Kevin Ries

My work as a therapist grew out of years spent outdoors with young people. I started as a Youth Crew Leader with the Minnesota Conservation Corps, spending long days outside helping teens build resilience, problem-solving skills, and a sense of belonging in nature. From there, I became an Outdoor Guide with Alaska Crossings and later an Adventure Therapy guide with Back 2 Basics Sober Living in Flagstaff, Arizona, where I walked alongside young people in recovery as they used wilderness experiences, metaphor, and physical challenge to reconnect with themselves and what really matters.

Mixed into this career journey are other jobs that have shaped how I show up as a therapist today. I served as an AmeriCorps VISTA with Habitat for Humanity, leaving behind my known world and testing my skills in the wilds of Montana. I also worked as Transition House Staff at a therapeutic boarding school, supporting adolescents as they practiced new skills, navigated daily life, and prepared to bring those changes back home. Outside of work, some of my most formative experiences have come from time spent in wild places. For most of my 20s and 30s, it was normal for me to spend 70+ nights a year in a tent—wandering off-trail to quiet mountain lakes, exploring desert canyons, and cooking delux backcountry meals wherever I ended up pitching camp. These adventures keep me grounded in my own body and remind me why connection with nature, and with ourselves, matters so much.

I practice from a nature-informed, client-centered approach that integrates evidence-based therapy, thoughtful assessment, and the healing intelligence of our natural world. My background as an outdoor guide and wilderness therapy instructor shapes how I listen, how I work, and how I understand growth: as something discovered through relationship, challenge, reflection, and connection to outdoor spaces.

My work is informed by interpersonal neurobiology, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and nature-based practice. I value attunement, embodied awareness, and meaningful connection as essential parts of healing, and I use these ideas to help clients develop greater presence, flexibility, and alignment with their values.