Physical Wellbeing

The Physical Wellbeing of our clients is supported by New Perspectives staff assisting in nutrition, fitness, and medical appointment & medication management. Our staff work with each client to create a plan that works for them—and that can adapt as their life changes!

Physical Wellbeing Services

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Nutrition Coaching & Support
The Lead Wellness Coach at New Perspectives works with each client to create healthy habits for grocery shopping, cooking, eating, staying hydrated, and more. Clients are supported with healthy homemade lunches four days a week at one of the office locations.
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Personal Trainer
New Perspectives employs a personal trainer who excels in working with neurodiverse clients. He is able to meet each client where they are starting with fitness and help them find the way they prefer to work out. Some clients weightlift, others run, etc. No fitness plan is the same!
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Fitness Beyond the Gym
The gym is not the only place that clients can find success with fitness! For those interested in other opportunities, the mentors at New Perspectives have been able to help each client find what works for them! Previous and current fitness plans have included hiking, swimming, ice skating, rock climbing, yoga, boxing, and self defense classes.
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Medical Appointment Assistance
The medical team at New Perspectives assists each client with making and attending medical appointments. This includes assisting clients in building the habits to remember and attend the appointments themselves. Mentors are available to drive clients to appointments, as well as set up virtual calls when needed.
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Medication Management
The medical team at New Perspectives also assists each client with medication management. This includes prescription refill and pick up at the pharmacy. Clients have the option to keep their medications with the medical team and set up regular appointments during the week for refills. Mentors providing morning and evening check ins also give reminders to clients to take their medications.
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1:1 Mentor Support
In each step of the physical wellness journey, clients have a mentor that assists them 1:1. Mentors assist with grocery shopping, cooking, medical appointment attendance, and reminders for medications. Mentors are assigned to work out with each client to make the time a bit more fun! The goal is to create a system where the mentor can model behavior, do it along side the client, and eventually allow the client to do it on their own.

Emergency Plans for Physical Wellness

Jordi McStraw, CNA

The Kreative Space Manager & Overnight Emergency On-Call

Cody McStraw, MA

Overnight Emergency On-Call

All New Perspectives Staff are trained to evaluate situations where clients may cause harm to themselves or others, and are able to take appropriate action—anything from assisting with coping skills or driving to the emergency room.

Along with an on-call staff member from the clinical or administration team, New Perspectives has 24-hour overnight emergency staff members who live onsite at one of the apartment complexes. These staff members are trained to provide both emotional and physical emergency support.

The 24-hour emergency staff also have a guest bedroom in their apartment to provide a safe location for clients needing direct emergency support overnight.

Emergency plans for injury and building disasters are posted in each New Perspectives location. In places like the Kreative Space where heavy equipment is used, clients are regularly trained on safety procedures and have access to all safety procedure binders.

Meet the Wellness Team

Dawn Bauer

Co-Executive & Outreach Director / Parent Coach
Dawn has more than 22 years experience in the mental health field, and has worked with New Perspectives since the fall of 2015.
Dawn is a certified parent coach and a certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach. She is also trained in behavioral analysis and Compassionate Inquiry.
In her role as Co-Executive Director, Dawn oversees the Medical Management team, supporting each young adult in making and keeping appointments, as well as overseeing the medication management team.
Dawn is passionate in supporting parents to make the necessary shifts in their communication and relationship to best support their young adult. She has combined her personal and professional experience to drive her work with neurodivergent young adults.
Alexa Ellis

Lead Wellness Coach & Yoga Instructor
Alexa has a BA in Recreation and experience in recreation therapy. She is a Meditation/Yoga instructor with training in TRE (Tension, Stress and Trauma Release).
At New Perspectives, her focus is on wellness and she specializes in assisting students in somatic processing, body movement and nutrition.
Alexa's work in nutrition includes working with each client to create healthy habits for grocery shopping, cooking, eating, staying hydrated, and more.
Through her work, she is able to teach, learn and also grow with her students.
Mario Lopez, CPT, PN-L1, CF-L2, USAW-L1

Personal Trainer
Mario is a certified personal trainer for five years. At New Perspectives he supports clients through wellness coaching by creating fun and individualized plans for students and staff.
Mario believes all humans regardless of any differences should maintain a healthy active lifestyle and learn to develop the skills necessary to create a good healthy lifestyle.
Through the years, he has found that the stress that comes with neurodiversity can be managed better through a balanced diet and consistent exercise routine.
One of Mario’s goals is to teach each client that if they can manage to overcome the adversity that comes with keeping that lifestyle, they can then move forward with the next obstacle that neurodiversity brings.
Kyndra Burke

Life Coach/Medication Management & Residential Mentor
Kyndra oversees the Medication Management for clients at New Perspectives. She meets with each client throughout the week to maintain refill levels and check in on how well each of them has been remembering to take their medication.

Kyndra is also an onsite residential mentor living as a roommate with some of the students as an example of how self-reliant apartment living can look like.