2021 Psychotherapy Networker Symposium Highlights Package

Richard Schwartz began his career as a family therapist and an academic at the University of Illinois at Chicago. There he discovered that family therapy alone did not achieve full symptom relief, and in asking patients why, he learned that they were plagued by what they called "parts." These patients became his teachers as they described how their parts formed networks of inner relationship that resembled the families he had been working with. He also found that as they focused on and, thereby, separated from their parts, they would shift into a state characterized by qualities like curiosity, calm, confidence and compassion. He called that inner essence the Self and was amazed to find it even in severely diagnosed and traumatized patients. From these explorations, the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model was born in the early 1980s.

IFS is now evidence-based and has become a widely-used form of psychotherapy, particularly with trauma. It provides a non-pathologizing, optimistic, and empowering perspective and a practical and effective set of techniques for working with individuals, couples, families, and more recently, corporations and classrooms.

In 2013, Schwartz left the Chicago area and now lives in Brookline, MA where he is on the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

Deb Dana, LCSW is a clinician and consultant specializing in using the lens of Polyvagal Theory to understand and resolve the impact of trauma and create ways of working that honor the role of the autonomic nervous system. She developed the Rhythm of Regulation Clinical Training Series and lectures internationally on ways Polyvagal Theory informs clinical work. She is a founding member of the Polyvagal Institute, clinical advisor Khiron Clinics, and an advisor to Unyte. Deb is the author of The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy: Engaging the Rhythm of Regulation (Norton, 2018), Polyvagal Exercises for Safety and Connection: 50 Client-Centered Practices (Norton, 2020), Befriending Your Nervous System (Sounds True, 2020), Anchored: How to Befriend Your Nervous System Using Polyvagal Theory (forthcoming from Sounds True), co-editor of Clinical Applications of the Polyvagal Theory: The Emergence of Polyvagal-Informed Therapies (Norton, 2018), and creator of the Polyvagal Flip Chart (Norton, 2020).

To learn more, visit rhythmofregulation.com or www.polyvagalinstitute.org

Dr. Dan Siegel is the founder and director of education of the Mindsight Institute and founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA, where he was also co-principal investigator of the Center for Culture, Brain and Development and clinical professor of psychiatry at The School of Medicine.

An award-winning educator, Dan is the author of five New York Times bestsellers and over fifteen other books which have been translated into over forty languages. As the founding editor of the Norton Professional Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology (“IPNB”), Dan has overseen the publication of over one hundred books in the transdisciplinary IPNB frame which focuses on the mind and mental health.

A graduate of Harvard Medical School, Dan completed his postgraduate training at UCLA specializing in pediatrics, and adult, adolescent, and child psychiatry. He was trained in attachment research and narrative analysis through a National Institute of Mental Health research training fellowship focusing on how relationships shape our autobiographical ways of making sense of our lives and influence our development across the lifespan.

Speaker Disclosures
Financial: Dr. Dan Siegel serves as the Medical Director at the Lifespan Learning Institute and is the Co-Founder and Director of Education at the Mindsight Institute. He is also the founding editor of the Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology. Dr. Siegel receives royalties as a published author and serves as a scientific advisor for the Inner Development Goals initiative and as an advisor for the Center for Child Well-Being. Additionally, he receives honoraria and recording royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. Dr. Siegel has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Dan Siegel is an honorary member of the Austrian Federal Association for Mindfulness. He also serves on the Board of the Garrison Institute and as an advisory board member for both Gloo and Convergence.

The late Susan Johnson, EdD, was a best-selling author, clinical psychologist, distinguished research professor, dynamic speaker, and recognized innovator who changed the field of couple therapy. Sue was the primary developer of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), which has demonstrated its effectiveness in over 30 years of peer-reviewed clinical research. She was the director of the International Center for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy and a distinguished research professor at Alliant University in San Diego, California, as well as professor of clinical psychology at the University of Ottawa, Canada. She trained behavioral health providers in EFT worldwide and is still recognized as one of the most prominent researchers and presenters in the couple therapy field.  

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Sue Johnson had employment relationships with University of British Columbia, Campbell & Fairweather Psychology Group, Alliant International, University Ottawa, Couple and Family Institute, and the International Center for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy. She received royalties as a published author. Dr. Johnson received a speaking honorarium, recording royalties, and book royalties from PESI, Inc. She had no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Sue Johnson served on the editorial board for the American Journal of Family Therapy (AJFT) and the journal Couple and Family Psychology: Research & Practice.

