About Us

Claire was born in London, raised in New York City, attended college and graduate school in San Diego, California, and recently moved to the Flathead Valley of Northwest Montana. Claire’s eclectic background has provided her with an opportunity to live amongst a variety of cultures and environments, naturally leading her to connect with individuals and families of all different backgrounds. As an only child growing up in NYC, Claire often found herself wanting to help others while also noticing that her friends and family often looked to her for advice. This innate desire to provide others with assistance eventually led Claire to enroll at the University of Southern California: School of Social Work, where she obtained her Master’s in Social Work degree.

After earning her Master’s degree, Claire pursued her desire to work with youth by providing mental health services in several different high schools within San Diego. Claire provided individual, group, and family therapeutic services while also assisting in the development of district-wide psychoeducational programs that focus on social skills, substance use, nicotine addiction, and physical violence. In 2017, Claire completed one of her biggest accomplishments yet and became a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Earning this title allowed Claire to continue serving San Diego youth, but also provided her with the ability to mentor graduate school students and assist them in developing their skills and acquiring the knowledge needed for a career in social work.

Following Claire’s work in the public school system, she moved to Northwest Montana to gain experience working in a youth residential treatment center. As a primary therapist for a group of highschool-aged students, Claire provided individual, family, and group therapeutic services for the students residing at a therapeutic boarding school.

As her career progressed, Claire began to notice that students who were graduating, moving to different schools, or leaving residential centers were leaving without mental health supports in place that truly met their needs. Claire noticed a lack of available mental health referral services for youth in both Montana and California, and it was then that she decided it was time to create something. She envisioned a platform that would provide virtual mental health services while keeping the comfort and personal feel of an in-person setting. A virtual space that would appeal to the younger generations while understanding their need for flexible schedules and privacy. Transportation challenges would be eliminated, and the anxiety that often accompanies an in-person visit would be reduced. Since the launch of Spot to Talk in May of 2020, Claire has continued to assess the local community’s needs in the Flathead Valley and has expanded Spot to Talk’s services to include more than just virtual services. Claire and the Spot to Talk team are excited to welcome you to our in-person offices in Bigfork and Downtown Kalispell.

Megan was born and raised on San Juan Island, Washington, a small island community nestled between mainland Washington and Vancouver Island, Canada. Megan quickly connected with the relationship between mental and physical health through her love for riding horses and playing soccer. After spending time in Oregon and northcentral Washington exploring her interests, she earned her bachelor’s degree in therapeutic recreation from Western Washington University. She then relocated to the Flathead Valley in the spring of 2017.

Megan earned her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Montana in 2019. She has spent time with DPHHS, Flathead Community Health Center, and has facilitated equine assisted therapy in the Flathead Valley. The bulk of her therapeutic experience has been on an in-patient psychiatric unit providing one-on-one, group, and family therapy, primarily to adolescents.

In her spare time, Megan loves being outside. When she is not working, she enjoys hiking, biking, climbing and skiing, however she has recently gained a new appreciation for slowing down and taking time to read, do macramé projects, and is working on finding a love for cooking.

Megan has a passion for providing holistic, trauma-informed care, empowering and advocating for clients, and believes there is a different approach that works for every person. She is looking forward to serving the statewide community through telehealth and the local Flathead Valley for in-person sessions.

A native of Helena, Montana, ironically, Lisa has spent the majority of her adult life outside the state. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Fitness and Health Promotion from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Lisa worked in Corporate Fitness for several years before expanding her horizons with the arrival of 3 boys and her role as a Navy spouse. Lisa and her family have lived throughout the country and overseas in Okinawa Japan. In each community, Lisa worked with youth in various capacities, including several years as a girls’ camp director.

When the time was right, Lisa pursued her Master’s in Social Work from San Diego State University. As a mental health counselor, she has worked in outpatient psychiatry and other settings with a wide range of ages and challenges. In addition to her work at Spot to Talk, Lisa helps patients and families navigate end-of-life issues at Enhabit Hospice.

Lisa enjoys many different activities in her pursuit of a balanced life including trail running, mountain biking, cross-country skiing, gardening, volunteering through her church and spending time with family and her pup.

Lisa has a particular interest in grief work and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to assist clients congruently with their spirituality and values.  Additionally, she is deeply committed to couples work and is trained in Emotional Focused Therapy, which gets to the heart of relationship problems.

At her core, Lisa has a deep compassion for those in paralyzing situations unable to find a way forward. She is motivated by a desire to empower and tenaciously pursues a holistic approach to effect change for individuals, couples and families. No circumstance is without hope and possibility for improvement.

Rachel grew up in Grand Haven, Michigan, a 5-minute walk from Lake Michigan. She graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology. Rachel spent her undergraduate career exploring the overlap of her passion for history and humanity through her study of archaeology. She spent two field seasons in Belize on archaeological digs interpreting the human condition of the past.

Rachel took a break from school after undergrad and moved to Salt Lake City, Utah (the complete opposite of her lakeside hometown). Her love of animals led her to working as a veterinary technician for a few years where she witnessed the relationship between animals and people and the often unfulfilled need for support during difficult times.

