From Red Oak Families & Clients
We’re proud of the work we do to help families and their loved ones experience peak recovery. The testimonials below are firsthand accounts of families and young men who have gone through our program. We are grateful for their willingness to share their journeys.
Josh has over 21 years of experience working directly with clients and families in mental health and substance abuse treatment programs. Josh understands that it is through direct and professional collaboration that many families find the support they need. Josh is willing to work tirelessly for clients and family members to support them through these difficult decisions. Josh’s journey began in a direct care role with adolescents in an experiential therapeutic program where he was propelled in the direction of service and education. From there, Josh was granted the opportunity to take his skills and experience to assist in developing and opening a new young adult substance abuse and mental health treatment program where he served as a program director for several years. During this time, Josh facilitated countless family orientations and workshops gaining invaluable insight into the broader needs of the clients he served, specifically the importance of family system support and education. Aiming to expand his impact on those in need, and to fulfill his passion for helping others, Josh accepted a position in an admissions department supporting four separate facilities. This experience offered tremendous experience with a wide range of clients from all over the world. Josh accepted the director of admissions role for one of these programs where he served for over 9 years. Josh has since served as the director of admissions for two additional facilities. Josh has worked alongside treatment professionals throughout his career, including therapists, psychologists, interventionists, therapeutic consultants, sober escorts, and community leaders.
Josh is a proud father of two active and amazing boys. Becoming a father was one of the most rewarding positions he could have asked for. Seeing his boys grow and experience life is a great pleasure for Josh, each and every day.
John started as a Recovery Guide at our adolescent campus, Foothills, in 2020. There, he began working towards his CADC credential, receiving regular training and clinical supervision. After two years of learning and developing skills at Foothills, he became a Certified Alcohol & Drug Counseling Intern. Shortly thereafter he transitioned to the Red Oak Recovery men’s campus and continued to build interpersonal and group facilitation skills. John recently joined the clinical team as a Milieu counselor at Red Oak Recovery. John enjoys bringing mindfulness and experiential based groups and group activities to our clients, bringing awareness to the body and to the processes of the mind and how this relates to addiction and mental health recovery. In his free time, John enjoys creating music, exploring the great outdoors, and various movement practices such as yoga, capoeira, and slacklining.
Sophie was born and raised in Leesburg, VA. She studied Social Work at James Madison University. While earning her BSW, Sophie volunteered at a program for men who had been recently released from incarceration and she interned for a semester at a probation office in Staunton, VA. These experiences inspired her to want to work in the field of substance use intervention. After graduating, Sophie hiked from Georgia-Virginia on the Appalachian Trail. Once returning home, she decided to apply for the Recovery Guide position at Red Oak and move to Asheville. Sophie guided for a year and a half before becoming Program Manager at the Men’s Campus. In her current role, Sophie trains and supervises the direct care staff, creates weekly schedules for the clients, and runs groups throughout the week.
Sophie brings an avid love and appreciation for the outdoors, a passion for helping others, and a love for fun to her roles at Red Oak. Sophie feels driven by relationships and has found fulfillment connecting with staff and clients. She loves leading team-building activities and emceeing talent shows and trivia nights on campus. Sophie has a whitewater raft and enjoys spending her weekends on the WNC rivers with friends and family. She loves the music scene in Asheville and can regularly be found seeing a show downtown. Sophie recently adopted a puppy from a local shelter and has loved connecting with and training her new four-legged companion.
Michael brings over 20 years of business and managerial experience to his role at Red Oak Recovery® in the fields of both martial arts and construction. Michael’s extensive background in construction lends itself well to his responsibilities to maintain and improve the beautiful Red Oak campus. He earned his degree in psychology with a minor in education, which dovetails well with the work he does with the clients at Red Oak. Michael is very skilled at building connection with people, in the community and with clients alike. His compassionate nature aligns well with the recovery world by providing support, mentorship, and a powerful example of owning one’s own story. Through his own struggles with substance abuse, he discovered the power of martial arts concepts and ideology to be a very useful tool in recovery. Michael has found that no matter the persons background their ability to connect with body, mind and spirit is paramount in recovery. His ability to meet people where they are in life and help them move forward in a healthy sustainable way has prepared him to work in this field.
