THE ELBOW TREE CO-OP STORY
by Hayne Steen
Elbow Tree was first established in 2006 on the Southside of Chattanooga, TN at the foot of Lookout Mountain by some dear friends and colleagues, Greg and April Seymour. I came on board with Elbow Tree in Chattanooga during my last year of graduate school while receiving my masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. Greg and April launched Elbow Tree the year I entered into graduate school to become a therapist. From 2010-2017, I built a practice at Elbow Tree, and it was a professional priority of mine to work closely with veterans and first responders.
Both of my grandfathers were career military veterans having both served in the Pacific Theatre in WW2. They both retired at E-7, the highest enlisted ranks of the time. My father is also a decorated career Naval aviator who served two tours in the Vietnam War where he was shot down twice and lived to tell us about it. He retired as a Captain in the U.S. Navy. At 19 years old, I enlisted in the Florida Army National Guard serving in St. Augustine's 3153rd Finance Battalion and discharged honorably as a Specialist. My brother has dedicated the last 20+ years to the fire service while my sister's husband/my brother-in-law is also a retired Naval aviator who trained Navy pilots.
Both of my grandfathers were career military veterans having both served in the Pacific Theatre in WW2. They both retired at E-7, the highest enlisted ranks of the time. My father is also a decorated career Naval aviator who served two tours in the Vietnam War where he was shot down twice and lived to tell us about it. He retired as a Captain in the U.S. Navy. At 19 years old, I enlisted in the Florida Army National Guard serving in St. Augustine's 3153rd Finance Battalion and discharged honorably as a Specialist. My brother has dedicated the last 20+ years to the fire service while my sister's husband/my brother-in-law is also a retired Naval aviator who trained Navy pilots.
Captain Morris G. Steen, Jr.
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Master Sergeant Morris G. Steen, Sr.
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Chief Petty Officer Frank Gilliam
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In my formative years at Elbow Tree in Chattanooga, Greg Seymour and Steve McIlvaine were instrumental in helping me think in a missional way about my role as a mental health counselor. One of Greg's sons is an Airborne Ranger and Steve's son is a Navy Seal.
In those early days, these two men invited me to train as a Global Disaster Responder alongside them to prepare to be deployed globally into the world's most devastating natural disasters. By that time, I had already been traveling internationally in mission minded ways to the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Yucatan, Belize, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Haiti.
In 2017, I moved to Florida where I planted my counseling practice in the heart of St. Augustine. While the Florida and Tennessee practices share a name, familiar branding, similar ethos and language, they operate as two very distinct counseling practices, each independently owned and operated. Greg Seymour (Elbow Tree founder) and I remain very close to this day and continue to support one another as friends and counseling professionals.
In 2019, at the recommendation of some firefighters at Station 12 in St. Johns County Fire Rescue, I attended the Florida Firefighter Health and Safety Collaborative's two day immersive "Cultural Awareness Training for Clinicians" hosted by Orlando Fire and UCF Restores. I returned back to St. Augustine and performed twelve hours of ride alongs and summarily became the first licensed clinician added to the Redline Rescue directory in Northeast Florida.
In those early days, these two men invited me to train as a Global Disaster Responder alongside them to prepare to be deployed globally into the world's most devastating natural disasters. By that time, I had already been traveling internationally in mission minded ways to the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Yucatan, Belize, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Haiti.
In 2017, I moved to Florida where I planted my counseling practice in the heart of St. Augustine. While the Florida and Tennessee practices share a name, familiar branding, similar ethos and language, they operate as two very distinct counseling practices, each independently owned and operated. Greg Seymour (Elbow Tree founder) and I remain very close to this day and continue to support one another as friends and counseling professionals.
In 2019, at the recommendation of some firefighters at Station 12 in St. Johns County Fire Rescue, I attended the Florida Firefighter Health and Safety Collaborative's two day immersive "Cultural Awareness Training for Clinicians" hosted by Orlando Fire and UCF Restores. I returned back to St. Augustine and performed twelve hours of ride alongs and summarily became the first licensed clinician added to the Redline Rescue directory in Northeast Florida.
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In 2022, there were three firefighter deaths in St. Johns County and as a response, Elbow Tree Cooperative was launched to serve the specific mental health needs of fire rescue personnel and their families. In 2024, services expanded to serve additional designated professionals who experience routine exposure to vicarious trauma. Elbow Tree Cooperative continues to deepen its local bench of counseling professionals who we contract with throughout the community offering individual, couples, and family counseling services utilizing a wide swath of trauma informed therapy modalities. Our team also includes Psychotherapy Incorporating Equines, Dance Movement Therapy, and Therapeutic Restorative Paddling. We are embedded in the Peer Support teams, Critical Incident Debriefing and we routinely speak on topics related specifically to relevant mental health and relational health.
This site exists as a supportive reservoir for capturing key resources from thought leaders operating in the space of resilience, health and wellness. If you see a resource that others might benefit from, do not hesitate to forward it along to us. We love to learn about what you are learning!
If you think you would like to consider a formal partnership with Elbow Tree Cooperative, please reach out. We would love to sit down with you and sort through this might look like for your organization. We are here for you!
Hayne A. Steen, MA, LMHC, QS (MHC, MFT)
President
Elbow Tree Cooperative, LLC
[email protected]
This site exists as a supportive reservoir for capturing key resources from thought leaders operating in the space of resilience, health and wellness. If you see a resource that others might benefit from, do not hesitate to forward it along to us. We love to learn about what you are learning!
If you think you would like to consider a formal partnership with Elbow Tree Cooperative, please reach out. We would love to sit down with you and sort through this might look like for your organization. We are here for you!
Hayne A. Steen, MA, LMHC, QS (MHC, MFT)
President
Elbow Tree Cooperative, LLC
[email protected]
