About Us

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.

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.

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.

After working with a para-church ministry for nearly two decades, the Lord orchestrated a life-long leaning for Sharon as she made a mid-life change to become a therapist.
Sharon earned her Masters of Arts degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Richmont Graduate University and continues her work in private practice today. She has pursued extensive training in trauma-informed care and Family Systems work and loves any opportunity to learn and consult with colleagues.
Sharon considers it a sacred privilege to journey with individuals, couples and families in their movement toward growth. She specializes in relational betrayal and trauma, family of origin/attachment difficulties, and anxiety. Believing all of us are designed to grow and live in community, Sharon delights in the transformation of lives and hearts through the intensive model.
When Sharon first heard about Restoration Therapy, she was drawn to the strengths-based model and quickly began to integrate the framework, seeing clients discover the capacity to heal from long-standing relationship wounds, identify the impact of destructive patterns and move toward building healthier, more trustworthy relationships.
Sharon is a Certified Level II Restoration Therapist and is excited to be on the second tour as The Hideaway of Georgia returns to the Normandy Inn at Winshape Retreat.
Sharon and her husband, T.J. have been married and in ministry together for 42 years. Together, they value authentic, life-giving community, and exploring and taking in the beautiful Southeast. They have three adult children, a daughter-in-love and a grandbaby. Whenever opportunity arises, Sharon delights in creating a space for family and friends to come and just be with one another for awhile.

After undergraduate studies, Erik married his bride and began a fifteen-year career in technology marketing. Later, after earning an M.B.A. from Columbia University, he founded and managed a technology marketing research consultancy.

Being convinced of a vocational shift to Christian counseling, Erik focused on pursuing an M.A. in Counseling from DTS and joining the pastoral staff of Bethel Church of Houston as their Counseling Ministry Director. He completed the degree and ministry training in 2010 and left the formal church position to engage his current roles as counselor, educator, and supervisor.

Erik’s primary current role is serving as Associate Professor of Counseling Ministries at Dallas Theological Seminary. He is also the founder and lead clinician at College Station Christian Counseling. Erik holds licensure as both a Marriage and Family Therapist Supervisor and Professional Counselor Supervisor in the State of Texas. He is also a National Certified Counselor and Board Certified Coach with the Center for Credentialing & Education.

Erik's strongly desires to work with couples in conflict who have lost the sense of “US” as they have built defenses against pain in their relationship. Erik believes strongly in the principle that a marriage is always moving toward or away from a sense of “US”. In light of this, he works with couples on key areas of marital therapy and enrichment using his training as a Level II-certified Restoration Therapist.

First and foremost, Erik has a love relationship with Jesus Christ as he continues to build his future on what he knows and believes of God's nature and character. He also continues to build greater oneness together with Julie - his bride of 32 years - and they continue to invest in the lives of their four children: Jessica (married to Peyton), AJ, and Jonny.

Katie Gohde believes that when a marriage is restored, an entire family is transformed.
A licensed professional counselor with a Master’s in Counseling Psychology from Northwestern University, Katie began her career in 2005 working with children and adolescents. When her first son was born in 2011, everything shifted. She became convinced of something she now sees confirmed every day in her practice: children flourish most when their parents’ marriage is whole. That conviction has defined her work ever since.

Katie is a Certified Level II Restoration Therapist, specializing in helping couples navigate deep relational distress and build marriages that are not just stable — but genuinely alive. She applies the principles of Restoration Therapy both at the Hideaway Experience and through her private practice in Atlanta, Georgia, where she works with couples who are ready to do the hard, meaningful work of healing.

Beyond the therapy room, Katie is a sought-after speaker who brings the same principles to workshops and retreats for churches, schools, and organizations across the Atlanta area. She has a gift for translating clinical insight into practical tools that resonate with real couples in real life.

Katie has been married to her college sweetheart, Steve, for over two decades. Together they have two teenagers, a lively collection of pets (Steve has largely accepted his fate), and a shared love of travel and adventure. Her family is her greatest evidence that this work matters.

Holly received her MA in Spiritual Formation and Soul Care from Talbot Seminary in Southern California (where she and her husband hail from). Currently she is working on her Doctorate in Marriage and Family Therapy/Systems Theory, specializing in Restoration Therapy, through Eastern University in Pennsylvania. She is a certified Level 2 Restoration Therapist and has been researching, practicing and receiving Restoration Therapy as the focus of her doctoral studies. Holly has spent the last ten years as a spiritual director working with missions organizations and churches to provide soul care for their leaders around the world. She also brings a wealth of experience with children and families as she spent her earlier career in early intervention as a speech therapist. Holly’s hope is to see people restored to a loving relationship with God so that they may live flourishing lives that reflect that beauty. She believes that this can be achieved through the grace of Christian spirituality and the gift of evidence-based psychological practice.
Holly and her husband, David, moved to Rome in 2020. David serves as the Assistant Director of Renewal for Winshape Marriage. Holly and David love to serve and work together and have provided couples spiritual direction in the past. Currently they have two children and you can usually find Holly with them, soaking up their sweetness. Every once in a while you might be able to catch her reading a good book.
During her doctorate studies, Holly will operate under the supervision of Heather Medley, LPC at Battlefield’s Rome office where she begins offering services in May 2025.