MEET THE WIDENING CIRCLES TREATMENT TEAM
PRESCRIBERS
CAROLINE LEWIS, MD | MEDICAL DIRECTOR + PSYCHIATRIST
Caroline Lewis, MD is a board-certified psychiatrist who specializes in the treatment of a wide range of psychiatric conditions in adults including depression, anxiety, psychotic disorders, bipolar affective disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Dr. Lewis graduated from The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University in 2005. She completed an internship in Obstetrics and Gynecology before graduating from residency in Psychiatry at the University of New Mexico in 2009. Dr. Lewis has over 15 years of experience working in multiple settings including private practice, community mental health, hospital-based care, and consult-liaison psychiatry.
Dr. Lewis is experienced in administering ketamine in combination with ketamine assisted psychotherapy for treatment resistant depression.
Dr. Lewis is deeply committed to the individual healing and growth of each client. Dr. Lewis is skilled at pharmacotherapy; however, she maintains the firm belief that psychotropic medication is only one element of treatment and that the treatment of any health condition is most effective when managed by a multidisciplinary team.
Dr. Lewis’ philosophy of treatment is that growth, healing, and transformation occur when we have a safe space within which we can access our own innate ability to heal ourselves. We as your treatment team are here to help facilitate and support this process.
LEE ANNE HORN, PMHNP | PSYCHIATRIC MENTAL HEALTH NURSE PRACTITIONER
Lee Anne is a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner who is board certified (PMHNP-BC) in family psychiatric nursing. She holds a Master’s Degree in Nursing and an additional certification to function as a nurse practitioner. She also holds a certificate in integrative psychiatry.
Lee Anne commonly treats mood disorders like depression and bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, and schizophrenia. Additionally, she is comfortable working with clients facing post-traumatic stress disorder, personality disorders, substance use disorders, and eating disorders. She can also provide sessions in Ericksonian Solution Oriented Hypnotherapy.
"My true love in nursing has always been in psychiatry. I’ve worked as an inpatient psychiatric nurse with pediatric, adolescent, adult, and geriatric populations. But I’ve also worked as a nurse case manager, nurse manager, and corporate trainer and bring knowledge from those careers as well. I can’t imagine a more fulfilling profession than what I’m doing now and know this is where I am supposed to be in my career and service work in life."
More information about Lee Anne's individual practice can be found at https://leeannehorn.com/.
FAITH HISLOP, PA-C | PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT + KAP PRESCRIBER + IFS PRACTITIONER
Faith started her journey as a healing professional at Blue Ridge Health Services in 2015. As a Physician Assistant in the Community Health Center, she gained experience supporting patients as they work toward their goals of healing in a resource-limited setting. During this time, she came to recognize that prescribed medications, while at times very useful, are not the only tool that should be utilized in one’s healing journey. As a result, she sought out further training in Pain Reprocessing Therapy, Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy and the Internal Family Systems Modality of Therapy. Through these trainings and through her own personal work, she has connected with her own innate healing intelligence and looks forward to guiding patients in their journey to working with theirs.
Excited to work with an integrative team, she will deliver therapies with the goal of guiding toward healing from within. She’ll be offering Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy, Pain Reprocessing Therapy, and in the spring of 2023, Internal Family Systems.
Her pursuit to help others started as an undergrad at the University of Arizona, where she graduated from the College of Sciences with a Bachelor of Science in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Spanish. In 2015 she earned a Master of Science as a Physician Assistant from South University in Savannah, GA. While she enjoyed living in the Lowcountry, she deeply connects with the mountains and with nature. She is bilingual, speaking both Spanish and English and looks forward to serving Spanish-speaking patients.
In her free moments, Faith enjoys spending time with her family and being outdoors, including hiking to waterfalls around Western North Carolina. When she can be caught indoors, she enjoys a good read, especially historical fiction, and spending time with her dogs Luna, Boomer, and Hazel.
AIMEE SPENCER, PA-C | PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT + FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE SPECIALIST + KAP PRESCRIBER
Aimee Spencer is a board certified Physician Assistant, functional medicine specialist and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy practitioner. She has worked in different arenas of medicine including integrative family practice, emergency medicine, urgent care, pediatrics as well as subspecialty in gynecologic oncology but found her passion and home in functional medicine. She believes in the body’s wisdom and innate healing and now acts as a guide toward healing from within by getting to the roots of chronic illness and imbalances.
Aimee specializes in functional medicine focusing on mental health, women’s health and hormones, preconception optimization and infertility, and digestive disorders. She takes a comprehensive, holistic and individualized approach when working with her patients, getting to underlying core issues such as inflammation, methylation problems, nutritional imbalances, gut and hormone imbalances, food allergies, toxin exposures, and sleep and lifestyle patterns. In addition to earning a Master of Physician Assistant Studies, she has completed training through Aviva Romm’s Functional and Integrative Medicine for Women’s Health, the Kharrazian Institute, Institute for Functional Medicine and has become a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner.
