Life for Skyler and Amanda Bascom was unraveling. “We look back and call that the summer from hell,” Skyler recalled. “I was coming out of grad school, our marriage was strained and I was falling apart mentally and physically.” The Bascoms lived in Oregon at the time, where Skyler was working at a lumber mill and searching for a purpose in the midst of this storm.
He had just earned a Master of Divinity but hadn’t yet found a place to apply that degree meaningfully. The mill job afforded him time to pray, reflect and read, including Simon Sinek’s Find Your Why. Skyler’s biggest takeaway from this book: find a personal mission statement.
During this season, the couple also started seeing a marriage counselor who helped them rebuild — not just their marriage, but their whole way of living. “Our counselor taught us about forgiveness and reconciliation, even basic things like nutrition,” Skyler said. That experience was so transformative he left each session thinking, “I want to help people like this.”
Through these experiences, Skyler’s sense of purpose began to sharpen.
“I asked God, ‘What’s my mission on this earth?’” he recounted. The answer came slowly but clearly: to encourage, coach, and teach others in mind, body and spirit. Becoming a chaplain aligned with that calling and built on his existing degree. He could even get help earning a second master’s — this time, in counseling.
He joined the Oregon National Guard as a chaplain, ministering to a unit of infantry soldiers. The need for healing in this group, Skyler soon found, fell as steadily as the Oregon rain.
A New Direction
“Our kids thought I had the lamest job ever,” Skyler joked. “I’m a chaplain.
I carry a Bible. The other guys carried guns.” Even though the Bascom kids didn’t think Skyler’s new role was as cool as the soldiers he served with, he discovered a renewed sense of purpose and drive while faithfully ministering to the members of his unit.
This chapter of the Bascoms’ life, though, came to a close right before the pandemic. At that time, Skyler felt called to transition out of the military. “We were about to have a baby, and we weren’t really sure what was going on in his unit,” Skyler’s wife, Amanda, said. “But he just had this stirring in
his spirit that it was time to move on to something else.”
What was planned to be a six- month deployment to Djibouti turned into a two-year deployment because of the pandemic. Listening to that call wasn’t easy, but both Skyler and Amanda are deeply grateful they did. The decision meant he was home for his son’s birth and was close to his family at such an uncertain time. But
what was the next step in this family’s mission?
The Journey To South Dakota
Skyler started working with at-risk youth in an Oregon school system. His efforts made a huge difference in the lives of young people, but bureaucracy and red tape started weighing down the work Skyler and others were doing.
Then a job posting caught his eye — Westminster Presbyterian Church in Rapid City wanted to launch a wilderness-based youth program called WestBack. “This idea wasn’t necessarily therapy, but I’m really interested in integrative, outdoor programs,” he said. Skyler applied, interviewed and got the job. The Bascoms soon found a new home in the Black Hills, and Skyler started a new role as the family ministry pastor at Westminster.
One of the highlights of his time with Westminster so far is spearheading the launch of the West Teen Center, a mentorship-based space for West Middle School. “Amanda and I were both raised by single moms. We know how much mentors matter,” Skyler shared. This initiative, along with others focused on healing and growth, has defined his time at Westminster.
The Next Chapter
During that quiet season of reflection and prayer in that Oregon lumber mill, something stirred in Skyler — a sense of calling. His time at Westminster is one way of living that out. Now, he’s stepping even more fully into that purpose by opening his own practice, MIND BODY SPIRIT Therapy, where he offers integrative mental health care with a heart for men, husbands and fathers.
His approach is built on the belief that healing isn’t a DIY project. “One of the reasons I’m so passionate about helping men, husbands and fathers — and people with PTSD — is because I’ve gone through that healing process myself,” Skyler said. “It’s not a DIY
project. It’s really easy to scroll through Instagram or TikTok and see little tips — ‘radical belly fat hacks,’ ‘eating this way,’ ‘doing a cold plunge’ — but having someone with a carefully-crafted protocol to guide you through PTSD is a much more effective and efficient approach.”
One technique that Skyler is particularly excited about is Hemi-Sync. This innovative therapy uses audio tones to help both sides of the brain work together more smoothly. Skyler first encountered this therapy while serving as a chaplain and witnessed firsthand how it helped soldiers suffering from PTSD.
Together, Moving Forward
Skyler and Amanda are both passionate about helping others — and know that no one heals in isolation. “It’s so important for people serving in the military to find support in community,” Amanda said. “When one member of the family serves, every member is serving — so find that support.”
Together, the Bascoms are living that message — raising five kids, building a life rooted in faith and service, and reminding others that no one has to go it alone.