Michael’s personal art is Taekwondo, in which he is a Fourth Degree Black Belt. He does individual and group sessions with clients at Red Oak, mainly focusing on Jiu Jitsu. He leads a weekly Recovery Warrior group that explores the concepts and ideas of mindfulness, martial arts, and recovery. In these sessions, Michael is keen to focus on the mindfulness component that martial arts brings to the work of recovery.
He also works directly with clients who might have an interest in hands-on work by creating service projects, woodcraft projects, and other construction related activities. Examples of client projects include chessboards, paddles, and keepsake boxes.
In his free time, Michael enjoys being with his wife and two daughters (who are in high school and college) and his five dogs. He also enjoys playing and writing music and any sport available to him.
Elmer moved to Asheville, NC in 2021. Although a native of Illinois, the change of scenery is very awe-inspiring. He has a degree in accounting from Eureka College, and a Master of Accountancy from Illinois State University. Having taught college courses for 28 years, he finds it fulfilling to “put into practice what I teach”. He also has a background working in hospitality for the past 10 years in customer service.
Elmer began his time with Red Oak Recovery at the end of 2022 as a Finance Assistant and became our Finance Coordinator in June of 2023. He is considered compassionate, diplomatic, and known for the occasional “dad joke” with co-workers. When communicating with client families, his skills and knowledge are useful to answer questions, while being caring and empathetic to their circumstances.
Elmer enjoys spending time with his wife and fur babies. He likes staying connected with family and traveling to see them for that nostalgic visit to Illinois.
Christa is a Western North Carolina native, attending Asheville-Buncombe Technical College after high school. She has spent her career working in different facets of healthcare. Christa brings years of diverse experience to her role, she is well versed in billing and insurance, and serves as a notary for the state of North Carolina.
Christa began her career with Red Oak Recovery several years ago, eager to succeed as the Financial Coordinator and was promoted to Finance Manager. She is grateful to be a resource for families on their collective recovery journey, assisting throughout treatment, and after, to ease apprehension and ensure the financial process is a smooth one.
Christa enjoys keeping every animal she finds, good coffee, spending time with her kids and fur babies, kayaking, and traveling to new places.
Ashley joined the Red Oak family in July 2017. Since this time, she has worn many hats in the company; Marketing Coordinator, Recovery Support Specialist, Women’s Team Lead, Admissions Director, Alumni Coordinator, and now, our Director of Marketing & Alumni Relations.
Ashley was born and raised in the suburb of Littleton, Colorado. In 2016, she made her way across the country and entered our women’s program. She is a proud Columbine shooting survivor and a powerful woman in recovery. Today, she continues to support other survivors of mass shootings and addiction to be a guide to those in need.
In her free time, she loves to dance, write, paint, play volleyball, and enjoy the beautiful trails and rivers that surround Asheville. She is currently in school with the hopes of one day being able to dive into the world of research around collective trauma. Her bucket list shifts and changes every day, but if you asked her what her perfect day would be, she would describe it as spending a day laughing with her parents and siblings about their days growing up together in Colorado.
Rebecca Fleming grew up in Jupiter, FL and earned her bachelors’ degree (BS) in Nutrition and Dietetics at Keiser University in Port St. Lucie, FL. Since entering the field of dietetics, she has specialized in eating disorders, substance use disorders, and pediatrics. She works with patients of all ages, with a particular interest of those aged 0-30. She has worked in facilities that have offered all levels of care including inpatient, outpatient, IOP, and PHP. She follows a non-diet HAES approach and focuses on creating a safe and judgement free environment with all patients. During her free time she enjoys quiet mornings with a hot beverage, a book, and her German Shepherd. She also enjoys spending time outside on the trails and curling up at night to a horror movie.
