Dr. Brady Schroer, DO
Dr. Brady Schroer obtained his Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology with an emphasis in Chemistry. He attended medical school at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences. After medical school, he completed his general psychiatry residency at an internationally known psychiatric clinic. Dr. Schroer later worked in a large hospital setting for five years as a psychiatric hospitalist taking care of geriatric patients, caring for patients with psychiatric issues on the medical floors and ICU (intensive care units), detoxifying clients from alcohol and benzodiazepines, ECT treatment for depression, and served as Medical Director and Chief of Psychiatry.
Dr. Schroer moved to Western North Carolina in 2007 to become the Medical Director of the inpatient psychiatric unit and the detoxification unit at one of the areas top hospitals and served for seven years in that capacity. Most recently, he has been seeing clients ages 15 and over in sober living environments, residential treatments, and other outpatient settings.
He has vast experience from all different perspectives of addiction treatment and knows what it is like to be a family member of someone struggling with addiction. Dr. Schroer views addiction as a poor coping mechanism for past emotional pain and believes that the emotional pain that breeds hatred, anger, and resentment is what keeps us sick and looking for substances and behaviors to “numb it”. He is extremely compassionate and prefers to educate clients about their illness. He has learned a lot from the clients he has treated and uses that knowledge to help others move into a peaceful life.
Dr. Schroer is a Christian, loves car racing, golf, photography, and being out in the great outdoors. He feels especially fortunate to call Asheville his home!
Jessi Herr, BA, BSN, RN
Director of Nursing
Jessi grew up in middle Tennessee and came to North Carolina when she attended Warren Wilson College, where she studied Plant Biology and Horticulture. After graduating, she worked in Asheville at Beanstreets, Salsa’s, and Lark Books. In 1999, she took a road trip and landed in Seattle, where she lived for five years. In that time, she got married, became a mom, and became certified as both a postpartum doula and a Pilates instructor. She returned to North Carolina in 2004 and started a small Pilates studio in 2005. In 2018, Jessi started the accelerated BSN program at Western Carolina University and graduated summa cum laude in 2019.
Jessi was drawn to the work at The Willows because of personal experiences with loved ones struggling with mental health issues and addiction. She feels humbled and grateful to be a part of clients’ recovery and healing.
She loves gardening, hiking, dinner parties, and reading. She lives with her husband, an acupuncturist, her son and daughter, a goofy golden retriever and a bossy cat, and they might have every yard game and board game ever created.
Jeremy Pettit
Physician Assistant
Mr. Pettit has nearly 20 years of experience as a Physician Assistant. It was in middle school that he began to become interested in the functioning of the human brain. Although having experience in other areas of medicine, it is psychiatry that has continued to draw him. The balance of brain chemistry has such a profound impact on daily living and throughout life for both the better and sometimes the worse.
Growing up in Colorado, Mr. Pettit enjoyed motorcycling in the mountains, and distance running. Later in college, he went on to compete in biathlons, and triathlons, and enjoyed day trips of sport-climbing when he wasn’t working as a rafting guide on the Ocoee River in Tennessee.
Having a passion for the outdoors and helping others he went on to obtain the highest level of certification from the two leading schools, at that time, in Wilderness Medicine, SOLO, and Wilderness Medical Associates (WMA). From here he furthered his education as a Nationally-Registered Paramedic with advanced training in fixed-wing and rotor-wing transport, from UAB School of Medicine.
Mr. Pettit is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine as a Health/Fitness Specialist and has enjoyed keeping fit with mixed martial arts, kettlebells, gymnastics calisthenics, and training with the founder of Commando Krav Maga.
Pulling from his experience in medicine and outdoor activities, Mr. Pettit seeks to meet patients where they are in life and help them achieve the level of health they are looking for. Our minds affect every area of our life from scholastic performance, family relationships, friendships, marriage, work, etc.; therefore, it is essential to get to the root of mental/emotional challenges in order to experience a renewed state of mind that brings with it the tools needed to successfully meet life head-on.
