Aaron Bartley is a nature-oriented rites of passage guide, UC California Naturalist, and teaching guide in Wilderness Reflections’ Somatic Ecopsychology Quest Apprenticeship Program. Aaron brings 15+ years of experience facilitating men’s groups and supporting both men and women through rites of passage. He has guided wilderness programs in the Sierra Nevada, Death Valley, and throughout Central California and is a Wilderness First Responder. Aaron has a deep appreciation for birds and serves as a guide for a nature reserve, where his mission is to inspire the public to build deep, personal relationship with the lands they love. Above all, Aaron is passionate about bringing people into wild places, helping them embody their authentic voice, strengthen their belonging to nature, and find renewed vision for their lives.
Amy Biesemeyer, MFT has worked with adults and youth in the outdoors since 1995 and has been a wilderness rites of passage guide since 2004. Nature is her teacher and sanctuary, and she is honored to guide others in the magical unfolding of their own true nature and coming home to what is most real and alive. She is especially passionate about working with groups of women and has deeply explored her own womanhood through women’s therapy groups and majoring in Women’s Studies. Drawing upon mind-body practices, she enriches her work with meditation, expressive arts and embodied inquiry. She has been trained by the School of Lost Borders, is a student of Jennifer Welwood and the Diamond Heart Approach, a graduate of The California Institute for Integral Studies and a Wilderness First Responder.
Dave Talamo, MFT is founder of Wilderness Reflections. He has over 40 years of experience guiding wilderness trips, works as a therapist with youth and adults, and is a certified Wilderness First Responder. A Certified Hakomi Therapist, Dave is a pioneer in the field of ecotherapy and was one of the first quest guides to develop a somatic approach to questing. He is committed to the expression of joy and authenticity through the body and to helping others experience their own embodied selves in an intimate, ecstatic relationship with Nature. Currently, he spends most of his field time apprenticing new guides and training therapists in bringing Nature into the therapy process.
