Member Spotlight: Ali

I am passionate about bringing healing beyond the walls of a traditional counseling office! I offer experiential, trauma-informed, and liberation-focused approaches to mental health and community care. My work includes leading nature-based and adventure therapy, facilitating therapeutic groups and community gatherings, and providing consultation for rites of passage and ceremonies. I also collaborate with healers, helpers, and community organizations to expand access to alternative healing experiences. My hope is that soulful care of self and other becomes woven into everyday life, rather than something people only seek out in therapy.

From an early age, I’ve felt like an outdoor cat—not just because my soul feels at home in the natural world, but also in the sense of feeling “other,” like I didn’t quite belong in spaces built for others. As a queer and neurodiverse kid without the words to express my experience, I often found myself alone outside, watching slugs and trying to mimic bird calls.

As I grew older and entered higher education, I found my people in university outdoor programs and community crisis care. My early career became a blend of these two passions, leading me to wilderness therapy. I worked as a guide and adventure coordinator for wilderness therapy programs in Idaho and Utah, but when I started grad school, I felt hungry for a version of care that was more embodied, less profit-driven, and deeply rooted in authenticity.

Grad school opened the door to liberation-focused care, critical psychology, and the decolonization of therapy. When I became licensed, I realized there weren’t many programs in Idaho that aligned with these values—so I created one. That’s how the Boise Experiential Therapy Collective (BETC) was born.

Today, I’m still figuring things out, but I’m leaning into a form of care that feels deeply aligned with both my lived experience and the values I’ve developed along the way.

I wholeheartedly believe the future of care is experiential—embodied, tangible, and lived in the here and now. It’s not just something we seek in moments of crisis but something woven into our daily lives and communities. I became a specialist in experiential counseling education because I see knowledge as power, as resistance, and as a guiding force that keeps us oriented, safe, and valued throughout our lives. 

My clients inspire me. After having the honor of witnessing real change and growth in people hungry for their healing, I’ve come to believe that healing is as natural to humans as singing is to birds or making honey is to bees—it’s just what we do. My role is simply to gently guide, offer reflection, and, more often than not, step aside and let healing unfold.

I’m a total therapy nerd, always absorbing books, interviewing people for the "That's My Therapy" podcast, and generally seeking out anything  I can find about the therapeutic process. When I’m not diving into all things healing, you can find me climbing or biking on rocks, looking at rocks, or lifting rocks to see the creatures living underneath said rocks. Basically… rocks.

I joined the AEE as a student during my master's program, inspired by professors who were foundational to the association. Following their lead, I found my way into the Therapeutic Adventure Professionals Group (TAPG) and discovered a field of practice that felt both new and deeply meaningful. As someone who’s generally terrified of networking, the AEE quickly put my fears to rest—I felt a true sense of belonging. Since earning my CCAT, my commitment to AEE’s mission has only grown stronger.

Cliché or not—the experience. I’ve never felt “talked at” in this organization, but rather invited in, given space to grow, and encouraged to be curious, creative, and confident in my work. 

I vividly remember the bouncing ball activity at the TAPG Best Practices Conference in Portland, OR (2023). I felt so playful and engaged, and it was incredibly refreshing to experience a professional networking setting where there was freedom to embrace our inherent multiplicity. It was a space where all versions of ourselves were welcome, and there was a trust that we could transition seamlessly from off-the-wall playfulness to deep, focused think-tank discussions—all within the same session.

The AEE’s commitment to legitimizing the Adventure Therapy field through research and certification has strengthened my ability to offer accessible, diverse care to my community. As a CCAT, I now have a solid framework to provide dynamic, embodied care that remains rooted in best practices.