Shadow Mountain Team

A Recovery School... Because Life is in Session

Robb & Debb Holub

After living with crisis the owners understand the stress families endure when addiction grips a family. Being on the parents side has provided the insight for a successful results driven recovery program. After experiencing firsthand the crisis with their own son both parents understand how important finding the right place for your child's recovery can be. The Holub's are thankful for the opportunity to educate and lead young adults and their families on the road to a lifetime of recovery. After nearly losing their son to addiction the creation of Shadow Mountain was a calling to give something back for the gift we have been given. Both Debb & Robb were raised with the right family values which are taught at their program. Along with there son Joey they are blessed with a wonderful daughter Jackie who is 21 yrs old.

Jim Myklebust MA

Executive Director

Jim’s career in the areas of mental health and addictions treatment began over thirty years ago, when he was asked to direct a community program for at risk youth. He held appointments as an Assistant Dean and faculty member in the School of Allied Health Sciences at the University of Texas Medical Branch Campus in Galveston, Texas. He was a therapist in a community mental health center in rural southwestern Colorado, Clinical Director of a Critical Incident Stress Debriefing Team in Colorado and New Mexico, and an Employee Assistance Program Director there as well. Following that, Jim began traveling into Canada and the Southwestern and Western US providing workshops to First Nations Communities addressing strategies for working with at risk and addicted youth. This work ultimately lead to Jim moving to Canada and working with Poundmakers Lodge Treatment Centre as their Clinical Supervisor. Throughout the last half of this work, Jim’s own spiritual path and personal recovery took shape and has grown to include participation in 12-step support group meetings and traditional spiritual practices. In this position with Shadow Mountain Academy, Jim brings his gratitude for sobriety and his love of working with young adults who have so much to offer to their families and communities once they embrace the gift of recovery.

Dr. Douglas Scott PsyD. LMFT

Head Therapist

Dr. Scott is a certified EMDR clinician and professionally trained neurotherapist and biofeedback clinician, providing tools to his clients that go beyond talk.EMDR is remarkably effective in helping clients resolve old traumas such as psychological, physical, or sexual abuse. Dr. Scott has successfully completed both levels of training mandated by the EMDR Institute. A truly cutting edge treatment method,Neurotherapy (or neurofeedback) is one of the most exciting developments of recent years in addressing problems such as anxiety, depression, ADD and ADHD.There are dozens of schools of psychotherapy and as many different styles as there are psychotherapists. Dr. Scott is a Marriage and Family Therapist licensed by the Counseling and Therapy Practice Board of the State of New Mexico. Marriage and Family Therapy (rather than being a description of our clients) is an approach to psychotherapy that looks at entire systems when assessing problems. Marriage and Family Therapists use many of the same methods that other therapies rely on, such as cognitive, behavioral or experiential approaches, but always start with the foundational element for all successful therapies -- they approach their clients with unconditional positive regard. Additionally Dr. Scott is a Clinical Member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

Ed Cardenas, LISW, MSW

Clinical Consultant

As part of our effort to keep a strong sense of continuity and team effectiveness Ed trained our field staff on the road to individual licensure as drug and alcohol counselors. Ed has over thirty years experience in social services. He has provided services and treatment in various mental health areas including substance abuse, grief and loss, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Ed currently does most of his work educating other social servants and running courses on DUI for the state. He has conducted training in the areas of substance abuse, grief and loss, anger management, peer pressure, and more. He is the author of: the book, "Beachball - Balancing our Relationship World", and the manual "Grief and Loss for Counselors", was a member of the Who's Who in America in 2002,and has two other books on their way to being published. Shadow Mountain is privileged to have Ed as part of our staff.

Trilby Devine

Admissions and Business Development
Trilby143@gmail.com

Trilby Hoover is always ready to utilize her professional and personal recovery background to assist others. Experienced with the addictive process she has been in personal twelve step recovery since 1983. Trilby has more than 28 yrs of professional experience working with families. She has an extensive professional background working with adults and minors in every area of behavioral health, including inpatient and outpatient chemical dependency treatment. Her particular passion is working with young adults and their families. Trilby is married with two adult sons. She and her husband share their home with their old Pug “Brutus” and their beloved black cats “Bear” and “Kizzy”.

John Polozzi

Property Manager - Recovery Mentor

John has 20 years clean and sober himself, and is very active in the AA community in Taos. He worked for Habitat for Humanity building homes in Virginia for two years, owned a restaurant in New York cooking for 10 years and is a guitar player with a love for the blues who adds his contributions to the music program as well. He uses his skills and experience in woodworking and general contracting to help young adults build a solid work ethic and sense of accomplishment. This helps our residents to take responsibility for their own actions and their own recovery.

