Cobalt Family Consulting Welcomes Jack Gillespie, LCAS, LCSW-A, CCS-I to the Team

Written By Amanda Thomas

Cobalt Family Consulting is proud to announce that Jack Gillespie, LCAS, LCSW-A, CCS-I, has joined the team, bringing a dynamic blend of clinical expertise, compassion, and experiential insight to support individuals and families navigating mental health and addiction recovery.

Jack approaches his work with curiosity, empathy, and a holistic lens. He is committed to co-creating therapeutic experiences that foster self-exploration, personal growth, and lasting change. Drawing from person-centered, experiential, attachment-based, and trauma-informed modalities, including Brainspotting and 12-step–based recovery frameworks, Jack supports clients and their families in building healthier patterns and deeper self-understanding.

He holds a Master of Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and is a Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist (LCAS), Licensed Clinical Social Worker Associate (LCSW-A), and Certified Clinical Supervisor Intern (CCS-I). In addition, Jack is an IIN Health Coach Practitioner and a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200), reflecting his commitment to whole-person care.

Prior to joining Cobalt, Jack developed a strong clinical foundation at Momentum Recovery, a program known for its integration of attachment and trauma-informed approaches in addiction treatment. His experience spans multiple roles, including recovery coach, case manager, and primary therapist, as well as contributing to experiential programming for clients and families.

“Having Jack join Cobalt is incredibly meaningful for our entire team and, most importantly, for the families we serve,” said Amanda Thomas, MPhEd, LMFT, Co-Founder and CEO of Cobalt Family Consulting. “Jack embodies the values we hold at the core of our work—compassion, integrity, and a deep commitment to healing.”

Co-Founder and Chief Clinical Officer Ricky Becker, LCSW shared, “We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome Jack to the Cobalt team. He brings a rare combination of clinical skill, experience in young adult addiction, and a strong understanding of family systems. Our long-standing relationship makes this addition especially meaningful. Jack’s presence expands our ability to serve families nationwide, particularly along the East Coast, and strengthens the level of care and support we provide.”

In his role at Cobalt, Jack will collaborate closely with the clinical team, tour and evaluate treatment programs nationwide, build relationships with trusted providers, and support families through complex decision-making processes with clarity and care.

“I am beyond excited about the opportunity to work with the team at Cobalt,” said Jack Gillespie. “I deeply admire both Amanda and Ricky, and I’m grateful for the chance to continue learning from and working alongside them. Our nearly decade-long relationship coming full circle makes this move even more special to me. Cobalt represents reliability, resilience, and strength—qualities I strive to embody in the work I do with individuals and families.”

Jack’s addition further strengthens Cobalt Family Consulting’s mission to provide clinically informed, relationship-centered guidance to families seeking meaningful, sustainable paths to healing.

Amanda Thomas

About Amanda

 

After spending time in wilderness therapy with adolescents, I noticed parents weren’t getting the needed support. Their children were doing transformative work, and undergoing amazing change. But parents remained the same, unchanged, and approached the reunion often with anxiety and lack of confidence. After some time, perhaps a year, and seeing this happen repeatedly with a number of families, I felt my calling into marriage and family therapy to ensure the entire family has the appropriate support throughout the entire journey. And to ensure a meaningful and mutually beneficial reintroduction.

 

In 2007, I took my combined life experiences in sports coaching, camps, outdoor intervention programs, psychology and marriage and family therapy to establish my private practice working with families around the country to heal relationships and get guidance in mental illness and addiction in their children.

 

Born and raised in Pennsylvania, I studied psychology and management at Gettsyburg College. During that time, I worked with teens and young adults at summer camps teaching water skiing, wakeboarding, and camping. I also went on to coach volleyball for clubs and universities in Australia and New Zealand.

 

In New Zealand, I studied the psychological outcomes of outdoor interventions with the normal population for my Masters at University of Otago, Dunedin. What I discovered is the relationships between the adolescents and the guides had the greatest impact in creating positive change and improving their self-esteem. I also learned how gender differs when it comes to treatment. For example, boys might experience a bigger gain but they can lose that gains very quickly while girls have significant changes but not as big as boys and maintain them longer after the interventions.

 

Upon completion of my Masters, I returned to Pennsylvania to be assistant coach for the men's volleyball team at Juniata College while also facilitating experiential programming & managing the facilities for an environmental center.

 

I moved west to pursue a career in wilderness therapy after I participated in an outdoor educators NOLS trip in Arizona. There, I was a field guide at Aspen Achievement Academy and went on the be assistant director of family services where I worked with parents during the reunion process facilitating multi family groups and developed and implemented family assessments.

 

Getting my Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) degree at Denver Family Institute informs a large part of how I help families and couples. I worked under Jim Thomas to complete my coursework while simultaneously working for a company to develop their aftercare and transition programs throughout Colorado and nationally.

 

Accreditations and degrees

Board Member of Idaho Association for Marriage and Family Therapy

Masters in Physical Education - Research studying Outdoor interventions and Self-Concept

Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist

 

 

Personally I love living in a small town with all of the awesomeness that it has to offer being near lakes, rivers, skiing, gardening and the culture of the west. I am a dog lover and food eater!!!

http://www.integrativeapproachtx.com
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