I am a couples and family therapy intern with a M.Ed. from the University of Oregon.
I am a member of the Lester family, the band Abandon Ship, and the staff of Not Back to School Camp.
I live Joshua Tree, California, with my wife, Reanna, in a renovated vintage 24-foot travel trailer.
Nathen's Miraculous Escape 
February 15, 2010 at 8:27 pm
Nathen,
I just spent a few hours reading your back-entries, and didn’t want to lurk and read without saying hello!
You sound wonderful, and I’m so happy for you and Reanna! While I was reading, I was thinking about my strongest Nathen memories – one was singing dozens of Beatles songs the night before campers arrived while I peeled and cut potatoes, and the other – you weren’t even there for, but I was staying at your family’s house in Joshua Tree, sleeping on a bunk bed, and I stayed up reading your zines til very, very early in the morning.
I am going to copy the post about your family and bedtime rituals and send them to my fiance – my family benefited so much from your family, and we didn’t even know it at the time. Our family time included so much singing – bedtimes, dinner time, car rides – especially car rides. We got pretty darn good at it, especially when we bought this tape called “Lester Family Homestyle Harmonies” – I think that was before we started homeschooling, but my mother had been to a conference on her own, which must have been where she got the tape.
Anyways, Nathen, I want to say “glad to hear from you” – but that’s not the case exactly, glad to read from you? I think that’s closer. :)
–Roya
February 15, 2010 at 8:32 pm
Thanks, Roya! I remember that Beatles-singing night very fondly too.
Good to hear from you and congratulations on your engagement!
Love,
Nathen
February 29, 2012 at 8:56 am
Hi Nathan,
I have just found your blog and begun to explore it. I’m especially interested in your pieces on MFT, as I am applying to some Masters’ programs in Oregon. Your essays and papers are intriguing and I’ve begun to read some of them. Really interesting for me! I wonder if you could comment on your experience at the program in Eugene. What did you like about it and what didn’t you like about it? Any comments would be appreciated. We could do this conversation by e-mail if you’re up for it.
Thanks for all your hard work and sharing of your life!
Karen
February 29, 2012 at 11:31 am
Hi Karen,
I’m glad to hear that my writing interests you and that you’re considering an MFT program. Marriage/Couples and Family Therapy is a powerful perspective that is missing from much of the rest of the therapy/clinical psych world.
I’d be happy to answer any questions you have by email, and also say for the record that the short answer to “What did you like about it and didn’t like about it?” is that it is an excellent program which I am very glad to have participated in. The training is top-notch, the professors are both supremely competent and easily available, the clinical supervision is both gentle and thorough, the training clinic is brand new, and Eugene has a lot to offer too. The only downside is the expense. Keep in mind that the UO’s is the only Masters program I’ve done, so I have little to compare it to, and that Masters programs are notoriously expensive, but I paid well over $50,000 for those two years of excellent training. It was worth it, but it would have been even more worth it for less money. A starting salary in family therapy is around $30,000, so keep that in mind.
Nathen
PS. In case it is not obvious from the layout of my site, all of my academic writing (that did not include confidential information about clients) is accessible in the sidebar under “writing.”
May 15, 2012 at 9:04 am
Hi Nathan,
I’ve really enjoyed reading your blog. Thank you for your time and efforts…so greatly appreciated :) Could you please let me know where your private practice is, or explain a little more about how we can get in touch with you through skype! Thank you so much…k.
May 21, 2012 at 2:15 pm
Hi K.,
Sorry about the delayed response–I got married on Wednesday and am just getting back to my blog. Thanks for your kind words. I work in southern California and am also available via Skype. I’ll contact you by email with more details.
Nathen
November 26, 2012 at 7:40 pm
I’m so delighted to discover your blog. Music from The Incredible, Luminous, Universal Musical Family was such an important part of my childhood. We were homeschooled in our early years, and I believe my parents purchased a copy from Growing Without Schooling. I still get the music stuck in my head, even though it’s been years (decades!) since I heard the vegetables song. Tonight I was singing “Don’t hit the baby” to my three year-old, making up words because I don’t really remember how it goes – plus he’s more likely to unintentionally push than hit – and decided to do a bit of googling. I’ve so enjoyed reading about your family, which seems just as full of love as I always imagined it. I grew up on the other side of the country (Maine) but your music was so special to me. Please share my thanks to your parents and brothers. Very best wishes, Linsey
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November 30, 2012 at 3:45 pm
Thanks for the kind words, Linsey! I’ll pass them on to the rest of my family. And maybe I’ll meet your kids someday at Not Back to School Camp in Vermont.
Nathen