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PROGRAM STAFF
Jalane
Christian-Stoker,
M.A., L.M.F.T.
Clinical Director
Jalane has a Master’s Degree from Santa Clara University
and has been licensed in California, Hawaii and Utah as a
Marriage and Family Therapist since 1984. Jalane has a
wide range of clinical experiences including working with
adolescent substance abusers, working with adult children
of alcoholics, working with battered women, developing
school-based counseling services, working with children
and adolescents in foster care and working with sexually
abused women. Jalane has started two community counseling
clinics and one residential treatment program for
substance abusers. She is the past president of the
Hawaii State Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.
Jalane and her psychologist husband have organized and run
community support groups for families struggling with
their children and have led support groups for parents
whose children were in residential treatment. Jalane has
been the Clinical Director at Moonridge Academy since
2004.
David H. Stoker, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist
David has 38 years of clinical experience with extensive
background in working with adolescents and families. He
has taught at the university level and has served as the
Director of the Counseling Center at San Jose University
for 15 years. David then spent the next 22 years working
in his private practice. They provided him with many
opportunities to work with adolescents and families. He
has also had many consulting positions with outpatient
treatment programs for adolescents and families. During
his career, David has organized and facilitated community
support groups for families struggling with their children
and has led support groups for parents whose children were
in residential treatment.
Kent Tasso
Executive Director
Kent is the co-founder of Certified Educational
Therapeutic Schools and Programs (CERTS) with Scott Davis
and has extensive experience in working with youth. Since
2001, Kent has served as the Director of Kolob Canyon
Residential Treatment Center. He brings a background that
blends high school teaching and K-8 educational
administration with his experience in residential
treatment. Kent has received extensive training in
value-based education and a strong resulting belief in the
inherent greatness of human beings. Kent received his B.A.
from Brigham Young University and has five children. He
speaks fluent Japanese and French and continues to study
other languages and has lived in various parts of the
world.
Scott Davis
Director
Since 1986, Scott has had extensive experience in
management, marketing, admissions, and in providing direct
care in structured in-patient behavioral health care
environments. Scott has worked for Charter Medical
Corporation as a psychiatric counselor in the children and
adolescent unit and on a development project to create a
long-term care program for adolescents. Scott has also
worked at CPC Olympus View Hospital as the Director of
Marketing and Business Development and as the Senior
Coordinator for Community Residential Treatment Centers in
the Northwest Division of Community Psychiatric Centers.
Scott next worked at New Haven Residential Center for
Girls for the five years prior to his co-founding CERTS
with Kent Tasso.
John
Trujillo
Facility Director
After
moving to southern
Utah in 1996 and working as a youth councilor, it was
John’s desire to help change the lives of troubled kids.
As Johnny has said many times before, working as a youth
councilor was the most rewarding job he has ever had.
John grew up in
Los
Angeles and coached little league baseball, football and
has been involved with youth for over 15 years. John is
married and has three wonderful girls. It has been John’s
dream for 10 years to have a program that would have a
positive impact on a child’s life. After being introduced
to Scott Davis and Kent Tasso and discovering they had a
common goal to help children, they co-founded
Moonridge
Academy.
Stephanie Trimmer B.S.
Education Director
Stefanie currently holds a Bachelors degree in Special
Education and Elementary Education. She is certified to
teach in the Elementary and Secondary setting. Stefanie
has previously served as Educational Director for Kolob
Canyon Residential Treatment Center and has a strong
desire to direct young people down positive roads.
Stefanie loves to combine her love of the outdoors into
her educational setting to promote learning, health and
responsibility.
Laura Griffiths, B.S.
Program Director
Laura has received a Bachelors degree in Psychology from
Southern Utah University. With a combined love for youth,
outdoors and hiking she spent 2 years as a head instructor
at a wilderness behavior modification program. She loves
music and has taught private and group violin lessons for
6 years. Laura also loves to travel, having spent time in
Russia teaching English and recently, a summer in Africa
helping to build a school. Laura values the importance of
an education, goals, family, and service.
