Staff

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Over 40 staff members working together create the nurturing community that is Little Keswick School. Involved in all aspects of student life, staff serve as crucial role models in the program. On a daily basis, staff members model values such as respect, caring, and empathy, instilling and reinforcing these values in our students. Positive working relationships among staff members are an essential component of the safe, structured environment that our students need.

Little Keswick School's collegial, family atmosphere is reflected in community-wide gatherings, such as sharing daily meals together in the Depot Dining Hall, singing and playing guitar in the annual Talent Show, and running/walking in the LKS 3-Miler in the spring. Little Keswick School teachers are required to hold licensure in the field of special education, in the areas of emotional disturbance and/or learning disabilities. Residential staff must demonstrate previous experience working with similar student populations, and train in Life Space Crisis Intervention, Choice Theory, and Mediation. Currently, all clinical staff hold doctorates in child psychology.

Marty C. Thomson, Ph.D.
Clinical Director

Dr. Thomson brought his engaging and developmentally grounded therapy style to Little Keswick School ten years ago. He has held the position of full-time clinical director for nine years. Prior to coming to Little Keswick, Dr. Thomson provided clinical oversight for a school system serving over 50,000 students in the Midwest. Earlier in his career, Dr. Thomson was the director of psychological services for a special education cooperative, and worked in private practice, residential treatment, community mental health, and in-patient hospital settings. He has developed mental health programs for and consulted with school districts, churches, youth correction facilities, group homes, and public mental health caseworkers. Pre-graduate school experiences included hands-on work in residential treatment, juvenile justice programs, recreational camps, and wilderness therapy. Dr. Thomson earned his Ph.D. and Master’s degrees from the University of North Texas, and completed his family therapy training at the Southwest Family Institute in Dallas. Before coming to LKS, Dr. Thomson chaired or served with a number of mental health/education cooperative initiatives, including the Task Force - Child in Need of Community Intervention, for the Kansas State Department of Health Care Policy. At LKS, Dr. Thomson’s clinical treatment involves facilitating boys’ natural development through relationship-based, experiential, and family systems interventions. His active love of the outdoors, fishing, hiking, and woodworking provide many sources of connection with our boys, and insight into their needs and interests. Dr. Thomson and his wife live near the campus with their four children, three dogs, and a coop full of chickens.

Katren Brabender, Psy.D.
Clinical Psychologist

Dr. Brabender is a full time Clinical Psychologist at Little Keswick School who has also held certification as a School Psychologist. She has offered her caring, thoughtful, and highly attuned approach to our boys, families, and staff for over five years. Dr. Brabender earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from Widener University, and her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Allegheny College. A wide range of experience and training in child and adolescent therapy, family therapy, parent education, psychological & psycho-educational evaluation, group therapy, and family dynamics melds perfectly with the clinical and developmental needs of our students. At Little Keswick School, Dr. Brabender provides individual, group and family interventions, staff training and consultation, and psychological assessment. She oversees group development within two of the residences, and chairs our school-wide committee on community awareness and supportive peer culture. Finally, she directs the integration of cognitive behavioral interventions into our broader therapeutic approach. Recently, Dr. Brabender has begun utilizing a four-legged co-therapist in the form of our therapy dog, Barter. Dr. Brabender periodically runs distance races, and she continues to pursue a life long passion for soccer.

Blair Bunting, MD
Consulting Child Psychiatrist

Dr. Bunting has been an integral partner in our clinical treatment for ten years. He has particular experience and interest in the long-term, intensive treatment of child psychiatric and developmental disorders, such as those presented by our students. Dr. Bunting assumes child psychiatric treatment of all LKS students upon their enrollment, providing medication management for psychotropic medications and providing diagnostic and formulation consultation within the clinical team, as well as individual and family therapy for a group of LKS students. Dr. Bunting consults regularly with parents, developing a shared understanding of the student, obtaining informed consent from parents prior to implementation of any treatment or medical study. He is available during school breaks and vacations to oversee treatment needs, and to answer any questions that arise for students while they are away from campus. Dr. Bunting graduated from Dartmouth College and Dartmouth Medical School, and he completed training and fellowship in Psychiatry and Child Psychiatry at the University of Virginia. He is board certified in adult and in child and adolescent psychiatry. He is an advanced candidate in psychoanalysis at the Washington Psychoanalytic Institute. Dr. Bunting has particular interest in developmental and psychoanalytic theories, including attachment and mentalization, which, integrated with biomedical knowledge, allow a fuller understanding of the development, function and treatment of the mind.

Channon Juhl wins VAISEF “The Margaret Shepherd Teaching Award”

The “Margaret Shepherd Teaching Award” annually recognizes a teacher who works with special needs students and is employed by a school which is a member of The Virginia Association for Independent Special Education Facilities (VAISEF). Chanon Juhl was chosen for this award from the following criteria:

• Possesses a commitment to children which will not allow failure
• Shows flexibility in teaching; is willing to try anything to enable a child to be successful
• Holds high expectations with respect to academic and social behavior; teaches children to be good citizens as well as good students
• Shows an openness to collaborating with other teachers and professionals, and to trying new ideas
• Is committed to influencing children to behave through praise and encouragement, rather than punishment
• Realizes the importance of children having fun and enjoying learning

$1000 Grant (PDF) *