Jake Van Epps has been consulting with Surf House for several months and helping to strengthen and refine our therapeutic model. We are excited to announce that he has agreed to join us in a direct and permanent role as our Therapeutic Program Coordinator.
Jake Van Epps Ph.D. received his doctoral degree from The Pennsylvania State University, and his Master’s of Education from the University of Georgia. In addition to his graduate training, Jake completed a 3-year post-graduate training program in family dynamics at the Bowen Center for the Study of Family in Georgetown, DC.
Jake has extensive experience working with at-risk and adjudicated adolescents, and their families. Jake spent 5 years working at Second Nature, both the Uintas and Blue Ridge programs as a field instructor, and eventually as the Coordinator of the Education and Therapeutic programs. While at Second Nature Blue Ridge, Jake developed a unique therapeutic program that included student curriculum and corresponding staff training. During his graduate training at the University of Georgia, Jake worked for the Juvenile Counseling and Assessment Program (JCAP) where he was part of an interdisciplinary team working with adjudicated adolescents in probation offices, schools and juvenile detention centers. His responsibilities included assessment, counseling, and coordinating care among probation officers, teachers, school counselors, and families. Jake also worked for several years as a psychotherapist in college counseling centers at The Pennsylvania State University and at The University of Utah.
During his doctoral training, Jake worked on a National Institute of Mental Health R-01 grant funded research project exploring the emotional and physiological effects of various parent-child interactions. In addition, his research included studying self-compassion in the context of psychotherapy in college counseling centers across the country. Currently, Jake enjoys teaching Adult Psychopathology to counseling graduate students as a an adjunct instructor at the University of Utah, and he is a partner in an integrative health clinic called The Center for MindBody Health in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Jake’s has a diverse range of experiences, and specific training in adolescent and emerging adult development, family therapy, and therapeutic program development. He values the role of having a multicultural orientation and a sense of empiricism brings to the therapeutic process. This makes him an ideal addition to the Puerto Rico Surf House Family.
Surf House Puerto Rico works with boys and young adults, ages 16-20. Founded in 2013, Surf House is a single household program located just blocks from one of the most famous surf breaks in the world at CARR 413 Km 0.1 Rincon, Puerto Rico. Students complete their high school diplomas while receiving evidence based therapeutic support and getting certified in diving, sailing, and horsemanship. They learn Spanish and broaden their worldview while focusing on the skills and habits of living a balanced life.