Mary Jo Barrett, MSW, is the founder and director of the Center for Contextual Change, and the coauthor of Treating Complex Trauma: A Relational Blueprint for Collaboration and Change and Systemic Treatment of Incest.

Speaker Disclosures:

Financial: Mary Jo Barrett is the founder and director of the Center for Contextual Change. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Mary Jo Barrett has no relevant non-financial relationship to disclose.

Terry Real, LICSW, is an Internationally Recognized Family Therapist, Speaker and Author. Terry founded the Relational Life Institute (RLI), offering workshops for couples, individuals and parents around the country along with a professional training program for clinicians wanting to learn his RLT (Relational Life Therapy) methodology.

A family therapist and teacher for more than 25 years, Terry is the best-selling author of I Don’t Want to Talk About It: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male Depression (Scribner), the straight-talking How Can I Get Through to You? Reconnecting Men and Women (Scribner), and most recently The New Rules of Marriage: What You Need to Make Love Work (Random House). Terry knows how to lead couples on a step-by-step journey to greater intimacy – and greater personal fulfillment.

A senior faculty member of the Family Institute of Cambridge in Massachusetts and a retired Clinical Fellow of the Meadows Institute in Arizona, Terry has worked with thousands of individuals, couples, and fellow therapists. Through his books, the Institute, and workshops around the country, Terry helps women and men, parents and non-parents to create the connection they desire in their relationships.

Terry’s work, with its rigorous commonsense approach, speaks to both men and women. His ideas on men’s issues and on couple’s therapy have been celebrated in venues from “Good Morning America,” “The Today Show” and “20/20,” to “Oprah” and The New York Times.

A proponent of “full-throttle marriage,” as described in The New Rules of Marriage, Terry has been called “the most innovative voice in thinking about and treating men and their relationships in the world today.”

The New York Times book review described Terry’s work as: “A critical contribution to feminist psychology (that) brings the Men’s movement a significant step forward.” Robert Bly hailed it as “moving onto new ground in both story and song. Exhilarating in its honesty.”

Terry’s Relational Life Institute grew out of his extensive and empathic experience. He teaches people how to make their relationships work by providing products and services designed to teach the principles of Relational Life™, so that everyone can enjoy full respect living and craft a healthy life legacy.​

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Terrence Real is the founder of Relational Life Institute, maintains a private practice and has an employment relationship with Family Institute of Cambridge. He receives royalties as a published author. Terry Real receives a speaking honorarium, recording, and book royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Terrence Real has no relevant non-financial disclosures.

John Gottman, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Washington, where he established “The Love Lab” and conducted much of his award-winning research on couple interaction and treatment. Dr. Gottman has studied marriage, couples, and parent relationships for nearly four decades. He has authored or co-authored over 200 published articles and more than 40 books, including: The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work, The Relationship Cure, Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child: The Heart of Parenting, and The Man’s Guide to Women.

World renowned for his work on marital stability and divorce prediction, Dr. Gottman’s research has earned him numerous national awards, including: Four five-year-long National Institute of Mental Health Research Scientist Awards; The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Distinguished Research Scientist Award; The American Psychological Association Division of Family Psychology Presidential Citation for Outstanding Lifetime Research Contribution; The National Council of Family Relations 1994 Burgess Award for Outstanding Career in Theory and Research.

Dr. Gottman, together with his wife Dr. Julie Schwartz Gottman, is the co-founder of The Gottman Institute, which provides clinical training, workshops, services, and educational materials for mental health professionals, couples, and families. He is also the co-founder and Executive Director of the Relationship Research Institute which has created treatments for couples transitioning to parenthood and couples suffering from minor domestic violence.

Dr. Gottman has presented hundreds of invited keynote addresses, workshops, and scientific presentations to avid audiences around the world including Switzerland, Italy, France, England, Israel, Turkey, South Korea, Australia, Canada, Sweden, and Norway. A wonderful storyteller and expert, Dr. Gottman has also appeared on many TV shows, including Good Morning America, Today, CBS Morning News, and Oprah, and he has been featured in numerous print articles, including Newsweek, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Ladies Home Journal, Redbook, Glamour, Woman’s Day, Men’s Health, People, Self, Reader’s Digest, and Psychology Today.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. John Gottman is the co-founder of The Gottman Institute and co-founder and Chief Scientist of Gottman, Inc., as well as the Executive Director of the Relationship Research Institute. He receives grant funding from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the Kirlin Foundation. Dr. Gottman also receives royalties from his published works. Additionally, he receives speaking honoraria, book royalties, and recording royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. John Gottman is a member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, the American Psychological Association, and the American Psychological Society National.

