic narrative with a clear “beginning, middle, and end” that helps guide residents, their families, and our care team as they navigate the often unpredictable journey of treatment.

To support this second goal, we chose Joseph Campbell’s “Hero’s Journey” as the framework for our therapeutic narrative. The Hero’s Journey naturally reflects so much of what Mountain Valley is about: stepping outside of your comfort zone into the unknown, confronting challenges and fears head-on, and emerging from that process as a more integrated and actualized version of yourself. This arc mirrors both the practical process of exposure therapy and the profound transformation we witness in the young people who complete our program.

As the primary creator of this three-phased model based on Campbell’s framework, I see this heroic journey unfolding in each resident’s experience. But rarely do I hear it reflected back to me so clearly by residents or their families.

At a recent graduation ceremony, I was fortunate enough to experience exactly that. A father, seated beside his wife and daughter and across the room from his son on graduation day, stood to deliver a heartfelt speech. With tears in his eyes, a lump in his throat, and his family’s arms around him, he spoke about the Hero’s Journey his son had been on.

His words were deeply validating — he so eloquently articulated the parallels between his son’s process and the journey Campbell described. But more than that, his speech was profoundly moving. To witness a father express to his son that he truly is the hero he always believed he could become is something difficult to put into words.

So rather than attempt to describe it further, we’re honored to share his speech here — with his permission — so that others, too, can bear witness to the life-changing transformations that take place within the Mountain Valley community.

There is a Haitian Creole saying, “Dèyè mòn gen mòn.” which translates roughly as “Beyond mountains, there are mountains.” Today we gather not just to mark an ending, but to witness a profound transformation — a completion of one heroic cycle and the beginning of another.

When Phin first arrived at Mountain Valley, he was answering what Joseph Campbell called “the call to adventure.” But this wasn’t the adventure any of us would have chosen. It was a call born from struggle, from the recognition that the ordinary world — our world of schedules and expectations and well-meaning plans — had become uninhabitable for him. Like all true heroes, he had to leave everything familiar behind to find what he needed most.

In those early days, I’ll admit, I saw this departure through the lens of my own fear. I grieved for dreams I had crafted for him, dreams that perhaps said more about my own longings than his true calling. But heroes’ journeys rarely unfold according to the maps drawn by those who love them from a distance.

What I’ve witnessed over these months is Phin’s passage through what Mountain Valley teaches us are the three sacred phases of transformation. In the Departure, he faced the terrifying truth that his old ways of being were no longer sufficient. He had to shed the armor of perfectionism that had become a prison, release the strategies that once protected him but now isolated him from life itself.

During the Initiation — the trials and revelations that form the heart of every hero’s journey — I watched him discover strengths he never knew he possessed. With the guidance of staff who became wise mentors, and alongside fellow travelers who understood his struggles in ways that even family cannot, he learned to sit with discomfort instead of fleeing from it. He began to see his neurodivergent mind not as a liability, but as a different kind of wisdom. Most remarkably, he started to trust his own capacity for healing.

And now we celebrate the Return — not because the journey is over, but because he has gained something precious to bring back to the world. Phin returns to us transformed, carrying new tools, deeper self-knowledge, and perhaps most importantly, the unshakeable understanding that he can navigate whatever challenges lie ahead.

To the extraordinary staff of Mountain Valley: you have been more than clinicians and counselors. You have been the wise elders every hero needs — those who can see potential when the hero himself cannot, who offer both challenge and sanctuary, who know exactly when to push and when to simply witness. You helped Phin remember that he is both the author and the protagonist of his own story.

To Phin’s fellow residents: you have been his companions on the quest, his band of brothers and sisters who shared the trials and celebrated the victories that only you could truly understand. You have shown him that healing happens in community, that vulnerability is a form of courage, and that we all rise together.

But here’s what I’ve learned about the Hero’s Journey that no book quite captures: it never really ends. Life offers us countless opportunities to answer new calls to adventure, to face fresh trials, to return again and again with deeper wisdom. What changes is not the presence of challenge, but our relationship to it. What transforms is not the absence of struggle, but our capacity to meet it with courage, curiosity, and hope.

Phin, as you prepare to leave this sacred mountain and return to the valley of everyday life, know that you carry within you everything you need. You have proven your bravery. You have demonstrated your commitment to growth. You have shown us all what it means to transform suffering into strength.

