L. Jay Mitchell is a Brigham Young University alumnus who served in the US Air Force and has more than three decades of experience facilitating intervention programs for young people experiencing various issues. In 2007 L. Jay Mitchell founded Greenbrier Academy, a licensed non-acute treatment center in Pence Springs, West Virginia, that provides girls between the ages of 14 and 18 with services, including therapeutic drumming.

According to research conducted by Dr. Michael Winkelman and published in the American Journal of Public Health, drumming contributes to recovery processes by inducing relaxation. Specifically, it enhances brain-wave synchronization and theta-wave production, which in turn helps release emotional trauma while concurrently producing pleasurable experiences. Dr. Winkelman also notes that "drumming alleviates self-centeredness, isolation, and alienation, creating a sense of connectedness with self and others."

This is the desired outcome for students who participate in the Greenbrier Therapeutic Drumming program. Students are handed down specific rhythms from their more experienced peers and encouraged to accept positive self-beliefs through feelings of connectivity promoted via the centuries-old practice. Those who excel and show particular interest in drumming can become part of the Greenbrier Performance Drumming Group.