Q&A with Henry Begner of Smoky Mountain Counseling

Born and raised in Atlanta, Henry Begner still considers himself a city boy. But years ago, after visiting a friend who worked as a whitewater guide in Asheville, Begner was hooked.

“I was not exposed to a lot of wilderness growing up, and I fell in love with everything about river guiding, particularly the community around it,” he says.

While studying philosophy at Georgia State University, Begner spent several summers in Western North Carolina working as a guide and camping along the river. “It became apparent to me that group dynamics were superimportant as a river guide, which gave me insight to human relationships and thinking about connection and psychology,” he explains.

After receiving a master’s degree in  transpersonal counseling psychology with a focus in wilderness therapy from Naropa University, Begner worked for an adolescent addiction treatment center just outside Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes, Colo. “I would basically take the kids out on wilderness trips anywhere from seven-21 days a month. We’d do a lot of river stuff, rafting, climbing and backpacking. We’d also volunteer at a local wolf sanctuary and make those connections.”

In 2017, Berger and his wife, Rhianna Appel, relocated to Asheville, where she launched Smoky Mountain Counseling. Berger joined the practice last year. The organization offers outpatient mental health services to individuals, couples and families, as well as wilderness therapy through customized wilderness and adventure programs.

Xpress spoke to Begner about treating anxiety and depression through connection, mindfulness and wilderness therapy.

This interview has been condensed for length and edited for clarity. 

What differentiates your practice from conventional therapy?

Our background in mindfulness and in transpersonal psychology is unique. There are a lot of counselors trained in mindfulness and semantic therapies, but these approaches form the core of our training as opposed to being supplementary. The kind of mindfulness meditation we use therapeutically is focused on the connection between the mind and the body. Transpersonal is unique in that it takes into account spirituality and our personal connection to what is sacred as part of our mental health.

Did you see an uptick in requests for therapy during the pandemic?

The pandemic shined a light on mental illness and has really facilitated a lot of growth in the field that was inevitable. Being isolated in lockdown really forces us to look at our mental health. The local therapist community across the board saw a significant rise in the need for mental health services. People were suffering from anxiety, depression and stress.

Do anxiety and depression go hand in hand?

The connection between depression and anxiety is stress. What we have seen is an increase in is stress, which exacerbates symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Connection — whether that is with a therapist, our body, a higher power or in my case with nature — is really the alternative to anxiety, depression and stress. The pandemic created so much disconnection it was not surprising mental and emotional health issues followed.

It has been widely reported that there was also an increase in use of sleep aids, antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication. Where are you on the use of medication?

The Western medical system is built on treating symptoms, which means you have a disease or a disorder where symptoms present themselves, you go in and attempt to treat the symptoms, and once these symptoms are alleviated, you’re fixed.

From an Eastern perspective, it becomes more preventive. Instead of alleviating symptoms, we talk about things like balance and homeostasis. So the approach is a little different in that it’s not necessarily geared toward fixing problems as much as an insight into how we have been affected and impacted by things we go through. Symptoms are the visible manifestation of something. I look to see what underlies those symptoms.

What I am always gauging is “What is within my ability to treat and what is outside my ability to treat?” That is an ongoing discussion with the client. If we come to a place where the therapy and mindfulness and wilderness aren’t helping the client feel as stable as they would like, I am open to referring out to good medication providers I work with who share my philosophy on wellness.

What is the difference between adventure therapy and wilderness therapy?

Adventure therapy is about doing something. It’s about going out and having an experience that in some way, shape or form changes us. A lot of adventure therapy is good for anxiety and depression, but it’s better for things like self-esteem, self-efficacy, self-confidence, motivation — things that overlap and touch on depression and anxiety but not necessarily therapy in the formal sense.

Wilderness therapy is about focusing on connection. Wilderness therapy is not about doing. Sometimes it’s about not doing. A wilderness intervention I utilize with clients is what’s called a sit spot. If we’re working on anxiety and depression, I might say, “I want you to go out in your neighborhood, your community, someplace that is easily accessible, and find a spot in nature. That spot could be a park, an empty lot, a trail you enjoy. I want you to go to that spot at least once every two weeks and sit for at least 30 minutes. You are not to do anything: you’re not going to be on your phone, or journaling and hopefully you’ll not be thinking a lot about the past or future; the point is to focus on just being in relationship to that place.”

Doing so builds a form of intimacy and connectiveness with place. Wilderness therapy is all about connection. And people are very much in need of connection.

Ideally, I want my clients to explore and identify resources in their lives and ways they can experience connection. A lot of therapy, health and wellness happens not necessarily with a professional but with meaningful relationships in our lives — family, loved ones, friends, nature and animals.