Ruth
Williams, M.S., L.C.S.W.
Clinical Therapist
Ruth received her master’s degree in social work from the
University of Utah and is currently licensed in the state
of
Utah as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. In the past, Ruth has
worked with the chronically mentally ill, ungovernable
adolescents, sexual perpetrators and victims, domestic
violence perpetrators and victims, as well as providing
extensive child and family therapy. In the recent past,
Ruth was the coordinator for the Kindergarten through
Fourth grade program for
Iron County,
Utah. She also has experience in sand tray, play and art
therapy, attachment disorders, ADHD issues, and parent and
child relationships.
Susan Garner, M.A., L.C.S.W.
Clinical Therapist
Susan was born in
Idaho, raised in
North
Carolina, and currently resides in Cedar City, Utah with
her husband and three children. She earned a BSW at the
University of Idaho in 1991. She later obtained an MSW
from the
University of
Utah
and is licensed in the State of Utah. Susan has done work
with individual, family and group therapy with children,
adolescents and adults. She has received training in
sandtray therapy and is a member of the NAPT. She is also
trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing,
and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. She has worked at
Moonridge Academy since July 2004.
Darlene Horton, M.S., C.P.C.
Clinical Therapist
Darlene is a Certified Professional Counselor with a
Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling. She has a
Bachelors Degree in Sociology with a minor in Child
Development. Darlene has a diverse therapeutic background
that includes being licensed for substance abuse
counseling, providing support for victims of domestic
violence, serving as a staff member at a crisis nursery
(where children in crises went for shelter), and being
privileged to work with adolescent girls of the Paiute
Tribe. Darlene particularly enjoys working closely with
mothers and daughters to strengthen challenges in their
relationship.
Alyse
Clements, B.A., L.P.N.
Nurse Coordinator
Alyse has served as a nurse in hospitals, long term care
facilities and physicians clinics. She was voted Most
Outstanding Student in her nursing class and has a lot of
experience in working with teenagers. Prior to Moonridge
Academy, Alyse was the Nurse Coordinator at a structured
boarding school. Having four growing children of her own
keeps her very busy. She loves to travel, explore, grow
things, read and cook. Alyse is loved by Moonridge girls
and their parents for her ability to mix humor with
excellent communication and care.
Kristi
Seymour, NCC, LPC, BCETS
Equine Clinical Therapist
Kristi is
a licensed therapist experienced working with children and
adolescents. She is a board certified expert in traumatic
stress and trained in disaster response and crisis
debriefing. Her specialty is treatment of various trauma.
Prior to working with Moonridge and Kolob, she was a
program manager for an agency in LA, running a domestic
violence response program with the LAPD in the densest
areas of LA and a child trauma program. She is also
experienced with providing direct clinical services in the
inpatient, outpatient and emergency room
hospital settings. Kristi also has 30 years
experience with horses, has shown at the grand prix level
in jumping and as a youth won many state, regional, and
national awards, She is EAGALA Level one certified, and
about to be Level two advanced certified for equine
psychotherapy.
Dr.
Gary Balian, M.D. - Consulting Psychiatrist
Kathryn Adams, APRN - Nurse Practitioner
Dr. Balian and Kathy Adams monitor medications for girls
at Kolob Canyon Residential Treatment Center. Either Dr.
Balian or Kathy Adams meets with each girl who is on
medications monthly or as often as needed. Dr. Balian has
over twenty years experience as a psychiatrist and
currently works at the Southwest Center. He has also had
extensive experience in working with youth in numerous
residential treatment settings.
Kathy Adams is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse in
psychiatric metal health and is credentialed to perform
psychiatric evaluations and to prescribe medications,
including Psychotropic medications. She has worked for the
past seven years at Dixie Regional Medial Center in St.
George, Utah and is board certified. Kathy is a sought
after guest speaker at area colleges because of her
expertise.
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