Vantage Point by Aspiro Clinical Team
Gordon L. Day, Ph.D.
Creator and Director of the Vantage Point by Aspiro program
Director of Clinical Services, The Aspiro Group of Programs
Dr. Day, a recognized expert in the assessment and treatment of adolescents with neurodevelopmental and other learning and processing issues, joined the Aspiro team in April of 2008.
His vision and passion has been to create dynamic, individualized outdoor therapeutic programming. He has pioneered outdoor therapeutic approaches specifically tailored to the needs of adolescents and young adults struggling with complex learning and emotional issues. Over the years, Dr. Day has grown to deeply appreciate the healing and changing power of the outdoors.
Outdoor therapeutic programming provides rich assessment and treatment opportunities that are not available in traditional settings. Dr. Day enjoys the challenge of identifying individual strengths and needs and focusing on the development of resilience, self-efficacy, positive coping skills, academic success and improved family relationships. He loves the outdoors and enjoys a warm rapport with teenagers and families that quickly puts them at ease. Dr. Day grew up on a family farm in rural eastern Idaho. There, he enjoyed many outdoor activities; including kayaking, fishing and camping. He participated in wrestling throughout junior and senior high school. After high school, he spent several years in the Air Force and enjoyed his work as a physical therapy technician. After the Air Force, he worked in California as a Physical Therapist Assistant in geriatric, acute, residential and rehabilitation hospitals while pursuing his undergraduate education in Psychology. During his undergraduate training in psychology, Dr. Day conducted honors research on adolescents and children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. He also gained experience in school settings, in mentoring programs for youth and as direct care staff in a group home for adolescent males.
Dr. Day graduated with honors and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, with a Minor in Family Relations from California State University, Chico. Dr. Day completed graduate studies in Clinical Psychology at Brigham Young University. He had extensive clinical training in research, psychotherapy and assessment. His dissertation research involved confirmatory factor analysis of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and its’ use in inpatient mental health settings. His area of emphasis in his clinical training was child, adolescent and family psychology.
Dr. Day’s graduate training included a variety of settings, including the Utah State Prison; the Utah State Hospital working with adolescents and adults; private practice clinics working with adults, adolescents and families; residential facilities working with at risk youth and in public and private schools where he conducted psychological and educational evaluations. Dr. Day also worked in organizational behavior and industrial/organizational psychology. He was the project manager for the software development division of a national, accounts-payable auditing firm. He received training and experience in software development and rapid development methodologies. It was in these settings that Dr. Day developed a love for project work and team leadership. He has also taught Organizational Behavior classes at Westminster College in Salt Lake City.
Dr. Day interned with Valley Mental Health, a large community mental health organization with many sites in urban and rural Utah. Valley Mental Health serves adults and children with severe and persistent mental health issues. At Valley Mental Health, Dr. Day worked with adults in outpatient drug and alcohol treatment and in other outpatient settings. He also worked with at risk adolescents in residential treatment. He also conducted neuropsychological screening evaluations at the University of Utah. Dr. Day was introduced to the incredible transforming power of outdoor treatment models through his work as a psychological evaluator in various programs. He has worked with adolescents and their families in a therapeutic boarding school in Montana.
Dr. Day also served as a primary field therapist in a wilderness therapy program in Utah before coming to Aspiro. When not working with children professionally, Dr. Day enjoys spending time with his family. He and his wife are the proud parents of five children. They enjoy outdoor activities such as backpacking, camping and fishing. His favorite pastime is watching his own children grow and participate in activities like track, skiing, snowboarding, band, wrestling, soccer and baseball.
Dr. Brad Carpenter - Psy.D.
Brad comes to Aspiro with over 10 years of clinical experience working with adolescents in both therapeutic and assessment settings. His experience has brought him to understand the extraordinary and distinct characteristics of our students as well as the individualized needs of their families and consultants.
Unlike most psychologists in traditional office settings, Brad has been fortunate enough to utilize and refine a model for “interactive assessment,” which we feel is uniquely suited to our program. Brad is originally from Atlanta, Georgia where he worked in adolescent residential treatment while obtaining his Doctorate of Psychology from the Georgia School of Professional Psychology.
During his education and training in clinical psychology, he specialized in psychological assessment and Neuropsychology.
He received advance training at the Emory University School of Medicine and completed a dual track pre-doctoral internship in health & clinical psychology at Tewksbury Hospital outside of Boston, Massachusetts. He has most recently worked as the testing director and associate director of academics for a therapeutic boarding school where his responsibilities included assessment, therapy and research.
