After over a decade working in outdoor recreation, Dan Spiwak immersed in graduate studies to pursue a Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling. Dan's unwavering appreciation for resilience, relationship-building, and human growth and collaboration resonates though his work as a Counseling Intern at TGRC, as well in his previous roles as a program supervisor and snowboard instructor and in community agriculture. Dan earned his B.A. in Environmental Geography and Sociology from SUNY New Paltz, where his studies deepened his commitment to understanding and enhancing relationships between people and places, and overall community wellbeing. He brings a passion for working with youth, adults, and families in ways that honor lived experience, and holistic care.

MY “WHy”:

I believe passionately in the idea of honoring the duality of life and death. As human beings, we are tasked with making meaning out of our lived experiences and weaving the joys of existence into the reality of grief, loss, and change. I embarked on my career path in counseling to pursue working collaboratively with people in finding new ways to cope and rise to the occasion of life’s most difficult challenges, with the goal of creating space to honor these challenges while simultaneously exploring what bits of light shine through the cracks of darkness. I am grateful to be a part of team TGRC - to hold space for the deepest exploration of one’s soul and to be present with individuals as they share personal stories and take the courageous step towards healing, learning, and growing.

re-charging & delight-finding:

I take great joy in immersing myself in the wonders of nature. As an avid outdoor enthusiast, I spend much of my free time engaging in activities such as snowboarding, hiking and backpacking, and biking. I have always felt the wilderness to be a place for grounding, re-charging, and reconnecting to myself and the beautiful world I exist in. I also find such delight in connecting to my community, working with my hands in the dirt, seeing live music, skateboarding, and hanging with my beloved dog, Ripple.