Vaughan Dowie   CEO

Vaughan has more than 30 years of experience as a senior manager in public-sector and community organizations, including as President of La Commission de Protection des Droits de la Jeunesse; Executive Director of Batshaw Youth and Family Centres; and Assistant Deputy Minister in three different ministries for the Government of British Columbia.  Prior to joining Pine River, he was the Executive Head of Public Affairs at McGill University.  Vaughan has two children.

John Fallis   Executive Director

John was a member of the Advisory Committee for three years before becoming Executive Director, and has been an enthusiastic supporter of Pine River in the educational community, and in our local neighbourhood. Before joining Pine River, he was Principal of Banting Memorial High School in Alliston for five years. He spent 20 years in outdoor education, first as a teacher and then Vice Principal of Boyne River Natural Science School. His three decades in education include teaching experiences in Australia, British Columbia, Michigan, and New York State, and he has been involved in provincial "at-risk" youth initiatives.  An avid canoeist with extensive experience in Canada's Arctic, John is passionate about outdoor and environmental education. His broad range of interests includes photography, architecture, local history, and music.

Eric King, MSW, RSW   Director of Family Programs

Eric has been passionate about his work with adolescents and their families throughout his career. He has an extensive background in systemic and strength-based family therapy with teens in a range of contexts including: mental health clinics, residential treatment centers, schools, and hospitals settings. He has maintained a private practice with families, couples and individuals since 1990.  In addition to his role at Pine River, Eric is clinical director at Brief Therapy Training Centres - International operating out of the Hincks-Dellcrest Institute, a post-graduate training centre for mental health professionals. He is also the residential training coordinator at the Hincks-Dellcrest Centre, a multi-disciplinary children’s mental health centre, where he has been a senior out-patient social worker for the past 23 years.  Eric has been a trainer of mental health professionals in brief and narrative therapy since 1985. He co-leads two year-long clinical extern programs and offers clinical training throughout Canada and the U.S. He has a cross-appointment with the Department of Child Psychiatry at the University of Toronto.  Eric’s current interests include multiple family therapy, adventure-based therapy, and mindfulness-based approaches to adolescent anxiety and depression.

Amanda Rodgers  Director of Admissions

Amanda graduated with honors as a Community Outreach and Development Worker from Sheridan College.  Her extensive professional development training has included suicide prevention and awareness, leadership, coaching, gang awareness, promoting self esteem and self awareness.  Within the capacity of Correctional Officer, Volunteer Coordinator and Case Manager within the Ministry or Correctional and Community Services she participated in peer support counseling, group facilitation, mediation and conflict resolution, program development with a multiplicity of clients and stakeholders.  Amanda feels that growing a healthy community is vital and she has been involved in a vast range of community and volunteer work, including building a local youth shelter, developing and implementing a support community for families with children who have Cerebral Palsy, counseling and family support with Victims Services, and program co-ordination with Hospice Dufferin.  Amanda enjoys the benefits of a healthy lifestyle for her family and participates in several recreational activities throughout the year. As a mother of a child with special need she advocates widely for her son and other families.  She considers recovery and a balance of healthy eating and physical fitness to go hand in hand. She believes in the positive community culture that Pine River Institute upholds and the potential of every student that lives within it.

Elyse Schipper   Director of Communications & Development

Elyse is a co-founder of Pine River Institute.  She did her undergraduate studies in psychology at the University of Western Ontario, and her continuing personal and professional development has included courses on Fear & Anxiety, Anger, Boundaries & Safety, Self-Awareness, Wilderness Survival and Leadership Training, and chef training at Le Cordon Bleu.  In 2001 she started a graphic design and marketing company that won a Youth Entrepreneurship Award from the Government of Ontario.  She has travelled extensively, including as an exchange student in Singapore, biology studies in the Galapagos Islands, and working at an orphanage in Santiago, Chile.  Her involvement with Pine RIver has ranged from campaign management, to program design, to admissions, to her current role in communications and development.  One of her best experiences so far has been leading the Communications Model workshops with the students, parents, and staff.  She loves to watch and hear about the student successes (and mischief!) and to the see families re-connect.

