Mariah Myton, owner of Empower Counseling and Rehabilitation, LLC, is passionate about helping individuals and families work through trauma, grief, life transitions, parenting-relational challenges, and complex challenges. Mariah understands that addiction comes in many forms, that it is a family illness—and that no one has to navigate it alone. As a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC-I), and Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC), she empowers clients to overcome personal barriers and reach their full potential through a holistic, trauma-informed approach grounded in attachment, solution focused and somatic-based practices.

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She is the founder of the Healing One Family – One Heart at a Time retreats, a dream over a decade in the making, and is deeply honored to be part of each client’s healing journey. Born on the Flathead Reservation, Mariah feels a strong calling to offer this retreat work in Hot Springs, Montana. Since 2009, she has worked in social work, nonprofit, and community mental health settings, integrating evidence-based approaches with a focus on post-traumatic growth, wellness, and building healthy, connected relationships.

Jackie is a yoga instructor, holistic health practitioner and outdoor enthusiast. Her education and personal interests center around therapeutic movement practices and the search for what connects us. Jackie’s teachings and practices involve yoga asana, guided meditation, pranayama (breathwork) and somatic practices that are heavily influenced by Yoga, Ayurveda and the natural world.

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Jackie has been teaching yoga for over a decade. Her teachings have come to focus on chronic pain management, toning the nervous system and using yoga practices to move through the world more comfortably in body and mind and in our relationships with those around us.

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At this retreat she will facilitate group movement classes that incorporate breathwork, mindfulness and mediation, myofascial release and traditional yoga asana including yin yoga. These practices can help you settle the body and mind and work towards observing before reacting. We will also explore ways to release stress, pain, trauma and stored emotions from the physical body. We will move together to explore how a physical practice can help create opportunities for new thought and behavior patterns.

Ian Josef Jirasko is a 

wilderness guide, behavioral health paraprofessional; holistic lifestyle educator and certified yoga instructor

For the last half a decade, Ian Josef has worked guiding and teaching groups of youth and families in the wilderness. During this time, he worked specifically with young people and families during times of crisis or transition in their lives. 

In his more than 500 logged days and nights guiding groups through all kinds of landscapes, Ian Josef has experienced countless moments of beauty that reaffirm the overwhelmingly healing power of the wilderness. 

He has also experienced blizzards, wildfires, and prolonged exposures to other extreme weather, as well as many backcountry medical and psychological emergencies. As such, he carries a deep respect and humility for the wildernesses we must navigate, both inside and out. 

Now married and living in Montana, Ian Josef is a shepherd and community services business owner. He is still active in teaching all-ages survival skills and wildland living. His classes on ecology, ancient skills, and self-sufficiency mindsets empower young people and families to re-think what they consider as possible in their lives. His workshops and learning spaces offer a doorway to reclaim a sense of belonging and peace upon this Earth we call home.

Loretta J. Abbott, LCSW, is a mental health provider, EMDR practitioner, art therapist, Veteran, and equine‑assisted therapist serving individuals and families in Western Montana. She specializes in trauma‑informed care, substance use recovery, and experiential therapeutic approaches that support nervous‑system regulation and whole‑person healing.

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Loretta believes that humans are made of four essential dimensions — biological, psychological, social, and spiritual. When all four are in balance, we stand on a solid foundation; even with three, we remain upright. But when only two or fewer are supported, we become wobbly and unstable. Her work focuses on scaffolding and strengthening what clients already possess but may have forgotten, neglected, or had damaged along the way.

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At this retreat, she facilitates therapeutic groups centered on family wellness, spirituality, and recovery, offering a grounded, compassionate space for insight, reconnection, and meaningful change.

Caitlynn Myton is the Music Coordinator. Deeply passionate about music’s profound impact on mental health, personal growth, healing, and lifelong learning, she combines over 15 years of piano experience with a commitment to using music as a tool for transformation and curiosity-driven exploration.

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She holds a degree in K-12 music education from Rocky Mountain College. In her role, Caitlynn creates musical experiences that integrate with the retreat’s trauma-informed programming.