Bessel van der Kolk, MD, is a pioneer clinician, researcher, and teacher in the area of posttraumatic stress. He’s the author of the ongoing New York Times bestseller, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Treatment of Trauma. 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Bessel van der Kolk is a professor at Boston University School of Medicine, the Director of the Trauma Center, and the National Complex Trauma Network. He receives royalties as a published author. Dr. van der Kolk receives a speaking honorarium, recording royalties, and book royalties from PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Bessel van der Kolk has no relevant non-financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
 

Lisa Ferentz, LCSW-C, DAPA, is a recognized expert in the strengths-based, de-pathologized treatment of trauma and has been in private practice for over 40 years. She has been an adjunct faculty member at several universities, and is the founder of The Ferentz Institute, now in its seventeenth year of providing continuing education to mental health professionals and graduating several thousand clinicians from her two certificate programs in advanced trauma treatment. In 2009 she was voted the “Social Worker of the Year” by the Maryland Society for Clinical Social Work. She is the author of Treating Self-Destructive Behaviors in Trauma Survivors: A Clinician’s Guide, now in its second edition, Letting Go of Self-Destructive Behaviors: A Workbook of Hope and Healing and Finding Your Ruby Slippers: Transformative Life Lessons from the Therapist’s Couch.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Lisa Ferentz maintains a private practice and is the Founder and President of the Ferentz Institute. She receives royalties as a published author. Lisa Ferentz receives a speaking honorarium and product royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Lisa Ferentz is a member of the National Association of Social Workers and the American Psychotherapy Association.

Leslie Korn, PhD, MPH, LMHC, ACS, FNTP, BCTMB, is a renowned integrative medicine clinician and educator specializing in the use of nutritional, herbal and culinary medicine for the treatment of trauma and emotional and chronic physical illness. She is known for her dynamism and humor providing clients effective alternatives to psychotropics. She completed her graduate education in the department of psychiatry and public health at Harvard Medical School and her life training in the jungle of Mexico where she lived and worked alongside local healers for over 25 years. She directed a naturopathic medicine and training clinic facilitating health, culinary and fitness retreats. She is licensed and certified in nutritional therapy, mental health counseling, and bodywork (Polarity and Cranial Sacral and medical massage therapies) and is an approved clinical supervisor. She introduced somatic therapies for complex trauma patients in outpatient psychiatry at Harvard Medical school in 1985 and served Acupuncture and faculty at National College of Naturopathic Medicine.

She is the author of the seminal book on the body and complex trauma: Rhythms of Recovery: Integrative Medicine for PTSD and Complex Trauma, 2nd Edition (Routledge, 2012, 2023); The Brainbow Blueprint: A Clinical Guide to Integrative Medicine and Nutrition for Mental Well Being (PESI, 2023), Nutrition Essentials for Mental Health (W.W. Norton, 2016), Eat Right Feel Right: Over 80 Recipes and Tips to Improve Mood, Sleep, Attention & Focus (PESI, 2017); Multicultural Counseling Workbook: Exercises, Worksheets & Games to Build Rapport with Diverse Clients (PESI, 2015); The Good Mood Kitchen (W.W. Norton, 2017); and Natural Woman: Herbal Remedies for Radiant Health at Every Age and Stage of Life (Shambhala, 2019). She was a founder of the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, a Fullbright scholar in Herbal Medicine and an NIH-funded scientist, in mind/body medicine. She is an approved clinical supervisor and is the research director at the Center for World Indigenous Studies where she designs culinary and herbal medicine programs with tribal communities engaged in developing integrative medicine programs.

David Kessler, MA, RN, FACHE, is one of the world’s foremost experts on grief and the founder of Grief.com. He leads grief certification programs for professionals and online groups for those in grief. He’s the author of seven books, including Finding Meaning and his newest, Finding Meaning Workbook: Tools for Releasing Pain and Remembering with Love, as well as the coauthor of several books with Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and Louise Hay. 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: David Kessler is the co‑founder and President Emeritus of Project Angel Food. He maintains employment relationships with HSBC – London and Tender Hearts Grief Support Group. He is a published author and receives royalties from his publications, as well as compensation for his work as a lecturer. In addition, David Kessler receives speaking honoraria and recording and book royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: David Kessler has no relevant non-financial relationships.
 