Jessi grew up in middle Tennessee and came to North Carolina in 1992 when she attended Warren Wilson College, where she studied Plant Biology and Horticulture. After graduating she worked in Asheville at Beanstreets, Salsa’s, and Lark Books. In 1999, she took a road trip and landed in Seattle, where she lived for five years. In that time, she got married, became a mom, and became certified as both a postpartum doula and a Pilates instructor. She returned to North Carolina in 2004 and started a small Pilates studio in 2005, which she ran until 2018. In 2018, Jessi started the accelerated BSN program at Western Carolina University and graduated summa cum laude in 2019.
Jessi was drawn to the work at The Willows because of personal experiences with loved ones struggling with mental health issues and addiction. She feels profoundly humbled and grateful to be a part of clients’ recovery and healing.
She loves gardening, hiking, dinner parties, reading, and has recently fallen in love with tennis. She lives with her husband, an acupuncturist, and their therapy dog Cooper and cat Leo. Her adult son is self-employed as a blade smith/blacksmith in Weaverville and her daughter just started college in Colorado.
Carlyn joined Red Oak Recovery® after obtaining her MS and PhD in Counseling Psychology from the University of North Texas. Prior to joining the Red Oak Recovery team, Dr. Daubs treated children, adolescents, and families at many different therapeutic settings, including a community mental health clinic, university counseling centers, an adventure program, and a therapeutic boarding school. In addition to Dr. Daubs’ extensive clinical and assessment experience, she has also built and designed therapeutic programming for residential facilities for adolescents and their families.
Her research interests include family systems, parent-child attachment, internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, comorbid disorders, addiction processes, romantic attachment, and coping styles. In her spare time Dr. Daubs enjoys running, reading, and traveling.
Josh holds master’s degree in School Counseling with an emphasis on Clinical Counseling. Josh began his career teaching English internationally and spending summers raft guiding in Colorado. He started in adventure therapy with Alaska Crossings as a field guide and found the power of change through relationship and connection to the wilderness. He has worked as a family therapist at wilderness programs in Alaska, Colorado, Georgia and North Carolina. He enjoys facilitating the opportunity for entire family units to grow, change, and deepen their relationships.
Josh lives in Asheville with his wife, Margaret, and his two young children. He enjoys traveling, being with family and spending time outdoors.
Melanie brings a wealth of clinical experience to Red Oak Recovery®. She moved to Asheville from Boston, MA in 2021 and began work as a Primary Therapist at Red Oak. She was drawn to Red Oak in large part due to the strong emphasis on integrating families into the recovery work, which was an aspect of treatment she noticed was missing in the community mental health and substance abuse treatment settings she had worked previously. After nearly two years as a Primary Therapist, Melanie transitioned to a Family Support Specialist position on the Red Oak clinical team. Prior to joining the clinical team at Red Oak, she worked as a behavioral health therapist for the homeless, runaway youth, and young adults (ages 14-24), many of which struggled with substance use as well as mental health challenges. Prior to living in Boston, Melanie lived in Burlington, VT for 11 years and worked with people in various stages of opioid addiction and recovery for 8 of those years. Her experience working in the addiction field has instilled an interest in continuing to reduce stigma, as she believes shame resulting from stigma around addiction hurts self-esteem and can increase barriers to seeking support around addressing addiction. This work also inspired her to support her clients developing a diverse tool kit of healthy coping resources in their pursuit of recovery.
Melanie understands the importance of fostering connection in combatting addiction and has learned that recovery is not a linear process. Her work experiences have shown her the value of treating addiction and mental health simultaneously. Melanie values presenting recovery options to individuals, as she believes there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to recovery. “I believe that people are deserving of support, compassion, and respect, wherever they are on the recovery spectrum,” says Melanie. “I have gained insight into the impact that environment has on addiction, and value Red Oak’s approach to including the family in the recovery process.”
Melanie is collaborative, supportive, curious, and loves to learn. As a Primary Therapist at Red Oak Recovery®, Melanie used a strengths-based, relational approach with her clients. She is trained in Dialectical Behavior therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). As a Family Therapist, Melanie uses an Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) lens. She is passionate about supporting families as they engage in ‘the parallel process’ while their loved ones are in treatment.
