Christian Hill, a former student ministry director for 13 years, started Alpine Connection Counseling in 2002 to begin meeting the needs of teens and parents who were struggling and desperate to find solutions.
As a student ministry director, Christian was responsible for creating, organizing, leading and developing programs for students, in addition to mobilizing teams of adult volunteers. Christian led activities on a weekly basis, in both small and large group settings: camps, retreats and service projects; adventure sports such as snowboarding, hiking, camping, rock climbing and water skiing; and mission trips to third-world countries to build homes for those less fortunate. Christian has spent countless hours individually with teens and their friends on campuses, over a cup of coffee, or in a supportive role at one of their extra-curricular activities.
Over the years Christian discovered this generation of teenagers responded very well to certain styles of leadership, and shrugged off others. He observed how traditional programming was only scratching the surface with teens and deeply believed that new approaches needed to be discovered. As a result, Christian and his students began brainstorming and dreaming together of practical ways to help themselves and other teens. He began challenging teens to become a part of the vision and become the leaders of their ideas. He started seeing his role as an equipper and trainer, and his responsibility was to slowly move to the background and allow students to take center stage. As this unfolded, Christian discovered that his students actually craved personal challenge, as well as adult leaders who were accepting, approachable, spontaneous, trustworthy, and who truly cared about them, and not just building a program. He soon began seeing students who others labeled as "slackers", becoming influential leaders and role models for their peers.
Christian and his students discovered that teens were more likely to connect, listen, and respond to personal challenge when they were out of their mundane routines. He started doing less traditional programming, and began providing more of these experiential events and trips in an effort to try something that was new and effective.
The dramatic difference was immediate. These opportunities provided a sense of adventure, spontaneity, anticipation, and challenge. The students and their friends began building a reservoir of positive memories and challenges they would later be able to draw from when they "reentered the atmosphere" of their everyday lives. Soon the students and their friends started asking for more and more of these opportunities because they saw the difference. As a result, his students started inviting their friends to be a part of these experiences and this unique community. Even though Christian and his team were focusing on equipping and caring for individuals in their group, he began to see this small group grow exponentially.
As Christian began to interact with more and more teens, he began to see that teens and parents needed more. It wasn't enough to just involve them in a program; many families had more severe issues and needed immediate help. Feeling the burden of this growing need, Christian decided to start Alpine Connection Counseling. Determined to have credibility in the community and the profession, Christian went to graduate school and obtained his Master's Degree in Community Counseling at the University of Northern Colorado. This training allowed him to start a counseling practice focused on helping teens and parents. Christian also served an internship at Cedar Springs Hospital under the supervision of a clinical psychiatrist. This training equipped him to recognize more accurately the symptoms of depression, anxiety, bi-polar and other more severe mental health disorders. As a result, he developed real-world competence in knowing when and when not to recommend medication, in addition to effectively monitoring and communicating with parents and physicians of how someone was responding to medication. This training equipped him to make better use of families' time and money by quickly identifying issues and monitoring progress.
Christian desires to provide creative solutions for teens and families with some past-proven alternative approaches. This is why Christian Hill and the Alpine Connection team are unique when it comes to helping teens and families. All the counselors and volunteers are trained and share the same core values as it relates to reaching this generation and helping at-risk teens. If you choose Alpine Connection Counseling, you will discover a high level of creativity, communication, competency, integrity, professionalism, and care. We look forward to working with you and your family, and serving you with our very best.
Christian T. Hill, MA