“Luke has been an amazing asset and resource for Big City Mountaineers over the course of his five years of involvement with the organization.

He’s continually provided a number of services that include mental health trainings for all levels of the organization from seasonal instructor to full time employees, created resource materials for our instructors to take into the field, and consulted with program staff to help determine student eligibility.

Luke creates a welcoming environment to discuss mental health that’s allowed staff to be honest and ask vulnerable questions. The resources he’s created for Big City Mountaineers are simple but effective in helping our staff triage mental health crises and emergencies in determining appropriate action.

I recommend Luke and Seek Your Summit to any organization, company, or school that works with people in the outdoors and is wanting to better support their participants’ mental health and wellbeing.”

Fred Sproat
National Program Director, Big City Mountaineers

“NBMT has helped me tremendously in getting a grasp on my anxiety. The first is by simple encouraging me to get outside and giving me the education behind it. I am someone who tends to clutter their mind with several things and NBMT has helped me put things in perspective better simply just by getting outside. While I’m outside, I’m listening and aware of things I never noticed but were there all along. It has helped me to better put my thoughts in perspective which has been extremely helpful!”

NBMT Participant

“One of NBMT’s focuses was to live everyday authentically free. This goal helps me manage anxiety as it focuses me on authenticity, living in the present and positively looking at the future. With this goal I am conscious of my thoughts, actions. My feelings are more positive because choosing positive thoughts affects how I feel. Some moments I can’t help but feel sad about something, but I let the emotion pass.

NBMT reminded us to practice gratitude and meditation. I make sure to do both of these everyday and I am seeing the benefits they have to my subconscious brain. I enjoyed the emphasis on being outdoors in nature. I love being outside and in the sun. knowing it’s good for my mental health as encouraged at NBMT pushes me to at least have a daily outdoor walk.

The NBMT session was one of my highlights of my semester! Thank you!”

NBMT Participant

“NBMT helped me realize I can achieve small goals like being more present in nature. Instead of being on my phone when I’m walking to class, I have taken the time to observe nature and notice the colors of the leaves and that has reduced my overall anxiety.”

NBMT Participant

“Luke easily creates strong connections with a range of supervisees due to his calm and attentive presence as well as his flexibility in responding to supervisee needs. He draws from his wide and deep clinical background (e.g., DBT, MI, emotion-focused) to help supervisees conceptualize clients and choose appropriate interventions. He also skillfully uses Socratic questioning to support supervisees’ achieving their own clinical insights. At the same time, he emphasizes – and models – self-awareness and attention to process dynamics in both counseling and supervision sessions. Supervisees consistently note Luke establishes both a safe and growth-inducing supervisory environment.”

L.DiAnne Borders
Supervisee, University of North Carolina Greensboro

“Luke has been a very supportive, and most importantly, an intentional supervisor. He has continued to integrate my goals and concerns from the beginning of the semester into our work up until the very end of the semester. Luke has also challenged me to become a better counselor by helping me step out of my comfort zone in implementing theories and interventions that I may not have considered previously or felt confident enough to use.

He cultivated a space in which I felt comfortable to bring anything into session, despite having differences in our cultural identities. Luke was also very creative and engaging in our group supervision sessions, whether it was allowing us to take 10 minute walks in pairs to check in or taking supervision outdoors. I am grateful to have experienced such a pleasant and valuable supervisory relationship, and I will continue to reflect on how it has aided in my counselor development.”

Masters Counseling Intern
Supervisee, University of North Carolina Greensboro

“Luke challenged me to take ownership of my growth process as a counselor, supporting me to draw my own conclusions about clients, continue to build advanced counseling and conceptualization skills, and practice self-reflection and self-care. Luke helped me improve my own confidence as a counselor by balancing positive and constructive feedback. He incorporates mindfulness skills, role-plays, and Socratic Questioning into supervision sessions, all of which positively impacted my development as a counselor.

Luke is an empathetic, authentic, engaging supervisor, and his presence has been integral for my exploration of my counselor identity. I would not be the counselor I am today without Luke’s supervisory style. I would highly recommend Luke to supervisees who are looking for a supervisor who provides structure and flexibility, support and challenge, and authenticity and professionalism.”

Masters Counseling Advanced Practicum Student
Supervisee, University of North Carolina Greensboro