Julie Schwartz Gottman, Ph.D., is the co-founder and President of The Gottman Institute, and Clinical Supervisor for the Couples Together Against Violence study. A highly respected clinical psychologist, she is sought internationally by media and organizations as an expert advisor on marriage, sexual harassment and rape, domestic violence, gay and lesbian adoption, same-sex marriage, and parenting issues. Creator of the immensely popular The Art and Science of Love weekend workshops for couples, she also designed and leads the national certification program in Gottman Method Couples Therapy for clinicians. Her other achievements include: Washington State Psychologist of the Year; Author/co-author of five books, including, Ten Lessons to Transform Your Marriage, And Baby Makes Three, The Marriage Clinical Casebook, 10 Principles for Doing Effective Couples Therapy, and The Man’s Guide to Women; Wide recognition for her clinical psychotherapy treatment, with specialization in distressed couples, abuse and trauma survivors, substance abusers and their partners, and cancer patients and their families.

Inspiring, empowering, respectful, and kind, Julie’s leadership of The Gottman Institute has made it possible to identify and integrate the expertise of her staff, therapists, and the wider research and therapeutic community. Her commitment to excellence and integrity assures that as The Gottman Institute grows, it continues to maintain the highest ethical and scientific standards.

She is in private practice in the Seattle area, providing intensive marathon therapy sessions for couples. She specializes in working with distressed couples, abuse and trauma survivors, those with substance abuse problems and their partners, as well as cancer patients and their families.

Drs. John and Julie Gottman currently live on Orcas Island, near Seattle, Washington. They conduct weekly and intensive couples therapy sessions, provide small group retreats, teach workshops and clinical trainings, and give keynote presentations around the world.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Julie Schwartz Gottman is the co-founder of the Gottman Institute and Affective Software, Inc. She is the clinical director of The Relationship Research Institute, and she maintains a private practice. Dr. Schwartz Gottman is the owner of Gottman Couples' Retreat. She is a guest lecturer at the University of Puget Sound and Seattle Community Colleges, and she receives compensation as an international speaker. She is a published author and receives royalties, and she receives a speaking honorarium, recording royalties, and book royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Julie Schwartz Gottman is a member of the American Psychological Association.

Suzanne Iasenza, PhD,  is faculty at the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy where she is Co-Director of the Sex Therapy Program and teaches at the Ackerman Institute for the Family. She is author of the book Transforming Sexual Narratives: A Relational Approach to Sex Therapy.

Gabor Maté, MD (pronounced GAH-bor MAH-tay) is a retired physician who, after 20 years of family practice and palliative care experience, worked for over a decade in Vancouver’s Downtown East Side with patients challenged by drug addiction and mental illness. The bestselling author of five books published in nearly 40 languages, including the award-winning In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction, Gabor is an internationally renowned speaker highly sought after for his expertise on addiction, trauma, childhood development, and the relationship of stress and illness. For his groundbreaking medical work and writing he has been awarded the Order of Canada, his country’s highest civilian distinction, and the Civic Merit Award from his hometown, Vancouver. His most recent book, The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture is a New York Times and international bestseller.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Gabor Maté receives compensation as a presenter. He receives royalties as a published author. Dr. Maté receives a speaking honorarium and recording and book royalties from PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Gabor Maté has no relevant non-financial relationships.

Britt Rathbone, MSSW, LCSW-C, is a nationally recognized clinician, trainer, author, and practice leader specializing in the treatment of adolescents and their families. Since 1985, he has worked with young people experiencing complex, challenging, and difficult-to-treat mental health concerns. He is the founder and director of Capital Youth Services in Bethesda, Maryland, where he leads a multidisciplinary clinical practice grounded in evidence-based care.

Mr. Rathbone has taught graduate-level social work students and provides training to mental health professionals on dialectical behavior therapy, adolescent engagement, and effective treatment for complex clinical presentations. Washingtonian magazine has repeatedly recognized him as one of the Washington, DC, area’s top therapists for adolescents and group therapy. Known for his engaging and practical teaching style, his trainings consistently receive excellent evaluations.

He is the coauthor of Dialectical Behavior Therapy for At-Risk Adolescents, What Works with Teens: A Professional’s Guide to Engaging Authentically with Adolescents to Achieve Lasting Change, and Parenting a Teen Who Has Intense Emotions.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Britt Rathbone is the founder and director of Capital youth Services dba Rathbone & Associates, the director of Washington Center for Mental Health Training, and a faculty member at the University of Maryland School of Social Work. He receives royalties as a published author. He receives a speaking honorarium, product, and book royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc.
Non-financial: Britt Rathbone is a volunteer for DBT- Linehan Board of Certification. He is a member of the Greater Washington Society for Clinical Social Work and the National Association of Social Workers.

