Alexander Traugott, MA

Alexander brings a unique blend of clinical training, experiential expertise, and a passion for the transformative power of challenge and wild places. He holds a B.A. in Psychology and an M.A. in Holistic Counseling—both with a Concentration in Transpersonal Psychology—from John F. Kennedy University, and is certified as both a Climbing Wall Instructor (CWI) and Single Pitch Instructor (SPI) through the American Mountain Guide Association. Before joining Wonder, he spent over five years as a milieu therapist and Adventure Programming Coordinator at a specialized counseling center in Colorado, supporting neurodivergent teens and young adults navigating ADHD, autism, PDA profiles, trauma, anxiety, school refusal, and failure-to-launch patterns. He developed climbing groups, wilderness adventures, and multi-family experiential sessions that paired physical challenge with meaningful clinical processing, helping therapy-resistant teens discover capability and confidence through real experiences.  In addition to Wonder, Alexander runs his private challenge-based mentorship practice in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he integrates in-home executive functioning coaching with therapeutic climbing and wilderness adventures for neurodivergent teens.

At the core of Alexander’s approach is the belief that young people grow through authentic challenge, meaningful relationships, and embodied experience—not just talk. He integrates ecotherapy, somatic and fitness-based work, trauma-informed care, DBT skills, executive functioning coaching, and neurodivergent-affirming practices into a holistic framework that honors mind, body, systems, and purpose. Whether practicing breathwork on a climbing wall, processing family dynamics during a hike, or building organizational systems through hands-on projects, he adapts sessions to meet each young person where they are. He specializes in working with teens who feel misunderstood, mislabeled, or resistant to traditional therapy, emphasizing strength, capability, and agency rather than deficits.

Alexander was drawn to Wonder’s experiential, relational model and its balance of coach autonomy with collaborative team support. He resonates strongly with the archetype of the “wounded healer,” bringing his own lived experience of struggle, growth, and mentorship into his work. His style—what he calls “warrior mentorship”—combines high support with high challenge, offering teens a relationship grounded in authenticity, honesty, and mutual respect. He is patient with resistance, skilled at building trust through shared activity, and committed to helping young people discover who they are beyond limiting narratives.

Outside of work, Alexander is a single dad to an energetic young son and a lifelong student of wilderness as a teacher. With over 15 years of climbing, skiing, mountain biking, surfing, and backcountry exploration, he finds meaning and healing in wild places and brings that passion for adventure into his work whenever possible. He believes deeply that every young person has something powerful to offer the world—and that the right challenges, paired with the right support, can help them discover it.