She is also passionate about the transformative power of psychedelic therapies to treat mental health disorders. She has completed Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy training through The Pearl Psychedelic Institute as well as Polaris Insight Center Medical Module for Ketamine Therapy and has been a board member for The Pearl Psychedelic Institute.
Being able to live out her dream while applying years of study and experience to helping others become their most healthy is Aimee's dharma. An aspect of her vision is being able to meet clients, sharing space and the connections of heart to heart wholeness, and helping others on their journey while honoring mind, body and soul.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons outdoors–hiking, climbing and reveling in all Mother Nature has to offer and traveling. She is currently accepting patients in her practice, Koseli Health Collective, at The Pearl Psychedelic Institute, Widening Circles and virtually.
registered nurse
KARA NASH, RN | REGISTERED NURSE AND KETAMINE PROGRAM NURSE MANAGER
Kara has been a mental health nurse for over 20 years in a variety of settings. She has been coaching on and off for 6 years and integrates Western and Eastern thought into her work.
Kara believes we are more than what’s happened to us. We are more than our broken parts. Nothing can change the fact that life cycles through hard and happier times, but by understanding the patterns of thoughts and actions that don’t serve us, we can work towards seeing the world as a less toxic and threatening place.
Together, we can explore such things as: sensory differences, how attachment styles affect our relationships, identifying and releasing untrue beliefs about ourselves, early identification of worsening anxiety and/or depression, the use of Spoon Theory, and more, with an individualized care plan based on shifts you’d like to see in your life. We will use a lot of worksheets and inventories in session to figure out how to accomplish those shifts.
In her free time, Kara enjoys, Mindfulness Meditation, caving, time near rivers, LEGO, along with playing and listening to music. She has studied with Bessel van der Kolk (The Body Keeps Score) and Temple Grandin (Thinking In Pictures), amongst others.
PSYCHOTHERAPISTS
KIM SKELTON, LCMHCS, LCAS | FOUNDER + CEO + PSYCHOTHERAPIST
Kim's approach offers compassionate connection and mindful, heart-centered care. Kim has advanced training in evidence-based approaches including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR); Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP); Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) MDMA Therapy Training Program (2019) and Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy with the Psychedelic Research and Training Institute (PRATI) in Colorado. Kim has also studied herbalism through HERBalachia. Kim has volunteered as a faculty member with PRATI and is excited to be working with The Pearl Psychedelic Institute as the Training Director. Kim is currently serving as a co-therapist with the Pearl MDMA Expanded Access Project.
Her treatment orientation is rooted in existential/humanistic psychotherapy; ecopsychology (“connection with” vs. “power over”); harm reduction psychotherapy; EMDR (adaptive resolution of trauma); and DBT (mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation.)
Kim holds a Master of Arts degree in Community Counseling (2005) from the University of Alabama and has experience working in a myriad of settings: universities; community mental health centers; school-based mental health; and a domestic violence shelter. She and Ilona Csapo, MD founded Willow Wellness and Recovery in 2013 and joined with other like-minded colleagues to create Widening Circles in 2017.
In her free time, she enjoys hiking, paddling, gardening, photography, watercolor and playing with her furry, four-legged-children.
TEVA HITE, LCMHC | CLINICAL + NEUROFEEDBACK DIRECTOR + PSYCHOTHERAPIST
Teva Hite, MS, LCMHC, is an outpatient therapist in Asheville, NC. Teva is trained to provide professional, relevant, and effective counseling services for children, adolescents, adults, and families. Teva’s areas of interest include: mood disorders, attention disorders, trauma, grief, self-identity and spirituality. Teva has completed extensive training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), an evidenced-based treatment for trauma.
Teva specializes in the use of neurofeedback technology and EMDR to support a broad range of neurologically and/or psychologically traumatized clients within her clinical practice.
Teva’s theoretical orientation is rooted in providing a safe, supportive place for all individuals, clinically drawing from a wide range of theories and practices, including: neurobiology, expressive arts, existential counseling, feminist therapy, person-centered therapy, and family systems.
Prior to her training as neurofeedback therapist, Teva worked in the community mental health setting since 2001, including intensive in home therapy, family reunification and visitation coaching, and community support. Teva has experience also working with adults with developmental disabilities using expressive art therapy.
ANGIE HAVILAND, LCSW, LCAS | PSYCHOTHERAPIST
Angie Haviland, LCSW, LCAS is an outpatient therapist who developS supportive and healing relationships with her clients. She has been working for approximately 16 years in community mental health clinics serving a large variety of issues and clientele. Angie also has a passion for working for recovery of substance abuse and healing of childhood experiences. Angie is a BSW graduate of Warren Wilson College here in Asheville, NC and MSW graduate of New Mexico State University. Angie works primarily through CBT, DBT, systems theories and person-centered therapy.
Angie loves to marvel at the mountains of WNC whether admiring them from her backyard, hiking through them, kayaking in water systems around them or just breathing the mountain air. Angie can often be found snuggling her dogs, Lucy and Maggie or eating the delicious food around Asheville.
