Kyle Stansbury
Family Quest Senior Guide
Joined Open Sky: December 2006
In Wilderness Therapy since: 2005
Interview with Kyle Stansbury
June 2009
Q. If you were able to meet anyone (living or dead), who would it be and why?
A. My grandfather. I think family history is such an important part of our lives and he is someone I never had the chance to meet. I am not sure what I would ask him or what I would expect, I just think I would like to be in his presence for a while.
Q. What are a few of the defining moments in your life and why?
A. I would say every time I have overcome a significant challenge that has been in front of me has been in some way a defining moment. Whether that has been mountains I have stood on top of, avalanches I have survived or times of sadness I have managed to gain perspective on, they have all have been defining.
Q. Who has been your greatest inspiration and why?
A. I would say that my parents have been my greatest inspiration. They have been the ones who have taught me to look to myself for strength when I have needed it. At the same time, I have always been able trust that they are there to offer support the entire way and that it is okay to ask for help when I need it.
Q. What are your unique gifts and/or experiences that help our students?
A. I think one of my greatest strengths is to be able to keep a level and understanding perspective during whatever situation is in front of me. I have a durable positivity and a good sense of humor. I have a comfortable and close relationship with nature and this helps me feel confident letting others feel the same. Finally, I look at everyone as if they were, well, apes - I mean we kind of are, aren't we? When you see the world through these eyes all the mysteries of human behavior and daily stresses start to make more sense.
Q. Why do you work in wilderness therapy?
A. Growing up swimming in the creeks and scrambling up the juniper and oak trees of the Texas hill country, I guess you can say that I have always been involved with the medicine of the wilderness. Years later, I find myself still honoring the power of our natural world and growing to understand the absurdity of thinking that someone can be separate from it. I believe that helping others to recognize this is a worthy venture and critical for the future of all people. At the root of this is my belief that the more people I can help expose the depths of our wilderness to, the better.
I truly respect the people that I have the honor of working next to. It legitimizes my desire to live more in nature and I can sleep at night knowing that I am at least trying to make some sort of difference in the world.
Q. Why do you think wilderness therapy works?
A. Because the problem in this world is that we have lost our understanding and connection to our own place in the wilderness. Hopefully, wilderness therapy is a brief bridge back to that in our students' lives. I think that reintroducing potentially positive experiences into a period of life that is defined by negativity helps create a pause to look at one's life direction.
Q. What do you think Open Sky students need?
A. Several things. For one, more authentic and impactful ceremonies and meaningful experiences. Secondly, having a family that is as committed to changing their own way of thinking and interacting as their children often are at the end of our program. Lastly, a healthier community of true adult role models to go to for guidance in a world of adolescent grown ups.
Q. What do you like to do for fun when you aren’t working in the field?
A. Along with a love of taking photos, I enjoy testing my hand as a backcountry gourmet cook, running, skiing and riding my bike around the trails of the San Juan Mountains as well as figuring out how to get the tomatoes in my garden to turn red.
Q. Anything else you want to tell us about yourself?
A. By no means have I ever met anyone who is perfect, including myself, I think this is the most important thing I can remember when working with others. With this in mind, it feels good to know that we are all works in progress and what an exciting concept to think about what our potential is. Working in the field has been an honor and one of the greatest educations in my life.
Professional Experience
Aspen Achievement Academy, Loa, Utah
Senior Field Guide
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Lead Cook
American Medical Response, Dallas, Texas
Emergency Medical Technician
Freelance Photojournalist
Education
Currently enrolled in MSW program
New Mexico Highlands University, Farmington, New Mexico
BFA, Photography
University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
EMT-Intermediate
Wilderness First Responder (WFR)
