Building Bridges is excited to welcome therapist Mark Lyga, MSW, MAC, LAC, and Admissions Coordinator Aubrey Sutton to the team.  These two key hires coincided with the growth of the treatment program as students enroll in the fall.  Finding a therapist like Mark, who has experience working with substance abuse, clinical and behavioral issues, and an attitude that would fit with the relational milieu, took an intense search.  Building Bridges is excited to have filled the clinical position with a skilled therapist who fits into the mission, vision, and values with such extensive experience.  Additionally, having a dedicated admissions person has been in the plans for a while and the timing this fall was perfect to bring Aubrey into the team.  

Mark Lyga has been working with adolescent males with substance and clinical issues for over twenty years.  (Kurt Fairbank, Owner and Clinical Director of Building Bridges, first worked with Mark when starting his own career in this field.)  Mark joins the Building Bridges team, coming from a wilderness therapy treatment program where he was the Clinical Director.  “Over the years, we have had many opportunities to work with Mark, and have a deep respect for the work he does,” said Kurt Fairbank.  Mark graduated from SUNY Utica/Rome with a BA and received a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Syracuse. He is a Licensed Addiction Counselor and is certified from the National Association for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAACAD) as a Master Addiction Counselor. Originally from Upstate NY, Mark moved to Montana to fulfill his love of the outdoors while pursuing his career in substance abuse treatment.

Aubrey Sutton, after growing up around a family who has worked with teens and young adults at risk her whole life, began her professional development while in college.  While working on her degree at Utah State, she worked directly with a Residential Treatment Center for adolescent girls. After graduating with a BS in Psychology, Aubrey worked at a residential treatment program for adolescent boys.  Both experiences taught her patience and great empathy. She learned to work with the youth and their family to create the smoothest transition for everyone involved. In that fashion, she moved on to work as a Client Services Representative for a nationally recognized Crisis Intervention company.  She spoke with Educational and Therapeutic Consultants and families to create the best logistics to get their client or loved one to help they needed.  

Aubrey grew up in northern Idaho in the small town of Sandpoint. She enjoyed playing competitive soccer, hanging out on the lake, and skiing in the winter with her parents and younger brother. In her free time, she likes to be active, watches sports, especially football, and hang out with her family. 

Building Bridges is a licensed Chemical Dependency Treatment Center with the structure of a Therapeutic Boarding School.  Located in Thompson Falls, MT Building Bridges is for boys 13-18 with substance and behavioral issues. The team’s passion is creating a structure that mirrors real life.   Students are involved in the community and it is our goal to have each student eventually attend public school.  Building Bridges seeks to bring real life to treatment through redirection and empowerment. We strive to educate our students to see how substance use has created patterns of unhealthy coping which have gotten in the way of pursuing their life in healthy ways.  By providing students the tools to increase their self-confidence and create a more positive outlook they can generate growth in a normalized safe environment that will transfer on in their lives.