Melanie considers Washington, DC her hometown. She loves visiting family and friends there and traveling with her husband to his hometown of Miami. In her spare time, Melanie enjoys painting, playing with her Golden Doodle, hiking, practicing yoga, spending time outside, exploring new places, spending time with friends, trying new restaurants and new recipes at home. She loves exploring the culture and nature Asheville has to offer!
David has been a member of the Red Oak Recovery® team since 2016. Over the years he has served as a recovery guide, clinical case manager, and milieu therapist, prior to moving into a primary therapist role. David is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate as well as a Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist. As a Primary Therapist, he is passionate about helping clients find their purpose in life.
David leans heavily on a person-centered approach and draws inspiration from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), existentialism, and 12-step recovery.
Originally from Columbia, SC he has now called Asheville, NC home for nearly a decade. While growing up, David enjoyed many backpacking and camping trips in the Blue Ridge Mountains. He finds the abundance of natural beauty and open spaces to be inspirational and healing. His favorite leisure activities are hiking, biking, enjoying live music, and camping with his partner and their therapy dog Evelyn.
Born and raised in Upstate New York, Fiona made her way to the Blue Ridge Mountains in 2016 through her passion for ecotherapy. Fiona has long felt a deep connection with nature and its therapeutic power. Her work as a wilderness field guide in a dual-diagnosis treatment program led to a passion for working with young adults in early recovery. Her clinical experience in both inpatient and outpatient settings has largely focused on supporting adolescents and emerging adults in developing a sense of identity and self-acceptance, repair and deepen relationships, and establish holistic, sustainable recovery.
Fiona holds her master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with an Addiction’s Certificate from Appalachian State University. As a Primary Therapist at Red Oak Recovery, Fiona takes an individualized, collaborative, and trauma-responsive approach. She is trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), a leading trauma modality, and utilizes mindfulness-based approaches to support clients in reconnecting with their physical, emotional, and spiritual selves. Additionally, Fiona utilizes Motivational Interviewing and cognitive-behavioral therapies.
When Fiona is not at work, she spend as much time as she can outdoors including hiking, camping, and climbing. Fiona also enjoys creating art, practicing yoga, reading, and connecting with loved ones.
Growing up in the piedmont of North Carolina, Hannah has called the Asheville mountains home for over 10 years. Hannah holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Lenoir-Rhyne University following many years of experience with working with children, adolescents, and emerging adults. Gaining experience in several therapeutic settings including psychiatric residential treatment, middle-school counseling center, intensive in-home services, and wilderness adventure program, Hannah is poised to provide dynamic clinical services based on the individualized needs of the client. Hannah is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and a Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist. With the therapeutic alliance as the foundation of change, Hannah’s approach is supporting clients and their families as they learn to navigate various challenges with substance abuse and co-occurring mental health diagnoses, process trauma, and heal painful interpersonal patterns that keep them stuck. Hannah specializes in the areas of attachment, trauma, identity-exploration, substance abuse, mood disorders and anxiety, and family conflict and dysfunction. She is trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and Somatic Experiencing, and also supports clients towards their goals through the lens of attachment and family systems, mindfulness, Motivational Interviewing, and cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Ben has been licensed as a professional counselor for almost 20 years and has been practicing as a therapist and involved with addiction recovery since 1989. He has worked in a wide variety of treatment settings including hospitals, residential, intensive outpatient, independent living, alternative school and public school, agency and private practice. Ben has enjoyed working with dual diagnosis, mental health and addiction recovery clients of all ages, and believes strongly that any person can make meaningful changes necessary to experience a purposeful and fulfilling life with the necessary support.
A native of North Carolina, Ben has appreciated the natural therapy of his homeland from coast to mountains throughout most of his life. Growing up farming tobacco, playing sports and working in the woods of eastern North Carolina gave an early experience of the importance of embracing nature and needing support. Graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1986, an interest in psychology and religious studies was fueled, and he continued to evolve with a Master’s of Theological Studies degree in 1991 from Vanderbilt University with a focus in human development counseling. Experiences of spirituality and community related to mental health and addiction recovery offered a natural fit for continued passion and learning for a lifetime.