In addition, Brad has facilitated psychological assessments for a short-term wilderness program.
Here, he served as an academic consultant, helping to develop experiential curriculum and eventually guiding the program through accreditation.
In his spare time, he served as an adjunct professor for North Georgia College and State University where he taught psychological theory, assessment and therapy for their undergraduate program as well as their nationally accredited Graduate School of Counseling. For the past few years, Brad has volunteered the majority of his resources and time to the development of the music program and business club with students in a long-term therapeutic boarding setting. He enjoys playing guitar, performance and music production. He loves competitive sports and other outdoor activities such as hiking, mountain biking, boating, wakeboarding and snow skiing.
Jessi Irvin - Wacker, LPC
I have worked in the wilderness therapy industry for nearly four years and was previously employed at Three Rivers Montana, which has since closed its doors.
Prior to entering this industry, I maintained a private practice where I loved my work with several adolescent clients. In addition, I worked in various traditional clinical settings, including a community counseling center and a university clinic. I believe strongly in the wilderness as a healing place and have seen significant change emerge when families and students slow down their communication and increase objectivity and accountability in their lives. I was fortunate enough to be raised in the beautiful, fresh mountain air of southwestern Montana and then maintained my good fortune by moving to the Cayman Islands with my family in 1990.
This is where I finished high school and worked for two years before attending college at Florida State University. I majored in Psychology at FSU and subsequently returned to Montana where I worked as a Montessori educator for three years.
I then returned to college at Montana State University where I obtained my Master’s degree in Counseling. I currently reside in Salt Lake City and am just leaping into the world of rock climbing and kayaking.
In addition, I enjoy yoga and snowboarding and am currently training for my first marathon.
The challenge of running is a great fit for me!
I also love to cook, read and enjoy quality time with the wonderful people in my life.
Jamie Kaczmarek, MSW, CSW, Therapist
As a youngster, Jamie was climbing trees and catching fireflies in the outskirts of Chicago, Illinois.
Her love for the wilderness influenced her decision to obtain a B.S. in Outdoor Recreation with an emphasis in Environmental Education from Indiana University in 1999.
With the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) in Baja, Mexico, Jamie was educated in leadership and team dynamics through an experiential adventure approach. She then began her career in 2000 serving adjudicated youth in the wilderness working for Alternative Youth Adventures (AYA), in South Central Utah.
After working at AYA, Jamie joined the Aspen Achievement Academy ( AAA) team in 2003.
Through wilderness therapy Jamie has had experiences as a therapist, team leader, trainer, field specialist, and senior field instructor.
Jamie understands and believes in the healing power of the wilderness and considers it to be her sanctuary. Jamie earned a Master’s of Social Work from the University of Utah in 2007. There she studied clinical social work with an emphasis in adolescent and young adult treatment. While in graduate school Jamie’s educational internships included: inpatient substance abuse and addiction work with adults and young adults, mental health work in a residential and day treatment facility for adolescents, and wilderness therapy for adolescent youth at Aspen Achievement Academy.
Jamie’s areas of clinical focus include autistic spectrum disorders, anxiety, depression, bipolar, attention and impulsivity deficits. Her clinical approach encompasses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, Collaborative Problem Solving, and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy.
For the past two years Jamie has worked closely with a clinical team (psychiatrists, therapists, and team leaders) in a psychiatric residential treatment center focusing on effective therapies for autistic spectrum disorder clients.
Jamie has worked intensely with these clients and their families using the Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) model, individual therapy, and family therapy to increase effective communication, school successes, and social interactions of their child.
When Jamie is not working she enjoys spending the majority of her time with her four-legged pal, Hank. You might find Jamie and her buddy camped out in the desert exploring unknown areas looking for aspects of history and taking in the desert beauty.
While living in Salt Lake City, Jamie takes advantage of skiing “the greatest snow on earth”.
Jamie enjoys rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking, tossing horseshoes, and enjoying friends over a home grown, home cooked meal.
Trevor Allen, Masters in Counseling
Trevor has been working with adolescence since 1998.
He has a BA in Recreation Therapy and a Masters Degree in Counseling from University of Phoenix.
He has worked in settings that vary from ropes course facilitator, to employee of the State of Utah in an Observation and Assessment setting, to a therapist at a residential treatment setting. All experience aside, Trevor is a man who believes in the power of recreation.
