What’s Up Wellness Team

What’s Up Wellness Prevention Program is made up of dedicated counselors, social workers and therapists seeking to provide mental health support and resources to their community.

  • MA, LMFT

    I am so grateful to be part of a program where youth’s voices are given a chance to be heard. As the Progra Director of What’s Up Wellness, I’ve talked to too many teens who struggle in silence. Finally given an opportunity to open up and tell an adult what is on their heart, is such a relief for many of our young people. It is a precious thing to be there for our youth and I truly love what I do. I’ve been serving community mental health since 1998. I co-founded What’s Up Wellness in 2012. I also have a local private practice. To fill my cup I love to play music, perform with the Poetry Crashers, jump in the Yuba river, wonder at wildlife, hike with my dog Zora, cherish community and family, and tend my garden. Thank you for visiting our website and getting to know us and what we do!

  • MSW, CYKF

    I’m a co-founder of What's Up Wellness, a teen social worker since 2005 in the public health sector and a co-founder of the Yuba Harm Reduction Collective. My work has focused on harm reduction, sexual health, TBI and disability rights, nutrition education and sexual abuse survivor treatment. Outside of What's Up Wellness, I support our local HIV/HEP C testing clinic and work in local schools teaching sexual health, mindfulness tools and opioid overdose response. I enjoy my 13 year old and performing in the local Poetry Crashers group. My teen years taught me how critical it was to my mental health to express who I really am. Then and today that usually means writing and dancing.

  • LPCC, CCM, CRCC

    I am a licensed professional clinical counselor (LPCC), Certified Case Manager (CCM) and Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRCC). I began working with teens in 2001 in wilderness leadership programs and I have worked with students in a variety of settings since then such as emotional growth/experiential education programs, high schools/boarding schools, and psychiatric/rehabilitation hospitals. I started working at Forest Charter (as a mental health counselor) in Spring of 2019. I enjoy working with students to help them to find their own path and the best version of themselves. I am most happy when surrounded by my family, good friends, dog, sunshine and wilderness. I enjoy camping/hiking/running in the mountains or playing on the beach. I love a good belly laugh, seeing live music and practicing yoga. I believe that everyone has a bright light shining deep in their soul. Sometimes it gets buried and just needs to be found again!

  • I live in Truckee, California with my partner, Brendan, my two sons, Dylan and Harlan and our dog, Ajsa. I am in my third year of a master’s program in Marriage, Family and Couples’ Counseling at the University of Reno, Nevada. Prior to entering the world of mental health care, I worked in land use and design, alternating between art and advocacy. I am passionate about making the world a better place and working towards equity and justice for all people.

  • Hello!  My name is Remy and I have lived in the Nevada City area for over 20 years. I love being here in the woods where I enjoy gardening and taking walks in nature.  I have two wonderful grandkids who reside in the San Francisco Bay area.  I lived in the Bay Area for over 30 years before moving here.  I believe that living here in all of this beauty is a wonderful gift.  I do my best to give back to our community by utilizing my experience and skills in working with teens and their families.  I am a Registered Nurse with a specialty in child and adolescent psychiatry.  Previous to my work with WUW I was a Public Health Nurse in both Nevada and Placer Counties. I am inspired by this WUW program where I get to work with young people who often need to know they are cared about and encouraged to be their very best selves.  Then helping families through support and referrals is like the toping on the cake.  I believe each student is unique and I love helping families to get as much support and assistance as is needed.   I listen and offer possibilities without judgment.

  • Hi! I was born in California, grew up living all around the states. I'm a body-based therapist, musician, cat mama, and contemplative dreamer! I love meditating with folks, teaching people to meditate (especially those who think they can't!), and exploring what's going on beneath our thoughts. Through leading groups with teens, middle schoolers, and adults, I see how possible it is to form connections through vulnerability and play. Outside of work, you'll find me swimming in all the natural waters, singing, wishing I was dancing, and snuggling my cat.

  • •Welcome to “Drum It Out” 2025!
    I began my music education journey over 19 years ago as a drum teacher at a private music school. After leaving the classroom, I continued teaching music lessons around town, and eventually built own my home studio space. I continue to this day to teach private lessons, workshops, and facilitate drumming circles.
    Passing on the ancient knowledge of Rhythm to the younger generation is one of my greatest joys.
    In “Drum It Out” we will focus on drumming as a healthy way to manage difficult emotions, as well as a way to learn more about ourselves and our inborn ability to heal through Rhythm. All are welcome! I’ll see you soon in the Rhythm!•

  • Hi! I'm Rebecca Soliday (she/her/ella), a white cisgender therapist based in Sacramento, California. I have had a lifelong interest in connecting with other people and understanding their experiences, which motivated me to study and become bilingual in Spanish as well as pursuing a career as a therapist. I have been the clinical coordinator for What's Up Wellness since fall 2023. I provide clinical supervision for the training therapists in our program, as well as helping to facilitate team meetings and developing and providing training to the team on relevant topics. I love the work we do with What's Up Wellness because our team is so passionate and knowledgeable about supporting teens holistically! We get to help teens access mental health resources, as needed, but we've also helped bring awareness to teens needing extra academic support, glasses or contact lenses, and even housing or food needs outside of the school setting. This work is a nice counterpoint to my other role as a therapist in private practice in the Sacramento area, where I mostly work with Gen Z and Millennial adults (plus a few teens and kids). Apart from my work in mental health, I enjoy spending time outside -particularly in the mountains and the desert-, playing games with loved ones, and exploring creative hobbies.

  • I love connecting with teens as a mentor, wilderness trip leader, and activist. I have a masters in education, and am in my second year of a masters in science program for clinical mental health counseling. I'm a parent of a middle schooler, and a twenty year resident of Nevada County. I love the river, gardening, herbalism, writing, music, and dance. I spent high school and college immersed in theater, so I have a hidden talent of bursting into songs from musicals. For self care I like to remind myself to drink water, take walks, and to, "Spend time being in and staring at nature for at least a few minutes every day." Gazing at houseplants counts too!

  • Jai is a multi-media artist, producer, DJ and Program Director for the KVMRX radio station and recipient of an Upstate Creative Corps grant in 2023. He teaches hip-hop, DJing and offers anti-racism and de-escalation classes in area schools, always working to empower youth and foster a more equitable community.

  • I live in Nevada County, California with my partner and my daughter. I grew up in Philadelphia and moved to the West Coast in 2011. Outside of work, I enjoy knitting, gardening, practicing pilates, and spending time with my family.

    I work full-time at Community Beyond Violence, where I provide services and advocacy to survivors of domestic violence and assault. A big part of my role includes going into schools to present on healthy relationships and the red flags of unhealthy or abusive dynamics. I feel strongly about the importance of nurturing, educating, and advocating for the youth in our community.

    Working with OUAT and What’s Up Wellness allows me to continue that mission by supporting teens through mental health screenings and helping connect them to the resources they need. It’s meaningful work that makes me feel like I’m contributing to positive change in our community.

  • I am an associate clinical social worker (ASW) who is passionate about connecting with other humans to support well-being. I value being a strong advocate for myself and others. I graduated with a Master’s in Social Work in 2011 and have experience partnering with people across the life span from children to elders including: foster/adoption, child abuse prevention, and mental health prevention/early intervention with elders and people with disabilities. I am excited to work with WUW to support teens to honor their strengths and grow through challenges. I enjoy being out in nature in our community horseback riding, hiking with my dogs, or around our beautiful lakes/rivers. This year I learned how to paddleboard-it’s never too late to learn something new! I believe we are never broken but may need support to find our wholeness at times in our lives.