Ben is a NC Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Supervisor. He has committed multiple years of advanced education to two major post graduate training programs – The Southeast Institute for Group & Family Therapy in Chapel Hill and the Appalachian Gestalt Therapy Institute (AGTI) in Asheville. He continues to be currently involved with AGTI. As a primary therapist at Red Oak Recovery®, Ben brings an interest in co-creating experiences of connection, wholeness, and support for individuals and families who decide to make life-affirming changes toward long-term, sustainable recovery.
Ben is an avid UNC TarHeel fan and enjoys hiking and most outdoor activities. He also loves sitting by the fire in his mountain home with his Golden Retriever, Jackson, and his wife, Peggy, of 25 years.
Nathan is originally from the Atlanta, GA area and arrived in Western North Carolina seeking relief from a debilitating drug addiction. It was in the mountains of WNC where Nathan found new purpose and the desire to separate from all that had defined his life previously. Nathan brings his hard-won recovery to his position at Red Oak Recovery and knows he has been exactly where all Red Oak Recovery clients have been: in the same hopelessness and futility of trying to get clean on their own and failing. Nathan is thankful to be one of the lucky few to have the opportunity to get clean in a treatment facility, and this experience led him to serve in the field of recovery in roles as direct care, management at both transitionary and primary treatment facilities. Nathan has been working with Red Oak Recovery since 2015. Much of this time has been spent managing the adventure program and planning outdoor excursions for our clients. Nathan truly believes in the healing power of the natural world and brings an intense desire to respect and protect the mountains of Western North Carolina. This desire compelled him to achieve the title of Leave No Trace Master Educator. In addition to our adventure program, Nathan also manages our Nutrition, Facilities, Grounds, and Logistics departments. All of which play a vital role in the day-to-day operations of Red Oak Recovery. “Every day I am grateful to have the opportunity to help our clients, like so many others helped me. Whether our direct impact is in big ways or small, none are insignificant. Every day is truly a gift and I feel privileged to be a part of transformation on a daily basis.”
Nathan’s mother is also active in her own recovery community, supporting those with addicted children and offering her experience to those in the destructive wake of the addict. In his spare time, Nathan loves to hike and explore the Great Smoky Mountains and the Pisgah National Forest with his dogs Ellie May and Emmie Lou. He enjoys woodworking, playing sports, and working on motorcycles. He also spends much of his time working with and mentoring other young men in recovery that may be seeking help within the 12-step community.
Maggie is a native of Katy, Texas until collegiate tennis and a full scholarship took her to Arkansas. There she found her first career and love for helping people. Her first job landed her in the nonprofit fundraising sector for thirteen years. Maggie raised much-needed funds for children and families seeking support, hope, and love through programs for psychiatric, emotional, and behavioral care in Arkansas. After earning her Masters in Mental Health and Clinical Counseling in 2016 from Southern Arkansas University, she became a Licensed Associate Counselor in Arkansas and recently (2018) transferred her license to North Carolina as a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate.
Additionally, for fourteen months beginning in December 2016, Maggie provided counseling for Bradford Health Services IOP in Little Rock. The time with clients at Bradford Health, and her love of helping people, led Maggie to a desire to stay in mental health and substance use treatment. Maggie found herself seeking through the clients’ strengths and desires for help to continue to be a part of a team that feels the same passion for helping and ensuring every client has an opportunity to find their community.
Maggie’s biggest strength is that she finds daily happiness in helping others and connecting others to that feeling of joy. Her passion for helping the whole family heal will live on through her work at Red Oak Recovery by connecting others to the resources Red Oak programs provide.
Maggie has been with Red Oak since 2018 and has made the Asheville area her home, with her husband, and three small and busy children.