Dr. Victoria Lynn Creighton, PsyD  Director of Clinical Programs

Victoria has a doctorate in clinical psychology and has been practicing for over ten years.  She has training and experience in treating drug and alcohol abuse, disordered eating, autism, ADD/ADHD, and self-harm, and has a sub-specialty in treating adolescent women.  Her clinical work incorporates Experiential Therapy, Dialectic Behavioural Therapy, Object Relations, and Family Systems treatment.  In addition to her private practice, Dr. Creighton has been a therapist and clinical supervisor at Montana Academy, and most recently at Hope Ranch, both residential treatment facilities for adolescents in Montana.  Her other passions include horse riding and training, growing roses, and oil painting.

Gwen McGrann   Program Coordinator

Gwen has a Masters Degree in Childhood Education specializing in Literacy as well as a teaching certificate, and has been working with youth for over ten years.  She has experience as an intake and family services worker with the Children’s Aid Society, a residential youth counselor, and a residential group home supervisor.  Since joining Pine River, Gwen has worked with our students and families as a residential youth counselor, shift supervisor, and admissions director.  When she’s not at the school, Gwen, her husband, and their young son enjoy sports, gardening and renovating.

Meghan McIntosh   Program Manager

Meghan has been working with youth since 1999 when she began a career at a successful outdoor therapeutic program in Alabama. Throughout the 10 years she was in Alabama she took on the role of a front line counselor, supervisor, unit director and eventually became Adventure Risk Manager for the company. She received extensive training in outdoor instruction and ultimately became a white water rafting guide, ropes course trainer, adventure trip leader, wilderness EMT, and Wilderness first responder instructor. In order to stay connected to youth Meghan focused on the aftercare process when she moved out of the front line and still connects with students from the day she started 10 years ago. She has a strong belief in the healing power of the outdoors and is happy to be bringing her skills and experience back to Canada.  Meghan grew up in the Orangeville area and is excited to be back ‘home’ to continue her journey at Pine River Institute. Meghan holds a BA in Recreation from the University of Waterloo.

Suzy Pollard, MS  OLE Therapist

Suzy holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from NENE University, England and a Master’s Degree in Recreation Administration from Aurora University, with a focus on Outdoor Pursuits. Originally from Zimbabwe, Suzy has lived between England, USA, Australia and Canada.  For over ten years, across North America, Suzy has been working in adventure and wilderness- based therapeutic programs for youth-at-risk. Suzy lives in the “Near North” area close to the Outdoor Leadership Experience Program. In her free time she enjoys scuba diving and travelling.

Carl Dalton, BSW, MSW  Therapist

Carl grew up just 50 kilometers from PRI and has recently returned from studying in Halifax, NS.  He has been working with children and youth who have struggled with homelessness, substance abuse, anxiety, disability, and mental health disorders in a variety of urban and rural settings for 15 years.  Carl specializes in group therapy for young people, and uses a strength-based, narrative approach to help young people and their families discover and re-discover skills and solutions that will bring about desired outcomes. As often as he can Carl tries to combine his unique skills in outdoor experiential education and the performing arts to engage young people. Carl considers himself a life long learner. Currently his research interests are in the areas of the socialization of adolescents, resiliency models, and ethics in social work practice.

Emily Erchick, MSW   Therapist

Emily completed her Master’s degree at Smith College School for Social Work.  She has trained in a wide array of settings including alternative high school programming, experiential work programs for youth, wilderness based therapy, adolescent day treatment, intensive home based clinical services, and in an outpatient psychiatric clinic. Her education has focused on adolescent engagement and intervention, which has included training in individual and family facets of development and maturation. Her treatment approach is eclectic and relational, with a strong foundation in psychodynamic assessment. Often in her work, Emily will incorporate narrative therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy, and motivational interviewing. A baseline optimist, she assumes a stance of solution-focused intervention and is often asking, ‘How does environment allow for personal growth?’  Emily has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy. She also likes to read, travel, and run.

Todd Kettner, Ph.D   Therapist

Todd founded a private group practice in Nelson, BC where he worked for over a decade prior to joining PRI.  He completed his residency at the University of Manitoba and subsequently accepted a position as an Assistant Professor at U of M.   He has experience assessing and providing therapy for children, youth and adults facing a variety of challenges including substance misuse, learning disabilities, family crises, ADHD, acquired brain injuries, depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder.  He has taught university courses in mental health, led post-graduate professional development workshops, and supervised doctoral students as a clinical associate with Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia.  His interests including sailing with his wife and children, skiing with fellow powder hounds, and mountain biking with other middle-aged guys who like to pretend they’re still 18.