It has changed his life and he continues to be amazed as he watches it change the lives of the youth he works with.
Alone or with his family, you will find him hiking, biking, climbing, lake kayaking, cross country skiing, or running a marathon. He once took first place in a marathon (he was the only participant). It is safe to say that any day of the year he would rather be up in the mountains than inside the house. Trevor wants to give a shout out to the incredible field guides who spend the time, day in and out, with the students.
Caitlin Galt, MA, CPCI
Caitlin received her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago focusing on Art therapy, sculpture, and painting.
In 2008, she merged her love of art therapy and the outdoors by earning her graduate degree in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology, with an emphasis in Wilderness Therapy from Naropa University in Colorado.
From 2007 through 2008, Caitlin worked as a clinical intern at Second Nature Wilderness Program in Duchesne, Utah. Prior to her graduation from Naropa University, Caitlin guided mountaineering and Rites of Passage trips for adolescents in Washington.
As a Wilderness Therapist, Caitlin’s concentration combines psychological counseling skills with disciplines such as adventure therapy, nature awareness, and outdoor interventions. Caitlin supports her clients in healing from anxiety, depression, addiction, Oppositional Defiance, pervasive developmental disorders, trauma, and attachment issues through a wide range of cognitive, Gestalt therapy, and mind/body-based practices.
Her work at Vantage Point helps students develop insight into their decision making and emotional growth. She seeks to bring out the best in others while challenging them to try something new; exceeding what was once thought impossible. Caitlin believes that while traditional therapy in an office setting can be perfectly effective, sometimes an adventure or even just a walk in the woods can truly enhance the therapeutic experience. When not working, Caitlin loves to spend her time tending to her garden, camping, hiking, kayaking, canoeing, rafting, rock/ ice climbing, fly fishing, biking, mountaineering, creating art, and listening to live music.
Jessica Williamson, Clinical Assistant
Jessica is from Gilbert, Arizona.
She is a certified social worker with her BS degree in Social Work from Brigham Young University.
She is working towards Masters level training in social work. She is pursuing research interests in the area of group therapy in the outdoors with adolescents who have learning disabilities.
Jessica was previously a Field Guide with the Vantage Point program and loves working with students in the outdoors.
Jessica loves hiking, camping, biking, swimming, sewing, reading, gourmet cooking, music, playing piano, ballroom dancing and most of all her husband.
Jessica has extensive training in swimming and teaching it to others. With a desire for helping others excel in life, a knowledge of people’s potential to change, and a love for working with youth, Jessica is excited to be working at Vantage Point!
Janiece Pompa, Ph.D. - Neuropsychologist
Dr. Pompa conducts psychological and neuropsychological evaluations as needed at Vantage Point by Aspiro.
She is a clinical professor and Director of the Educational Assessment and Student Support Clinic at the University of Utah.
She is an extremely talented and experienced clinician and we are so happy to have her as part of our professional team!
Dr. Pompa received her Ph.D. in Child Clinical Psychology / Neuropsychology from Michigan State University in 1983.
She received her MA in Child Clinical Psychology/Developmental Psychology from Michigan State University.
She received her BS in Psychology, with a Minor in Social Work and Spanish-Speaking American Studies from Brigham Young University in 1973. Dr. Pompa's research interests include phonetic awareness and reading, gay and lesbian adolescents and neuropsychological syndromes in children and adolescents.
Paige Crawley – M.S. CCC-SLP
Paige provides Speech and Language services as needed at Vantage Point by Aspiro.
Paige grew up in Texas but has lived in Utah for the last 23 years. She spent 2 ½ years in Monument, Colorado.
She graduated with a Bachelors and Masters degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Brigham Young University.
She received her Certificate of Clinical Competence after graduation and has been a member of the American Speech Language and Hearing Association since 1990. Paige specializes in working with children from as young as 18 months through high school age. She has worked in a variety of clinical settings including school districts, clinics and private practice.
Paige has experience in working with children with a variety of challenges including autism, hearing impairment, ADHD, Aspergers, apraxia, Down’s syndrome, stuttering, premature births as well as teenagers in a rehab setting. Paige enjoys getting to know her students and finding out what their needs are to help them become better communicators.
Paige and her husband have six children who are very active in sports, music and other activities.
When she has free time she enjoys reading, sewing and working in her yard and garden.