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Through gentle piano accompaniment, rhythmic grounding, and sound-based support, she helps participants feel safe, regulated, and connected during family healing sessions. As the on-site Music Coordinator, Caitlynn will be present throughout the entire weekend to support attendees and their families, creating safe, nurturing spaces where participants can break painful cycles, rebuild trust, and move toward post-traumatic growth. Guided by the belief that music unlocks potential and encourages curiosity, she continues to explore the intersections of music, somatic wellness, and recovery with ongoing dedication.

Leyah has been a student of spirituality and world religions for over 20 years. She earned her BA in religious studies from ASU and became a
certified spiritual coach, celebrant, and ordained minister through the
Southwest Institute of the Healing Arts.

For three years, Leyah was a “Trailwalker” with the Anasazi Foundation in Mesa, Arizona directly supporting teens, young adults, and families in
recovery. Anasazi is a wilderness therapy outdoor residential treatment center operating in predominately remote and backcountry areas. In her spiritual care, Leyah specializes in human-to-human connection. She
recently completed her training to become a certified behavioral health peer support specialist (CBHPSS) in the state of Montana to further develop her knowledge and
skills in helping others in recovery.

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James McClure (Artist Lead) is the founder and owner of The Brush & Chisel, an artist retreat and studio in Hot Springs, Montana, where he has pursued his lifelong passion for painting full-time since relocating from California. Born in Goleta, California, in 1970, James began his artistic journey at age nine with the clarinet, quickly expanding to proficiency in multiple orchestral instruments before discovering his true calling in drawing and painting.

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After a 23-year career in software and application development in the Santa Barbara area—where he balanced professional success with ongoing artistic growth—James honed his skills as a painter, winning numerous awards and selling work through galleries and private shows. He retired from tech in 2009 to attend culinary school, completing it in 2012, which marked the start of his journey to Montana. There, he found and acquired a beautiful historic building that he transformed into The Brush & Chisel, a welcoming space dedicated to oil painting instruction, artist workshops, plein air sessions inspired by Montana's landscapes (including local horse and nature themes), and community creative engagement.

https://thebrushandchisel.com/

Mother, friend, family member, spiritual care counselor, nature lover, animal lover, writer, and dancer. A lifelong learner, she brings a deep passion for supporting others through life’s most tender moments. She holds a BA in Psychology with a certificate in Human Services, an MA in Theology with a focus on social justice, and completed a Residency in Clinical Pastoral Education (4 units).

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For the majority of her life, Kelly has worked in the helping professions. She spent 17 years as a certified nursing assistant, followed by 4 years as a recreation therapist after completing her psychology degree. She then pursued her master’s in theology and dedicated nearly 20 years as a spiritual care counselor and grief counselor in Canada, supporting children, adults, and their families in hospice and hospital settings. In 2021, she moved back to Montana. She currently works for CSKT Tribal Health as a Care Coordinator, facilitating same-day access to Behavioral Health services.

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Kelly’s practice is rooted in holding space for others with respect, honor, cultural humility, active listening, compassion, curiosity, and an open heart. She meets people exactly where they are, helping them cultivate healthy communication, self-love, and self-care within their unique family systems—especially in the midst of grief, trauma, and life’s many challenges. This work remains one of her greatest honors.

Ruthe is a Montanan and a licensed mental health counselor (MA, PCLC). She believes in the power of connection to community and place to support healing. She centers her practice around each individual to help them gain perspective and make meaning out of their experiences. Ruthe believes that looking at our relationships to each other and our environment, can help us recognize patterns, and begin to make choices to re-align with our values and well-being. Informed by her graduate work in cultural anthropology, her work reflects the important
connection between culture and health. She is passionate about supporting others as
they deepen their understanding of themselves and the many parts that make them who they are. Ruthe gained a strong foundation in Vajrayana meditation through twenty-five years of study with trained and experienced meditation masters in Nepal as well as in the west. She is committed to helping others discover the peace and strength within themselves
and to bring that peace into their lives, using techniques she has learned to calm our
minds and bodies.