Manuela Mischke-Reeds, MA, MFT, is a somatic trauma psychotherapist, author, international teacher of somatic psychology, and senior Hakomi trainer. She is the founder of Embodywise, an international learning community offering professional training in trauma therapy, somatic psychology, and the Hakomi Method, and is a co-founder of the Hakomi Institute of California.
 

She is the developer of the Innate Somatic Intelligence Trauma Therapy Approach (ISITTA), an integrative somatic psychotherapy framework that supports trauma recovery through nervous system regulation, embodied awareness, movement-based integration, and relational therapeutic processes.
 

With over 30 years of clinical experience, Manuela has taught professional training programs internationally across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. In the field of psychedelic therapy, she offers specialized somatic approaches, including somatic therapy techniques, movement-based integration, and ethical touch practices, to support psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy through a trauma-informed, relational lens.
 

She is the author of several books, including Embodied Psychedelic Therapy: A Somatic Guide (W. W. Norton, with Joshua Sylvae), Somatic Psychotherapy Toolbox (PESI), Trauma-Sensitive Movement (PESI), and 8 Keys to Practicing Mindfulness (W. W. Norton). 
She is also a contributing author to Hakomi Mindfulness-Centered Somatic Psychotherapy: A Comprehensive Guide to Theory and Practice (W. W. Norton), The Complete Trauma Treatment Guide (PESI), and The Praeger Handbook of Community Mental Health Practice (Praeger), for which she authored the chapter "The Role of Trauma in Community Health: A Somatic Perspective."

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Manuela Mischke-Reeds is the founder of Embodywise and has an employment relationship with Embodylab. She receives compensation as a consultant and royalties as a published author. She receives a speaking honorarium, recording, and book royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Manuel Mischke-Reeds has no relevant non-financial relationships.

Sabrina N’Diaye, PhD, LCSW-C, MDiv received her PhD in mind-body medicine from Saybrook University, where she studied the use of complementary and alternative interventions for physical, emotional, and spiritual growth. Her dissertation study focused on the use of guided imagery as a healing tool for African American women with chronic STIs. Since completing her doctorate, she has developed curriculum and served as adjunct faculty for the Maryland University of Integrative Health and Saybrook University. She is a proud senior faculty member of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine, where she teaches the art of self-care to healthcare professionals around the globe. She is currently an integrative psychotherapist and founder of the Heart Nest Center for Peace and Healing in Baltimore, Maryland. There, she lovingly serves women, couples, other healers, and small groups. Her approach to healing is a blend of wisdom, science, and ancient spiritual practices.

Claudia Black, PhD, is a renowned addictions and codependency expert, author and trainer internationally recognized for her pioneering and contemporary work with family systems and addictive disorders. Since the 1970s, Dr. Black's work has encompassed the impact of addiction on young and adult children. She has offered models of intervention and treatment related to family violence, multi-addictions, relapse, anger, depression and women's issues. Dr. Black designs and presents training workshops and seminars to professional audiences in the field of family service, mental health, addiction and correctional services. She is the Sr. Editorial Advisor for Central Recovery Press and serves as Senior Clinical and Family Services Provider for Las Vegas Recovery Center. She serves on the Advisory Board for the National Association of Children of Alcoholics, and the Advisory Council of the Moyer Foundation.

Dr. Black is the recipient of numerous national awards, including the 2004 Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Washington School of Social Work.

Dr. Black has been a keynote speaker on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. and on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada. Her workshops have been presented to an extraordinarily wide array of audiences, including military academies, prison systems, medical schools, and extensive mental health and addiction programs. Claudia has extensive multi-cultural experiences working with agencies and audiences in Japan, Brazil, Australia, Scotland, Iceland, Germany, England and Canada. Many of her books and videos have been translated and published abroad.

Claudia is the author of Depression Strategies, It Will Never Happen To Me, Changing Course, My Dad Loves Me, My Dad Has A Disease, Repeat After Me, It’s Never Too Late to Have A Happy Childhood, Relapse Toolkit, A Hole in the Sidewalk, Straight Talk, The Stamp Game, Family Strategies, Anger Strategies and her newest title Deceived: Facing Sexual Betrayal, Lies and Secrets. She has produced several audio CDs and over twenty DVDs. All of Claudia's materials are available from her website, www.claudiablack.com.