The story you have written here at Mountain Valley will become the foundation for every future chapter. And as your father, I am filled with a pride that goes beyond words — not because you have arrived at some imagined destination, but because you have shown the courage to keep traveling, to keep growing, to keep becoming who you were always meant to be.

This ceremony today is not just a celebration — it is a recognition of the sacred work you have done and a blessing for the sacred work that lies ahead. You are ready for whatever comes next, because you now know the deepest truth of the Hero’s Journey: you already contain everything you need to write a life of meaning, connection, and joy.

The adventure continues, and we will be cheering you on every step of the way.

Staff Spotlight: Ashley Metz

Posted on September 9, 2025September 15, 2025 by Sarah Shebek

Mental Health Matters

If you’ve been at Mountain Valley sometime over the last eight years, there’s a good chance you know Ashley Metz. As one of the longest-tenured employees with the company, Ashley is passionate about mental health and has her own inspiring story to back it up. After she felt her life crashing down during college, Ashley sought help, finished her degree, and ended up completing a master’s degree to become a licensed clinical mental health counselor. Ashley started working as a residential counselor and also served as residential supervisor and director before moving into her current clinician position two years ago. She credits Mountain Valley for helping guide her through her own healing journey—and she’s helped heal countless others along the way.

Tell us a bit about your background?

I was born and raised in Western Massachusetts and went to college in Worcester. I was quite lost, and it took me six years to graduate with my bachelor’s degree. I ended up taking some time off for my own mental health.

My family—my mom especially—experienced trauma when I was growing up. In high school I was more depressed and coping with substances. I was smart and a good kid, so I scraped through, but when I went to college it all hit me. The anxiety was much more prevalent than I realized, and I was having panic attacks in class for the first time. I also have ADHD, but I wasn’t diagnosed until later in life.

I had a lot of anxiety around this need to perform—my mom always wanted us to do better. My sister and I have, and we’re very proud of that. But I struggle with this fear of failure every day, to be honest, and undergrad is where it all came crashing down. I was smoking and drinking a lot, and I wasn’t secure in myself. I got my validation from others. When I wasn’t getting validation I turned to extreme behaviors, and finally ended up being hospitalized for about two weeks.

That was a wake-up call. I moved in with some friends after that and they supported me through the next steps in a rehab program. I got to this point of “What am I doing with my life?” and met my husband Charles right after that. He helped save my life and he provided the secure attachment that I really needed.

How did you end up at Mountain Valley?

Charles got a job coaching soccer at Colby-Sawyer College. We had bartended together, but when we moved up to New Hampshire, I thought maybe I should try to be an adult. I stumbled on Mountain Valley and even though it was a long drive from our place, I was really intrigued.

I had done therapy myself at different levels and I decided to shadow there to see if it was a good fit. I was expecting very ill kids—instead I see these shy, nervous kids who are afraid to step outside. It was not what I was expecting. Then I saw my first graduation and thought “this is really cool.” I was so outside of my comfort zone. I started working at the old campus as a residential staff member, and now I’m here eight years later.

What has your growth process been like?

It’s such an interesting dynamic being on residential staff. It’s almost like an older sibling, in a lot of ways. Especially because when I first started, my younger sister was the age of the kids I was working with. I started to get to know the clinicians better and when we moved to the new campus in Plainfield, we were a tightly knit group.

The longer I worked at Mountain Valley, the more I realized that the clinicians were really cool people. I’d had this stereotype of what mental health professionals were like and they weren’t like that at all. They were people I wanted to hang out with. I decided to go back to school so I could become a clinician, but I was scared because of my experience in undergrad. Mountain Valley offered to help pay for some of it, which really impressed me.

When I started my graduate program, I found I actually liked my classes, and it made a world of difference. It’s a miracle I graduated from college, and then I got a 3.9 GPA in grad school—I was so proud. I think it also shows how important your mental health is when you’re doing these really big things.

I tell a lot of the kids I work with my story, “Dude, it took me six years to graduate because I needed to stabilize and get my feet under me.” My GPA shifted so dramatically because I was in a place where I wanted to be in school. I felt confident in school and secure in myself. I’d like to think Mountain Valley helped heal me.

Why do you think Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) works?

I think it seems counterintuitive, like why would I do the things are the most triggering to me? But I love it because it’s applicable to literally anyone. Every single person on campus can do an exposure, all day, every day. I love that we as clinicians can model it in the moment with our kids.