Rachel recently relocated to Flathead Valley in pursuit of the dream combination of lakes and mountains. In her free time, Rachel enjoys baking, reading, playing farming video games, and being outside with her 3 dogs. She is still searching for her green thumb.

Time and experience led Rachel to reassess her long term career goals; her personal journey with grief and the support she received from therapy led her to pursue a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling. Rachel graduated in June 2022 from Northwestern University. Rachel gained experience in the field through her internships at a family group practice with a focus on play therapy and later at a private practice with a focus on anxiety, depression, and life transitions on an individual level. Rachel is especially mindful of grief’s impact and hopes to further specialize in grief-related therapy. She is excited to join the team at Spot to Talk and to have the opportunity to support the people in our community!

Charles was born in Farmington, New Mexico and raised in a little bit of everywhere including Montana, Canada, Texas and Colorado. Throughout his upbringing Charles had the opportunity to build relationships with people from a wide variety of cultures and backgrounds. Charles felt immense pride in individuals’ willingness to share their stories and experiences with him, and often found others seeking him out for support. This has led to an intrinsic desire to serve and support others.  After getting his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, he returned to the Flathead Valley to be closer to family.

Upon returning to the valley, Charles sought to begin his career in serving others and got that opportunity in working with homeless youth for a nonprofit organization. This started him down the path of seeking his Master’s in Social Work, which he hopes to obtain in May of 2022. When he is not working on school, you may find him skiing, fishing, or playing hockey.

Mila obtained her Bachelors in Applied Psychology from Montana State University in 2017. While attending school, her background with horses connected her to an internship that provided experiential therapy to survivors of trauma. This program included art, recreation, cooking, and equine-assisted therapy. The experience gained from this internship inspired her to pursue a graduate degree, in order to continue providing equine-assisted therapy. In May of 2020, she received her Master’s in Social Work degree through San Jose State University, with an emphasis in children, youth, and families. While attending graduate school, she provided case management to homeless adults, and worked in child abuse prevention for a large hospital system.

After her graduation, Mila moved to the Flathead Valley to work in primary care, providing crisis intervention and short term counseling. She is excited to be a part of the Spot to Talk team, and to support and provide teens and young adults a space to be themselves, while navigating the challenges of life. She plans to pursue her EAGALA certification in order to continuing providing equine-assisted therapy.

Teagan was born and raised in rural New England, where she found her love for hiking, backcountry camping, trail running, and climbing. These activities provided a connection to community as well as established a love for natural spaces. The physical and mental health benefits she reaped during her time in the mountains were the driving force behind getting her Master’s in Social Work.

She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography from the University of Hartford. After a decade in the Arts, she received her Master’s in Social Work from Simmons University. During her master’s degree program she focused on trauma-informed care, receiving an additional Trauma Certificate from Simmons University. Her experience working in the Emergency Department inspired her desire to provide care to first responders and other professionals exposed to secondary trauma.

She believes that everyone deserves the time and support to identify solutions that are best suited to their needs and learning style.  She embraces the philosophy that when we can stay humble, honest, and curious we can begin to let our guard down and explore the ‘why’, the ‘how’, and the ‘what next’.

She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 2015 and as a homegrown flathead valley resident quickly found herself back home to be closer to family and enjoy a full ski season. It was during this time she worked at a therapeutic boarding school and was able to intertwine her desire to help others and her love of year-round Montana outdoor activities. From her experience she discovered a passion and enthusiasm for working with teenagers. Katie has also worked in the public-school setting doing school based mental health with teenagers as well as helping to facilitate a summer program for adolescents.

Her favorite part of working in this field is getting to cheer alongside others while helping them make progress towards their individual goals.

In her free time, you can find her skiing, fly fishing, hiking, crafting, or dreaming about owning goats. She is grateful for the opportunity to join the Spot to Talk team, and is eager to continue learning.

Born and raised in Santa Barbara, Rachel relocated to the Flathead Valley in pursuit of alpine lakes & beautiful powder days! Rachel is passionate about mental healthcare and helping young people discover their authentic selves.

She has spent the past 10 years working in a variety of roles within the nonprofit sector, most recently at the Nate Chute Foundation for suicide prevention in Whitefish.

Rachel is happiest when swimming in lakes, rafting on the Flathead River, skiing on the Big, or hanging out with her two dogs, Edward and Piper.

Gabe was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, and has been moving north ever since. He graduated from Northern Arizona University with a degree in environmental studies. This took him a step toward working primarily with high school-aged students in backcountry wilderness settings in Colorado and Wyoming, with an emphasis on teaching subjects such as river ecology, snow science, and geology as well as basic survival skills and Leave No Trace principles. In some of these remote backcountry settings he found that youth were more than willing to not only learn about the environments around them, but to share about the environments and challenges that awaited them back home as well. 

After a couple of years of this line of work, he pivoted toward working in unique school settings, specifically in behavioral health. This was primarily done in schools around Denver, Colorado, and northwest Montana, and was the beginning of his journey toward providing care, support, and meaningful connections to students that were willing to share their experiences with him and seek connection with a trusted adult in their lives. 