Jason Fitzgerald

Senior Recovery Mentor

Jason Fitzgerald has called Taos home for the last 13 years. Classically trained as a chef, Jason has 16 years experience in the culinary arts. His restaurant experience has ranged from executive chef to restaurant consultant. Jason found that culinary arts helped instill the idea of personal accomplishment through procedure, technique, and completion. This art form allows him to express himself as an individual as well as begin a part of a team. In addition to teaching culinary arts at Shadow Mountain, Jason is also very excited to pass on his knowledge of Tai Chi and Qigong, both of which were essential elements in his own recovery. These two spiritually oriented internal arts each helped him internalize crucial skills necessary for a life of recovery. The practice of Tai Chi teaches us to accept and appreciate every emotion as important and necessary. By accepting our emotions more readily, we release from them more easily. Qigong forms emphasize the importance of cultivating the skill of "letting go" in life. Jason credits these two internal art forms along with his active involvement with 12 Step programs for the wonderful life he has today. For the past couple of years, Jason has been very involved with the Taos Drug Court Program teaching Tai Chi and using his skills as a Certified Auricular Detoxification Specialist. He is also currently working on his personal trainer certification as well as becoming a licensed deep tissue massage therapist. In his downtime, Jason enjoys being married to his beautiful wife and being a father to his 8 and 12 year old daughters.

Paul White

Recovery Mentor

Paul was born and raised in Austin, Tx. He grew up among the sights and sounds of the live music capitol of the world. His passsion for music grew as a result. He performed and recorded in three different bands . He performed at many venues and festivals in Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma including the Vans Warped Tour. The music scene was a staging ground for Paul's alcoholism and drug addiction to take off. Paul went through treatment in the Taos area and found a new way to live as a result of working a 12 step program. Paul has been able to continue to play and record music drug and alcohol free as a result of working a recovery program. Tai Chi, Qi Gong, prayer, meditation and exercise combined with sponsorship, AA and NA meetings have been the cornerstone of his recovery. Paul has a BBA in business and a degree in audio engineering. Paul's has experience recording with Pro Tools, Logic, Abbleton Live and Reason.

Dan Gregory

Recovery Mentor

Dan was born in LaCrosse, WI and pursued an education in the outdoor industry throughout his college years. He became an adventure guide in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and received a B.S in Recreation Management from the University of Wisconsin. Throughout those years Dan also traveled across North America, New Zealand, and Australia pursuing adventure and live music. It was through this era that his addiction took a firm grip on his life and brought him to recovery. Over the last five years Dan has regained his career in the outdoor industry- spending his winters as a snowboard instructor and summer as a fly fishing guide in the wilderness of south west Alaska.

Charlie Woehler

Mentor in Recovery

Charlie is an awesome addition to our staff and has all the tools to teach our life skills in recovery.Charlie is extremely dependable and consistently displays to our residents a model for what a great work ethic is. An accomplished musician himself and also in recovery he contributes daily to leading by example to SMA residents of the joys in life without drugs and alcohol.

Joey Holub

Recovery Mentor

Joey has experience in wilderness programs and long term extended care as well. His story can be found on our site. Now over two years sober he can relate first hand to the feelings that our residents have day to day while the hard recovery work is being done. The commitment made to his own recovery is the turning point in his life. Joey shares from his heart what it will take for residents of Shadow Mountain to achieve success in their own recovery. His work at the University of New Mexico has earned him his degree this spring. Joey is very active in the Taos recovery community and helps our young adults find their way for the same.

Dr. Cleland & Echo Johnson

Johnson Family Chiropractic

Dr. Johnson received his doctorate of chiropractic degree from Parker College of Chiropractic and practiced in TX directing and managing three clinics. As part of his education, he was exposed to numerous chiropractic techniques and philosophies. Utilizing a wide range of chiropractic techniques, Dr. Johnson developed his own unique technique integrating aspects of Chiropractic Neurology, Physical Rehabilitation and Myofascial trigger point therapy. His adjustments are designed to support the natural bone movement of the spine, which is easier on the patient’s body and allows for a more effective adjustment. In his practice, he emphasizes the need to see our patients as a whole person with lifestyle, nutritional and stress factors being an important part of health. Chiropractic pediatric care is also offered as Dr. Johnson strongly believes in supporting healthy spinal development for kids.