I first encountered the work that would become Restoration Therapy in 2010 — through the Pain and Peace Cycle and the Four Steps, which formed the foundation of the marriage intensive work at The Hideaway Experience outside Amarillo. Steve and Rajan Trafton, the founders of The Hideaway, introduced me to Terry and Sharon Hargrave before I came on staff. I spent four years co-leading marriage intensives there from 2010 to 2014, doing some of the most meaningful couples work of my career.

Formal training came later. I trained with Terry Hargrave in RT Level 1 in 2014 and Level 2 in 2015. RT became the lens through which I do all my therapeutic and coaching work, not just a model I practice, but a framework that fundamentally shaped how I understand human beings, relationships, and the process of healing.

That same year, Heather and I were trained together in Marriage Strong (later known as Relate Strong) by Sharon Hargrave, who founded the model and was serving as director of the Boone Center for the Family at Pepperdine at the time. In 2017 I went deeper with additional RelateStrong training directly under Sharon. And in 2026 I completed updated training with Dee Dee Mayer, Senior Director of RelateStrong, desiring to stay current as the model continues to develop. From 2017 to 2022 I delivered workshops on mental health, anxiety, and relational dynamics through the RelateStrong Leadership Series at Pepperdine, regularly facilitating on-campus leadership training over that five-year period. That work produced two co-authored publications:

• Restoring Relationships: How Churches Can Help People Heal & Develop Healthy Connections (Barna in partnership with the Boone Center for the Family, 2020)

• Vital Tools for Relevant Church Leaders: Restoring Relationships and Building Community During Difficult Conversations (Pepperdine University — RelateStrong Leadership Series, 2019)

In 2016 I spoke at the inaugural Restoration Therapy Summit on anxiety and fear within the RT model. That presentation planted the seeds for what would eventually become the Turning from Anxiety intensive — a model I co-developed alongside Terry Hargrave, Sharon Hargrave, and Tanner Hargrove. We ran our first two pilots in June and September of 2022, then trained the inaugural cohort of therapists in the model in November of that same year. I also co-led the inaugural Restoration Coaching training alongside Terry Hargrave and Meghan Eaken in 2024.

Around that time, a group of about seven or eight therapists in the RT community had a conversation one night about the future of the community as Terry and Sharon began moving toward retirement. That conversation became a commitment, to step up, get more involved, and help carry the work forward. Over the last four years that group has grown into an active team, planning and speaking at RT Summits, organizing regional events, and building something that will outlast any one person. I've been honored to be part of that effort, helping plan the 2025 RT Summit in Amarillo, the 2027 RT Summit at Pepperdine, and the 2029 Summit here in Dallas, organizing regional RT events in Texas, and leading annual RT trainings at WinShape.

I am currently co-authoring a book with Terry Hargrave on the Restoration Therapy Anxiety Intensive Model.