For example, I love to travel but with all the media around plane problems, I started having panic attacks about flying. The exposure would be for me to fly anyway and sit with the discomfort that shows up. I brought that experience into work and into group, and shared it with my kids. There are real life examples all the time.

When it comes to severe anxiety and OCD, it’s really difficult. We’re asking them to face their biggest fears, things that I probably wouldn’t have done at their age. It’s so cool to see them face it and build that courage—it surprises me every time and they surprise themselves every time. More importantly, we debrief and reflect on the experience. That piece is so important, because what comes out on the other side is confidence and security.

What’s one of your favorite success stories as a clinician?

We had a recent resident who was really sick. She was so isolated and afraid of the world that she didn’t leave her bedroom for long periods of time. The only time she would leave for over a year was to go to the pet store to buy cat food. Getting her to Mountain Valley was a long road—it took years. She had become very paranoid and thought everyone was out to get her, including her parents. There was a lot of mistrust and she thought we were a cult, that we were brainwashing her.

I like to think one of my top skills as a therapist is building rapport, so I can usually connect with kids pretty quickly. But not this one—she gave me a run for my money. She finally bought in and went from saying that she didn’t want any friends and wanted to live alone, to becoming the most popular girl on campus. It was her first time having friends, really.

When she left Mountain Valley she was proud of her experience. Now she has a part-time job, she’s starting her senior year, and she just got her learner’s permit. It’s so special watching such special kids learn to love life again.

What are your future goals?

Before I became a clinician at Mountain Valley, I worked a residential supervisor and I loved the mentoring part of the job. It felt like therapy a lot of the time. I was program director for a little bit, then I moved to the clinical team. I’ve had all these different roles and being a therapist is my favorite, but I miss that mentoring piece.

I can see myself serving as a supervisor for unlicensed clinicians or even licensed clinicians. If I ever leave Mountain Valley, I hope to create the kind of community and support that exists here, because not a lot of therapists get that. I love teenagers a lot, but I could see myself shifting to serve more of a college-age population. That’s when I needed help the most, so I want to use my experience to make a difference.

Five Things Every Parent of an Anxious Child Should Consider Heading Into the School Year

Posted on August 26, 2025August 26, 2025 by Mountain Valley Treatment Center

The start of a new school year can bring excitement, but for many children — especially those struggling with anxiety — it also brings a storm of worry and self-doubt. Parents often wonder: how much should I push, and how much should I protect? While there are no simple answers, there are guiding principles that can help families navigate the year ahead with steadiness and clarity.

Here are five key considerations for parents of anxious kids as school begins.

1. Normalize, but Don’t Accommodate Avoidance

Some level of anxiety at the start of school is completely natural. Where problems begin is when avoidance takes hold. Avoidance provides short-term relief but strengthens the vicious circle of anxiety, making future challenges harder. This cycle works by rewarding escape in the moment, which teaches the brain that avoidance is the safest option — and over time, the fear grows larger and the situations harder to face. For example, if a student skips class once because of anxiety, it feels like instant relief, but the next day returning to class feels even more overwhelming, making the avoidance harder to break.

Avoidance also interrupts the ability to participate in daily occupations like school, play, and friendships. The goal is to support children in gradually re-engaging rather than removing them from challenges. Parents can validate discomfort while still encouraging manageable steps forward.

Examples:
– Presentation avoidance: Scaffold exposure — practice with a teacher, then a small group, then the class.
– Nurse visits: Limit breaks, with the expectation of returning to class within a specific timeframe.
– School refusal: Resist defaulting to online schooling, which entrenches avoidance.
– Homework: Break assignments into smaller parts instead of excusing them.

2. Set Structure Through Routines and Plans

Anxious kids thrive when life feels predictable — at home and at school. Consistent routines around sleep, wake-ups, meals, and homework reduce uncertainty, while proactive communication with teachers and counselors helps prevent last-minute crises. Transitions, especially from summer to school, are smoother when structure is introduced early.

Routines aren’t just about efficiency; they create a sense of safety and mastery across multiple environments. Predictable structure helps children conserve mental energy, freeing up space for learning, play, and social engagement.

Parents also play a powerful role in modeling regulation. If a parent stays calm when the bus is missed or when homework feels overwhelming, a child learns that stress can be managed without panic. When parents and schools coordinate expectations and backup plans, anxious kids experience greater consistency, which reduces uncertainty.

