The Experience
Our ministry was built upon the scripture Psalms 27:5, “For He will hide me in His shelter in the day of trouble; He will conceal me under the cover of His tent; He will lift me high upon a rock.” Is your marriage in a place of trouble? Information and marriage tips may not be enough. We believe that information alone doesn’t change people. An experience changes people. This experience will change your marriage. Only God can bring about everlasting heart change. But the great news is that He wants us to participate alongside Him. Our role is very intentional, to co-labor with God while He does the heart work, and The Hideaway provides the four core foundational pillars to create the experience.
Staff
Therapists using the Restoration Therapy Model give couples the tools and techniques they need to help them transform long-standing habits and patterns that are detrimental to their relationships.
Steve and Rajan Trafton own and operate the Hideaway Experience near Amarillo, TX, which began ministering to couples in 2006.
With more than 39 years of marriage behind them, the Traftons have a deep passion for seeing God redeem and transform others’ marriages. They currently serve on the board of directors for XO Marriage, the international marriage ministry and television program hosted by Jimmy and Karen Evans. Steve Trafton has also served as an elder at Trinity Fellowship Church since 2010.
Steve and Rajan live in Amarillo, TX. They have two grown, married children and five grandchildren.
With more than 39 years of marriage behind them, the Traftons have a deep passion for seeing God redeem and transform others’ marriages. They currently serve on the board of directors for XO Marriage, the international marriage ministry and television program hosted by Jimmy and Karen Evans. Steve Trafton has also served as an elder at Trinity Fellowship Church since 2010.
Steve and Rajan live in Amarillo, TX. They have two grown, married children and five grandchildren.
Jet Hargrove has worked with The Hideaway Experience since 2017. Jet graduated from Baylor University with a bachelor's degree in Family and Consumer Science. After college, she worked as a high school Culinary Arts teacher in Amarillo, Texas. Currently, Jet works as the ministry assistant for The Hideaway handling all of the administrative, hospitality, and intake roles including answering all incoming calls and questions from prospective clients. Jet is passionate about being a safe place for those who are taking the step towards pursuing healing with The Hideaway. If you look real hard, Jet can also be found in the kitchen behind the scenes during an intensive.
She has been married to the love of her life for 13 years. Together they have two unbelievable children. Outside of The Hideaway, Jet could be found on the tennis court, running kiddos around, or walking her sweet golden retriever.
Marty Loberg received a Master of Arts degree in Counseling from West Texas A&M University, a Master of Divinty degree from Austin Theological Seminary, and has completed his classes for a Doctor of Ministry degree in Marriage and Family Counseling from Denver Theological Seminary. Marty is a Level 3 Restoration Therapy therapist.
As an LPC, he is currently working with a group of counselors, New Path Counseling in Edmond, OK in the areas of marriage, grief, anxiety, depression, men’s sexual integrity, family restoration, and church conflict related issues. Marty brings a lifetime of counseling/ministry experience. He grew up as a pastor’s kid and spent over 30 years working with youth, college, world missions, and pastoral ministry. He has also worked in crisis counseling, emergency hospital triage, licensed professional counseling experience, and best of all, 14 years with The Hideaway Experience.
Marty always states that if he could, he would work The Hideaway intensive model every week of the year because to him it is the most effective model he has ever seen because of the sequestered environment, the group setting, and the best combination of theological, psychological, and brain neurological tools, and not to mention the incredible views and food. He believes its equal to about 6-8 months of typical weekly marital counseling within the 5-day intensive Restoration Therapy model.
Marty lives with his “adventure buddy” wife of 28 years and has four adult children in Oklahoma. He loves outdoor recreational sports (an avid backpacker, currently working on completing the 500m CO trail, has climbed most of the fourteeners in CO, rafted the Grand Canyon twice, and aspires to climb to Mt. Everest base camp by retirement). He also likes Norse/English historical fiction from the 900’s-1200s. His favorite verse for The Hideaway is 1 John 4:18 “…but perfect love casts out fear.”