AMANDA TURLINGTON, LCSW | PSYCHOTHERAPIST
Amanda is a licensed social worker and outpatient therapist based in Asheville, NC. Amanda has been providing compassionate care for folks with substance use disorders for 10 years. Amanda worked as a therapist at a wilderness based residential program for several years before transitioning to private practice in 2017.
Amanda’s therapeutic style is open, direct, and warm. She curses frequently and enjoys incorporating a healthy dose of sarcasm and humor to sessions, so please bring your memes and dark humor to therapy. Amanda enjoys exploring complex dynamics and thinking outside the box to help clients find sustainable solutions to life’s challenges.
Amanda is trained in Brainspotting, Therapeutic Horticulture, and Reiki. Additionally, Amanda completed the MDMA Assisted Therapy training with the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) in 2022. Amanda is an enthusiastic learner and loves exploring new, cutting edge research and skills to bring into the therapy room. She is passionate about helping folks struggling with substance use, chronic depression, trauma, and ADHD. Additionally, Amanda has significant experience working with members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Amanda is originally from the suburbs of Dayton, OH and moved to the southeast following her graduation from Ohio State University in 2013. Amanda has an intense love of nature and the mountains of western North Carolina. When not at work, you are likely to find her in the woods, tinkering in her garden, or tucked into a good book while cuddling her 2 dogs.
COACHES
ALLISON CHAPMAN, LCSWA | RECOVERY COACH
Allison is currently a student at WCU who will graduate in May of 2022, with an MSW and a focus in substance use and addiction. Previously, Allison has worked in community mental health settings and therapeutic wilderness programs. She is mom of 2 wonderful girls, an active community member, and social justice advocate. Her strength-based approach seeks to empower people as they become the best version of themselves; using a person centered approach to gently guide individuals into self-actualization. Allison is looking forward to her future as a licensed clinician in Asheville, NC.
In her free time she enjoys running, attempting interesting athletic adventures, gardening, and connecting with family and friends!
graduate level PSYCHOTHERAPIST INTERNS
EVLYN JACKSON, MSW INTERN AT WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY
Evlyn is currently pursuing her Master of Social Work at Western Carolina University. Evlyn approaches mental health from a compassionate, trauma-informed, humanistic, feminist, and person-centered perspective. She is excited to increase her acumen around innovative trauma treatment and to her future as a licensed clinical social worker here in Asheville.
Evlyn lives with her golden retriever, Tanner, and her tabby cat, Lorelei. In her free time, she likes to get out in the woods with Tanner, find epic mountain swim holes, cook, play Rummikub, and connect with loved ones.
SAM ROBINSON, COUNSELING INTERN AT LENOIR-RHYNE UNIVERSITY
Sam’s journey towards counseling began while working at Buddhist meditation retreats where he was able to witness the power of awareness, exploration, and relational experimentation to transform struggles into strengths. His practice is woven around the perspective that most problems can be traced back to feelings of fragmentation or not belonging in some way. Using a foundation of compassionate curiosity, he helps people by walking beside them on their journey back towards wholeness, always reminding them that they belong and can thrive wherever life finds them.
His theoretical approach is supported by both the evidence-based practice of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and a psychodynamic perspective that meaningfully examines how the past manifests itself in the present. Some techniques that he uses include dialogue, directed compassion, decentering, cognitive reframing, meditation and breathing exercises, somatic self-monitoring, and dream exploration.
He will graduate from Lenoir-Rhyne University in August of 2023 with a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, gardening, swimming in nearby creeks, creating music with his wife, and rolling around on the ground with his 2-year old son.
INTUITIVE ASTROLOGER
LIZ GUNN | INTUITIVE ASTROLOGER
Like so many involved in healing work, Liz's background is varied, experiential and distinctly unique. She has learned that there is no better teacher than life itself. She's traveled a long road to arrive home to a place of integrated lived experience and can share with you the uncommon wisdom found along the way. She believes in the value found through the power of discernment and the importance of paying attention to the cycles of change and transformation. The practical application of the living wisdom contained in ordinary reality is the cornerstone of her offerings.
In 1986, at the age of 24, she helped organize the Adult Children of Alcoholics movement in Savannah, Georgia. This was the doorway that led her into the realm of spiritual exploration, personal growth and healing as a way of life. Her entry into the world of Astrology followed shortly thereafter. This combination, beginning with ACOA, astrology, extensive therapy and psychospiritual development, set the course for her growing passion to understand the “why” of existence.
Liz's work as a whole brings together a quality of understanding that facilitates a shift towards more authentic self- knowledge. It’s a deeply affirming, loving and compassionate experience to explore your astrological blueprint with her. She is a big believer in the practical application of spiritual wisdom so you can face your life with courage, faith and grace. The knowing that every single experience is absolutely bringing you into contact with your highest Self is what connects you to the essence of All That Is. Please see Liz's website for more information about her intuitive astrology practice.
OFFICE MANAGER & ADMISSIONS COORDINATOR
OFFICE MANAGER + ADMISSIONS COORDINATOR
COMING SOON!