Examples:
– Routine: Homework done at the same time and place each evening to eliminate nightly negotiations.
– Modeling: Respond calmly to a missed bus or forgotten lunch.
– Planning: “If she’s overwhelmed, she can take a five-minute break, then return — not skip the rest of the day.”

3. Look Beyond the School Day

Attendance doesn’t equal wellness. Some anxious kids grit their teeth and “white-knuckle” through the school day, only to retreat into isolation at home. Real progress shows up across multiple domains: family life, friendships, leisure, and play — not just classroom attendance. Functioning means engaging in a balance of daily occupations, not just enduring academics.

Connection is central. Kids need opportunities to belong, to laugh, and to participate in meaningful activities — whether it’s playing a sport, creating art, cooking with family, or spending time with friends. Leisure and play aren’t extras; they are essential therapeutic tools for regulating emotions, building skills, and counteracting stress.

Parents should also watch for subtle avoidance that signals anxiety is in control. Frequent nurse visits, perfectionistic meltdowns, or refusals disguised as illness often indicate that fear — not defiance — is driving behavior. Looking beyond attendance helps parents and schools measure whether a child is truly engaging in life, not just getting through the day.

Examples:
– White-knuckling: A child attends school but spends every afternoon isolated online.
– Extracurriculars: Avoidance of all non-school activities is still avoidance.
– Red flags: Morning “illnesses,” repeated nurse visits, or disproportionate stress over assignments.

4. Guard Against Comparison and Social Media

School has always been a breeding ground for comparison — grades, sports, popularity, appearance. Today, social media magnifies every insecurity, offering kids a 24/7 scoreboard of who’s prettier, smarter, more athletic, or more “liked.” For an anxious child, this constant measuring can be crushing. As the old saying goes: “comparison is the thief of joy.”

Children need space to build a strong sense of self through meaningful activities, leisure, and authentic connections — not through relentless comparison. Parents play a critical role here. Kids don’t need to be measured against siblings, peers, their parents’ childhood selves, or even their own former abilities. For anxious kids, who are already their own toughest critics, comparison only deepens shame and erodes confidence.

Instead, parents who highlight individual progress — whether that’s raising a hand once in class, walking through the school doors after a hard morning, or choosing to join a friend for an activity — help their children recognize growth on their own terms. These moments of authentic achievement, however small, are the antidote to comparison.

Examples:
– Sibling or peer comparisons: Avoid comments like “your sister never struggled with this” or measuring your child against classmates.
– Self-comparisons: Refrain from “When I was your age…” — the world your child is navigating is different from yours.
– Comparisons to their former self: Avoid saying “you used to be able to do this,” which often lands as failure and pressure when a child is already vulnerable.

5. Recognize and Manage Your Own Anxiety as a Parent

Perhaps the hardest — and most powerful — part of supporting an anxious child is managing your own worry. Children absorb parental anxiety like sponges. A parent who rescues too quickly or models panic reinforces the message that the child can’t handle discomfort.

Parents can use the same principles we ask of kids: regulate emotions, lean into support, and find balance through healthy routines. Modeling calm confidence, holding firm but compassionate boundaries, and celebrating small wins show kids that growth comes from tolerating discomfort, not avoiding it.

Examples:
– Over-accommodation: Calling to excuse a child from gym every time they feel nervous.
– Modeling: Owning mistakes calmly teaches resilience better than preventing all discomfort.
– Self-talk: “It’s okay if my child is uncomfortable — that’s how they grow.”
– Wins: Recognize showing-up behaviors: attending one class, raising a hand, or staying through a difficult day.

Moving Forward with Support

Parenting an anxious child can feel exhausting, especially during the back-to-school season. You may find yourself torn between wanting to protect your child and knowing they need to face challenges to grow. The good news is you don’t have to figure it all out alone.

Lean on your resources. Talk with teachers and school counselors, reach out to therapists, and don’t hesitate to ask for extra help when your child’s struggles feel bigger than what you can manage on your own. Asking for help is not failure — it’s part of showing your child that strength comes from connection.

Remember, the goal isn’t to erase anxiety. It’s to help your child take one step at a time, supported by the right people and strategies, and to celebrate progress — however small — along the way.