Tanner Hargrove earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts Degree from West Texas A&M University and a Master of Science Degree in Marital and Family Therapy from Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, Ca., and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision from Texas Tech University. He currently works as a private practice therapist with the offices of Amarillo Family Institute and full-time instructor in the school of psychology at Amarillo College.
Currently he holds licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist Supervisor in the state of Texas, National Certified Counselor and is a licensed professional counselor associate under the supervision of Sherry Randolph, MA, LPC-Supervisor. Tanner works with couples, adolescents and families, as well as emerging adults.
Tanner is the clinical director for The Hideaway Experience and works with couples in distress and crisis seeing highly successful treatment using Restoration Therapy. He holds Level II certification in Restoration Therapy and actively pursues those principles in his practice.
He believes the work The Hideaway allows couples to process pain, embody truth, and live a marriage equipped to manage all life has to offer. He is passionate about his role with The Hideaway and earnestly pursues Restoration Therapy principles in his personal and professional lives.
Outside of therapy his interests include music, outdoor long-distance running, reading, and good meals with good friends and family. His marriage and his children are his life’s sustaining force.
Heather Cawthon received a Master of Arts Degree from Dallas Baptist University and a Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Texas Wesleyan University. Heather currently works in private practice in Mansfield and McKinney, TX specializing in working with adult survivors of trauma, marriage and family issues, and spiritual abuse. She is also an adjunct professor in the counseling program at Dallas Baptist University and supervises counseling associates as they pursue licensure.
Heather has extensive experience working in the mental health field leading teams of therapists and working with trauma and restoration of families and marriages. Prior to becoming a licensed therapist, Heather worked with her husband in church leadership for many years.
Heather is a Certified Level II Restoration therapist and enjoys working at The Hideaway helping couples identify cycles of pain and peace and equipping clients with tools to build stronger marriages.
Heather and her husband, Sean, have been married for 33 years and have three adult children. She enjoys travel, reading, writing music, and spending time in the Word.
Michael is the proud husband of wife Coloma and father to their three sons. Native of New Mexico, he and his family have called Texas home for many years now. Ordained into the ministry in 2001, he has served as a Youth Pastor, Domestic Missionary and Lead Pastor. In 2008 Michael returned to school to complete a Master of Arts Degree in Counseling, fulfilling his desire to work with individuals, couples, and families toward wellness and whole living.
Michael is a Licensed Professional Counselor with a designation of Supervisor in the State of Texas, a Level 2 Certified Restoration Therapist, and seeks to utilize this training in assisting individuals, marriages, and families in discovering their God-given potential and to see it actualized. He has been in private practice and consulting since January of 2019 and utilizes a holistic approach in providing treatment. Together with his wife they conduct marriage seminars, coach couples in preparation for marriage and walk with families seeking to live healthy lives. Additionally, he utilizes his 20+ years of working with young people to inform and drive his work with adolescent development and emotional regulation.
On a quarterly basis, Michael has the privilege of working with couples at The Hideaway Experience. This is an extension of the work he does on a daily basis. Uniquely, this experience combines his passion for ministry and training. Walking with couples through a difficult time in their lives within an intimate Christ Centered environment fill his cup.
Finally, He has extensive training in trauma informed care, Solution Focused Therapy, Family Systems and engages in on going professional development. Michael has a strong conviction that true and sustainable wellness is achieved in the context of family and/or community.
Michael has been married for 22 years and together they have three sons. When the demands of a family of 5 are not pressing, he enjoys cooking and baking, playing volleyball, going on walks and nice bourbon on the back porch.
Dolores is a Licensed Professional Counselor who earned her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Connecticut, and her Master of Arts degree in Professional Counseling from Amberton University, in Garland, Texas. Dolores has previously worked with adolescents within the County and State criminal justice systems and retired in 2013. Dolores has been a licensed professional counselor since 2011. She was with Christian Counseling Associates in Plano, Texas as a practicum student, intern, and professional counselor until April 2022. In April 2022 Dolores opened her private practice, Dolores Guilliod Christian Counseling Services, in Richardson, Texas.