With a Master’s in Professional Counseling from Georgia State University, Paul has worked extensively with Emerging Adults in both hospital and outpatient settings, largely focusing on the client with co-occurring substance use and psychiatric disorders. Being deeply influenced by the work of Carl Rogers, Viktor Frankl, and Carl Jung, Paul tends to focus on themes of autonomy and power, identity formation, and meaning and purpose in his work with clients. Paul brings to Red Oak Recovery experience and interest in clinical rehabilitation program development and training.
Paul and his wife’s passion for the outdoors and for sustainability drew them to the Asheville area. Working at Red Oak enables Paul to continue to focus on his work with Emerging Adults and explore his interests in Eco and Adventure Therapy. When not working, Paul, his wife, and their two young children spend much of their time camping, hiking, and enjoying the serenity of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Brant holds a Master’s in Social-Organizational Psychology from Columbia University and began work in the therapeutic industry in 2011. He has served in leadership roles with wilderness therapy organizations and a nonprofit that provides rites of passage retreats for young men. In 2022, he completed his Analytic-Network coaching certification from the Eco-Leadership Institute in Ireland.
Brant leans on the thinking of Richard Hackman, Wilfred Bion, Robert Bly, and Simon Western (among others) to inform his work within organizations and family systems. He believes that we all crave personal development and progression and that a leader serves best when they encourage empowerment towards those goals.
Outside of work, Brant loves to go on hikes with his wife and Goldendoodle, practice Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and write about group psychology.
Dr. Brady Schroer obtained his Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology with an emphasis in Chemistry. He attended medical school at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences. After medical school, he completed his general psychiatry residency at an internationally known psychiatric clinic. Dr. Schroer later worked in a large hospital setting for five years as a psychiatric hospitalist taking care of geriatric patients, caring for patients with psychiatric issues on the medical floors and ICU (intensive care units), detoxifying clients from alcohol and benzodiazepines, ECT treatment for depression, and served as Medical Director and Chief of Psychiatry.
Dr. Schroer moved to Western North Carolina in 2007 to become the Medical Director of the inpatient psychiatric unit and the detoxification unit at one of the areas top hospitals and served for seven years in that capacity. Most recently, he has been seeing clients ages 15 and over in sober living environments, residential treatments, and other outpatient settings.
He has vast experience from all different perspectives of addiction treatment and knows what it is like to be a family member of someone struggling with addiction. Dr. Schroer views addiction as a poor coping mechanism for past emotional pain and believes that the emotional pain that breeds hatred, anger, and resentment is what keeps us sick and looking for substances and behaviors to “numb it.” He is extremely compassionate and prefers to educate clients about their illness. He has learned a lot from the clients he has treated and uses that knowledge to help others move into a peaceful life.
Dr. Schroer is a Christian, loves car racing, golf, photography, and being out in the great outdoors. He feels especially fortunate to call Asheville his home!
Mick Masterson, an accomplished professional with over 15 years of experience in mental health and substance abuse treatment, holds the position of Chief Executive Officer. Throughout his career, Mick has assumed various roles, including direct care, counselor, enrollment, transitional living management, program development, and operations. Mick works to ensure that Red Oak Recovery programs maintain exceptional standards in delivering quality and effective services to our clients, while upholding the utmost standards of safety and accountability. He accomplishes this through remarkable recruitment, training, and mentorship efforts, striving to employ the most qualified and compassionate staff to provide impactful and effective clinical and holistic treatment services.
Mick’s personal journey of recovery enables him to establish a profound connection with our clients and families, offering not only support but also sharing his own experiences, strength, and hope. He firmly believes in the potential of every individual to overcome obstacles and works tirelessly to ensure that our clients receive the love, support, and resources they need to effect meaningful changes in their lives.
Beyond his professional pursuits, Mick is a devoted and grateful father to his three daughters. During his leisure time, he cherishes moments spent with his partner, Carrie, their daughters, and their beloved pets. Surrounded by the natural beauty of Western North Carolina, Mick lives a life of service and gratitude for the gifts that his life of recovery has bestowed upon him.