From Fear to Love: The Mountain Valley Reunion 2025

Posted on August 12, 2025 by Mountain Valley Treatment Center

August 2, 2025, was a beautiful mid-summer day in Plainfield, New Hampshire. The sky was clear, the sun was shining, and the Mountain Valley campus buzzed with energy. It was the day of our annual Mountain Valley Reunion, and more than one hundred people gathered to reconnect and celebrate the life-changing experiences they’ve had through our program.

Alumni residents and their families flew in from across the country. Current residents spent the morning rounding up farm animals for a petting zoo and hanging “Welcome Back!” signs around campus. By noon, the open field behind the Carriage House dorm was filled with laughter and joy — alumni, parents, former and current staff, and family members mingled, reconnecting, and celebrating together.

It was a day full of emotions — good ones — but even good emotions can be overwhelming.

“How did we get all these people to spend a sunny summer afternoon in the field of a residential treatment center? How did we get so lucky? What did we do to deserve this?”

These questions swirled in my mind as I walked the now-quiet campus hours after the festivities ended. Searching for an answer, I did what we encourage our residents to do: I asked myself, “What am I feeling?”

Before the question had fully formed, my body answered: love.

Love is what I was feeling. Love is what made the day what it was.

What Is Love?
Love is a powerful word and a complex emotion — one we use so often that we risk losing sight of its meaning.

Like all emotions, love is both a biological and psychological process. Biologically, it’s a cocktail of hormones — oxytocin, dopamine, vasopressin, and endorphins — the perfect “feel-good” mix. Psychologically, love shapes our thoughts and behaviors and influences the development of our relationships and attachments.

But is love just biology and psychology? Or is it something bigger? Philosophers have debated it for millennia. Plato called love “a desire for beauty and truth.” Aristotle saw it as a virtue, essential to living a moral and good life. Kierkegaard described it as a choice — a commitment that demands self-sacrifice.

No matter the lens — science, psychology, or philosophy — love’s impact on the human experience is profound and undeniable.

So how did we get here? How did strangers from different walks of life come together and find themselves in a place of love? Maybe it begins where it all started: in a place of fear.

The Relationship Between Love & Fear
As an anxiety-focused program, fear is what brings people to our door. It can steal the spark from a young person’s life, causing them to retreat, avoid, and withdraw from the world. Parents often watch helplessly as their child’s life grows smaller and their own fears grow larger until the entire family system is engulfed in fear’s shadow.

So, what do we do? How do we find the light again? And where does love fit into all of this?

Love Reduces Fear
Biologically, love is the antidote to fear. It calms the brain’s alarm system, releasing hormones that reduce stress and foster connection. That sense of connection is at the heart of what we do.

As an exposure-based program, we walk alongside anxious young people and their families as they lean into what scares them most. Through this process, they build resilience, regain confidence, and rediscover their passion for life. But their bravery begins where love can be found, so it’s our job to provide it.

Love Transforms Fear
Love doesn’t just reduce fear — it transforms it. When we are in love — with a person, place, thing, or idea — we are more willing to face our fears. As psychologist Viktor Frankl said, “A man with a why can bear almost any how.” Love gives us something bigger than ourselves to be brave for. In its most authentic form, it can turn fear into courage.

If our mission is to help young people turn fear into courage, love is a key ingredient. We help them find it in the people, places, and things around them. By tapping into what they love, we tap into their strength — harnessing it for meaningful change.

Love Is Found Through Fear
Love isn’t just a tool to reduce or transform fear — it’s often the result of facing it. Embracing what scares us — talking about it or confronting it in real time — requires vulnerability. It requires us to be seen for who we truly are. In the right context, with the right support, that vulnerability often leads to profound connection and deep acceptance. This is the primary basis for experiencing love.

So although it’s easy to see fear as a barrier to love, it can also be a bridge — and when a community faces its fears together, it often discovers deep love and connection on the other side.

A Day of Love
Our reunion was a living testament to these truths and to the relationship between love and fear. We were reminded of the fears this community has faced, met, and transcended — and inspired by the genuine connection, understanding, and love that took their place.

As the sun set on that perfect summer day, I felt deep gratitude for the privilege of being part of a community dedicated to “making fear less” and “love more” in the world around us.

Let’s Face Fear Together
If you or someone you love is struggling with fear or anxiety, know that you’re not alone — and that healing and connection are possible. We invite you to learn more about our program, join our community events, or simply reach out to start a conversation. Together, we can face fear and make room for more love in our lives.