Dolores works with individuals, couples, and adolescents from a variety of backgrounds and cultures, and with a variety of presenting problems. Dolores’ specialties include grief, trauma, obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety, and betrayal trauma.
Dolores completed the Behavioral Therapy Training Institute (BTTI) training for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder with the International OCD Foundation. is EMDR trained, is certified in Restoration Therapy I and II, is a certified Clinical Trauma Professional and a Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional.
Dolores is a member of The Hideaway staff at The Hideaway Experience in Amarillo, Texas. It has been a rewarding experience to see couples’ lives transformed as they begin untangling the lies of their past and replacing them with an increased awareness of the truths about themselves.
Dolores’ professional memberships include the American Associations of Christian Counsellors, Christian Counselors of Texas, International OCD Foundation, Focus on the Family Network of Christian Counselors, New Life Ministries Counselor Network, and a member of the counseling staff at The Hideaway Experience.
Personally, Dolores is a born-again Christian who loves the Lord with all her heart, soul, and strength. Dolores has been married for over forty years to her first love. They have raised three awesome children and have nine grandchildren. In addition, Dolores is an active member of her church and has facilitated grief groups for over 10 years. She was born and raised in Connecticut and comes from a family of eleven.
Dolores believes in, and depends on, the power of prayer and God’s Word to surpass man's limitations. The truths of God’s Word is the foundation of the counseling work she does.
Elizabeth Smith is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas. She earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in American Studies from Baylor University and a Master of Arts Degree in Professional Counseling from West Texas A&M University. She holds Level II certification in Restoration Therapy and actively applies these principles in her therapeutic work.
With 20 years of clinical experience, Elizabeth currently works in private practice with the offices at Amarillo Family Institute. She works with individuals, couples, and families and specializes in grief, pregnancy and postpartum issues, anxiety, depression, and family pain.
She is passionate about her work and finds great joy in helping clients find healing and wholeness through the process of therapy. Her work with The Hideaway Experience excites her as she works to strengthen and give hope to marriages. As Tim Keller (in The Meaning of Marriage) says, “Marriage has the power to set the course of your life as a whole. If your marriage is strong, even if all the circumstances in your life around you are filled with trouble and weakness, it won't matter. You will be able to move out into the world in strength.”
Elizabeth has been married since 2001 and she and her husband have 3 children. As a family, they enjoy hiking, camping, reading, making music and generally being outside in nature.
Restoration Therapy Model
Are you looking to transform your marriage? Some couples are in a crisis situation and don’t know where to turn. Some couples don’t have the time to spend months, or even years, working through issues in a weekly counseling session. If this sounds like you, The Hideaway’s four-day Marriage Intensive program could be right for you.
Typical marriage counseling sessions are crammed into one hour a week. There is little time to delve into the deeper issues troubling a broken marriage in an environment free from everyday distractions. At The Hideaway, licensed therapists lead focused and purposeful sessions designed to help you identify the root issues that are causing you and your spouse to fight. Once we help you identify your deeper issues, we help you move towards the place God designed for you. You learn how to have healthy relationships, not only with your spouse, but also with friends, family, and co-workers. The therapy you receive during these four uninterrupted days can become a turning point in marriages that once felt beyond hope.
At The Hideaway, two licensed therapists conduct couples therapy in a group setting that helps bring your situation into perspective, breakdown communication obstacles, uncover hidden barriers, move participants quickly to core issues, and provide couples with the tools they need to transform their relationship. Our carefully designed approach results in initial breakthroughs and long-term change. Participants in the program find themselves on the path to a new marriage equipped with the tools they need to stay the course.
We understand that when couples are going through a difficult period in their marriage, a group setting may seem intimidating. While many couples come to an intensive anxious or skeptical of the group format, the number one comment from couples is that it was the power of the group that brought them progress.
While intensives involve six to eight hours of therapy each day, we build in free time, privacy, and one-on-one spouse interaction during your stay at The Hideaway.