Gabe enjoys spending time outdoors on his bike, his snowboard, or with his six-year-old dog, Sadie (Beagle-pitbull-corgi mix). He also can be found playing music around the valley with various local groups that suit his eclectic musical tastes.

Rory, a native of Montana, received both his Clinical Mental Health endorsement and his Master’s in School Counseling from the University of Montana where he also completed his undergraduate studies in Elementary Education.

Rory comes from a long career in education where he worked as a classroom teacher, a school counselor, dean of students and athletic director. After a battle with cancer he moved into ministry and has worked for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes the past 10 years where he served as the Director of Campus Ministry at the University of Montana and the past five years as the Area Representative to the Flathead Valley.

His work with clients is formed and guided by a foundation in Person-Centered therapy. He also utilizes techniques from Cognitive-Behavioral, Strength-Based, and Solution-Focused Brief therapy approaches. He believes clients are the experts and best sources of information about themselves, their current situation, and their future solutions. Rory further believes that helping clients to both recognize and learn to utilize their strengths in the midst of life’s challenges instills hope and empowers them to take the positive steps necessary to regain a sense of autonomy and wellness in their lives.

Rory enjoys working with a wide range of clients and helping them work through a variety of concerns including anxiety, depression, life-change and transition, future and career orientation, loss and grief, and those working in high-stress and leadership positions. In addition, he has a strong background in leadership and sports performance and is currently developing a program to help athletic departments and schools work proactively for the mental health of their athletes, coaches, support staff and administrators and he works with athletes and coaches both individually and in groups.

Away from work Rory likes to enjoy and appreciate all the little things in life with his family which includes his wife, three grown sons, and daughter-in-law.

Michelle is a Kalispell native, working toward her Clinical Mental Health endorsement. Her background includes 22 years in education.

Michelle enjoys spending quality time with family and friends. During the summer, you will find her at the lake with her husband and their two fur babies, Stella and Finley.

Michelle enjoys working with others to support their mental health and is grateful for the opportunity to join the Spot to Talk team and looks forward to learning and helping others.

Ashley was born and raised in Whitefish, Montana. She moved to Bozeman to attend Montana State University and eventually went on to apprentice as a homebirth midwife in a freestanding birth center in that community.

During her time attending births and providing clinical services, Ashley discovered a passion for mental health care and recognized the lack of available mental health resources that many of the families she worked with faced.

Eventually, Ashley enrolled in the Family Institute at Northwestern University, where she is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She will graduate in the winter of 2025.

Ashley is passionate about holding space for people navigating various life transitions and struggles and believes that every individual deserves to feel heard, seen, and understood.

In her free time, Ashley loves riding her horses, roping, running, reading, and going for long walks with her dogs, husband, and two sons.

Robin is thrilled to join Spot to Talk after working with children and families in various settings since 2010. She is a full-hearted enthusiast of Child-Centered Play Therapy and is eager to share it with the Missoula community through her work with Spot to Talk. Robin first encountered play therapy in an undergraduate class at UNT’s Center for Play Therapy while she was completing her BA in Psychology. Following the lead of the child and empowering their authentic development through a therapeutic relationship and a nurturing environment is central to all of her work.

Robin started her professional work with children as a youth Case Manager in Texas. From there, she earned a Montessori teaching certificate in Boulder, Colorado and spent the next 6 years in Western Colorado teaching in a Montessori elementary school and, during the summers, on a public permaculture farm. Spending time on the farm building meaningful connections with kids led Robin to realize she wanted to focus her career on supporting children with therapy.

Robin moved to Missoula next and earned Master’s degrees from the University of Montana in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling. While working at a Montessori preschool during grad school, she witnessed the powerful way children processed experiences, tried new ways to solve problems, and communicated through play. Robin went on to use play, art, and movement as therapeutic interventions in her work as an elementary school-based CSCT therapist and in Missoula County Public Schools as a K-5 Behavior Interventionist.

Outside of work, Robin is a dancer, forest frolicker, and loves to garden, read, and relax with her loved ones. Any chance she gets, she heads to the hills to bike, ski, or forage for wild foods. In town, you might catch her at an art or music event. Robin is inspired by the dramatic seasons in Missoula and the inclusive, creative culture of its community. Missoula has become a beloved home to her and she is dedicated to helping it thrive.

Matthew is a compassionate mental health counselor committed to supporting adolescents and young adults. Originally from Colorado Springs, he holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in clinical and school counseling from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS).

Matthew’s passion for helping others grew stronger as a full-time school counselor at Fountain-Fort Carson High School. Eager to enhance his skills, he embarked on a new journey and applied to the doctoral program in counseling education & supervision at the University of Montana. Excited about this opportunity, Matthew moved to Missoula, Montana, to pursue his doctoral degree.

Matthew believes in creating a nurturing environment that fosters therapeutic relationships and encourages individuals to explore their self-awareness and personal growth. He recognizes the significance of mental health wellness for everyone and strives to provide a safe space for those seeking support.

In his free time, Matthew loves to watch NFL football, run on the beautiful trails of Missoula, and play his guitar. He is also on a quest to find the best pizza in Missoula!