Stay connected with Mountain Valley — where courage grows and love leads the way.

Alumni Spotlight: Amelia Teta

Posted on August 11, 2025August 26, 2025 by Sarah Shebek

Amelia Teta is from Boston and attended Mountain Valley in 2017. Teta was an active student-athlete at the rigorous Boston Latin School before suffering two concussions. After that, she struggled with anxiety and depression and ultimately received a diagnosis of OCD. When she felt like she was hitting rock bottom, her family found Mountain Valley. She successfully graduated the program, completed high school online, and will soon be a licensed occupational therapist focused on helping patients live to the fullest.

What brought you to Mountain Valley?

When I started high school, my anxiety ramped up to the point where I felt like I was dying. I ended up faking more concussions to stay home from school and my parents enrolled me in two different day programs instead. The goal was for me to re-enroll in high school during eleventh grade but there was just no way, I was a disaster. I had my new OCD diagnosis that was barely managed through biweekly outpatient appointments. My family worked with an educational consultant who recommended Mountain Valley. My parents told me I got to make the decision—I knew it wasn’t going to be fun but that I had to do it. A week later, I was there with my bags.

What are you doing today?

I just took my last final to complete my classroom work for my degree in occupational therapy. I got my bachelor’s degree in children, youth, and family studies at Lesley University, and I am finishing my master’s degree at the University of New England. Up next, I have two placements in high school mental health and at an outpatient pediatric clinic.

When I attended Mountain Valley, the program didn’t have any occupational therapists on staff, and I didn’t really know anything about it. But I’ve always known I wanted to work in health, and one of my good friend’s moms is a physical therapist. She told me, “Amelia, I’ve known you since you were five. Go watch every video you can find about occupational therapy and tell me you don’t want to do that.” At Mountain Valley my biggest fear was suffering, and when I found out there was a job I could do to help people relieve any bit of suffering through things they love, that was life-changing. Occupational therapists can help people do anything they care about.

How do you think Mountain Valley made a difference in your life?

The question at Mountain Valley was always, “how are you going to build this worthwhile life?” It made sense in my brain and helped me have a checklist to stop the unorganized waves in my mind. My therapist told me, “You are here in this body, and you’re going to live your life. How are you going to make it so it’s worth the pain and suffering, and it’s worth it for you to do it?”

So I focused on what I love and how I can achieve it, even if I can’t see straight and I’m depressed. Before I joined Mountain Valley, my OCD thoughts of “what if something bad happens” would keep me from doing what mattered. I decided that no matter when I die, I’ll do everything I can to help people around me, love them, and support them. Making that choice to fully engage in life is anxiety-provoking but it’s worth it for me to live out my values.

What’s next for you?

I have a fiancé and she’s been a huge support for me. She encouraged me to apply at the University of New England and it’s the best decision I’ve ever made. If you had asked me three years ago if I could live away from home outside of my routine, it would have been my worst nightmare. She pushes me to travel and think outside the box.

I think it would be cool to do some travel work as an occupational therapist, maybe in a high school or pediatric setting. The long-term goal is to work in perinatal health, from when someone gets pregnant to a year or two after their due date. As an OT, I can help work with them on building up confidence and good habits, go into the home and make their spaces more functional. After birth I get to hang out with the baby and do all the early intervention stuff that I love. That is the lifelong goal.

Why do you think a family should choose Mountain Valley?

It can be really scary think about dropping off your kid with a bunch of strangers, especially when it’s far away. But if it’s the best decision for your family and child, you know it in your gut. The joy I had doing the work was the most joy I’d experienced in a long time. It’s hard, it can be terrifying, and it works.

The Role of Sleep Hygiene in Managing Adolescent Anxiety

Posted on July 30, 2025 by Mountain Valley Treatment Center

Adolescence is a time of significant physical, emotional, and social development. It’s also a time when anxiety can take root, often exacerbated by factors such as academic pressures, social dynamics, and the rapidly changing brain. One factor that is frequently overlooked in managing adolescent anxiety is sleep—both how anxiety disrupts sleep and how poor sleep hygiene can contribute to the anxiety cycle itself. In this article, we’ll explore the connection between sleep hygiene and anxiety, along with practical tips for fostering healthier sleep habits that can help alleviate anxiety symptoms.

