Blue Ridge is delighted to welcome Cater Davis, MFT and Nat Shyu, Field Director to the Clinical and Field Management teams. Both Cater and Nat have the unique advantage of having first been Field Instructors at Blue Ridge before stepping into these new roles. Their experience in the field grants them a valuable perspective into the needs of students and their families as well as Blue Ridge staff. While Cater is joining the clinical team as a Family Therapist, Nat will team up with her co-Field Director, Heather Harvie, playing an essential role on Blue Ridge’s field management team. 

At Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness (BRTW), family participation is a crucial component of students’ long-term success. Like an individual’s whole-body wellness approach, BRTW embraces a whole-family process when working with clients and assessing their needs. Blue Ridge is thrilled to welcome Cater Davis, MFT to our team of Family Therapists as the company maintains its dedication to foster this integral pillar of service. 

Cater, an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker, seasoned Field Instructor, and graduate of Appalachian State’s Marriage and Family Therapy Master’s Program, grounds her approach in experiential therapy. As a trained Marriage and Family Therapist, her focus is to support the family in unifying, growing, and working together to support each individual’s needs. Cater is aware that parenting is difficult, and that each parent is doing the best they know how to show up for their child. Her hope is to empower families by helping them learn about themselves and each other as they discover new ways of relating.

Nat Shyu, Field Director, hails from a wide breadth of experience working with teens in the wilderness. Prior to BRTW, she worked as a lead instructor for NC Outward Bound’s FINS program, as an expedition guide for Avid4Adventure in Bailey, CO, and as a Naturalist for a residential overnight program in California. She’s also spent summers as a camp counselor, working primarily with the Counselors in Training (CITs). As Field Director, Nat will work with Heather to nurture Field Staff culture, spend time visiting groups in the field, and hold Field Staff to a high standard, offering support, feedback and guidance.

Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness is grateful to cultivate a growing community of staff who provide excellent service and insight to clients and the team.

About Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness

Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness (BRTW) offers clinically driven wilderness therapy programs encompassing advanced therapeutic skill, a highly flexible nomadic wilderness therapy model, licensed wilderness therapy assessment, and multiple treatment options for struggling teens ages 13-18 as well as young adults ages 18-30 in their Emerald Arrow program. Their individualized approach, family support, and commitment to service translate to an unparalleled experience and better outcomes for adolescents and families.