Understanding the Anxiety-Sleep Connection

For adolescents struggling with anxiety, sleep can often feel elusive. Racing thoughts, heightened alertness, and a constant sense of worry can make it difficult to fall or stay asleep. Unfortunately, poor sleep quality only exacerbates the symptoms of anxiety, creating a vicious cycle that’s tough to break. Sleep deprivation impairs emotional regulation, cognitive processing, and the ability to manage stress—all essential to managing anxiety.

The adolescent brain is still developing, making it particularly vulnerable to the effects of poor sleep. Deep sleep is essential for processing emotions and consolidating memories. Without enough sleep, teens may struggle to regulate their emotions, making them more susceptible to anxiety. Consistent, restorative sleep is crucial for both emotional well-being and cognitive function, which is why sleep hygiene plays such an important role in overall mental health.

The Importance of Sleep Hygiene

Sleep hygiene refers to the habits and practices that promote consistent, restful sleep. Improving sleep hygiene is a key strategy for reducing anxiety and breaking the sleep-anxiety cycle. By establishing positive sleep routines, adolescents can improve the quality of their sleep and, in turn, their ability to manage anxiety.

Here are several key practices to focus on when improving sleep hygiene:

Maintain Consistency: Setting a regular bedtime and wake-up time is crucial for regulating the body’s internal clock. Teens should aim to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day, including weekends, to avoid disrupting their sleep patterns. This consistency helps to improve sleep quality and helps the body get the rest it needs.
Create a Calming Bedtime Routine: Establishing a calming pre-sleep routine signals to the brain that it’s time to wind down. This routine can include relaxing activities such as reading, journaling, or engaging in mindfulness exercises. These activities not only help reduce anxiety but also allow the mind to transition from a state of heightened alertness to one of relaxation, making it easier to fall asleep.
Limit Stimulants and Distractions: Excessive screen time, especially before bed, can interfere with the body’s ability to produce melatonin, the hormone responsible for regulating sleep. Teens should avoid using electronic devices at least an hour before bed. In addition, consuming caffeine or large meals late in the day can disrupt sleep, making it harder to fall or stay asleep.
Optimize the Sleep Environment: A comfortable and quiet sleep environment is essential for restful sleep. The bedroom should be cool, dark, and free from distractions. Using blackout curtains, minimizing noise, and ensuring the mattress and pillows are comfortable can go a long way in promoting quality sleep.

Summer: A Time to Reset or Lose Sleep Structure?

The summer months present a unique challenge when it comes to sleep hygiene. Without the structure of school schedules, sleep patterns can easily become erratic. While summer offers a great opportunity for teens to catch up on much-needed sleep, the lack of routine can lead to late nights and irregular wake-up times, which may throw off their sleep cycles.

Summer should be viewed as a time for the body to rest and recalibrate, but it’s important for teens to maintain a healthy sleep schedule even without the demands of school. Teens often take advantage of the unstructured time to sleep in, but it’s important to avoid extremes—such as staying up far too late or sleeping excessively during the day—that can make it harder to transition back into the routine of school once summer ends.

Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule during the summer is key. Not only does this help teens get the sleep they need, but it also helps them manage stress, maintain healthy habits, and reduce the likelihood of falling into the cycle of anxiety that poor sleep habits can promote.

Sleep Hygiene as Part of a Comprehensive Approach to Managing Anxiety

While sleep hygiene is a critical tool in managing adolescent anxiety, it is most effective when used alongside other therapeutic strategies. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness practices, and other evidence-based approaches can address the underlying causes of anxiety and provide teens with the tools to better manage their emotions. Sleep hygiene, when integrated into a holistic approach to anxiety, can be a powerful tool for improving overall mental health.

Conclusion

Good sleep hygiene plays an essential role in managing adolescent anxiety. Establishing healthy sleep habits—such as maintaining consistency, creating a calming bedtime routine, limiting distractions, and optimizing the sleep environment—can significantly improve sleep quality and emotional resilience. For adolescents, quality sleep is a cornerstone of good mental health, and by fostering these positive sleep habits, teens can improve both their sleep and their ability to manage anxiety in the long term.

If your teen is struggling with sleep or anxiety, consider implementing these sleep hygiene practices and look for additional strategies that may support their emotional well-being. By addressing both sleep and anxiety, teens can set themselves on the path toward a healthier, more balanced life.