Integrating Attachment Science to Maximize Treatment with IFS, EFIT, Polyvagal Theory, EMDR and More

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.

Janet A Courtney, PhD, LCSW, RPT-S™, is founder of FirstPlay Therapy®. She is a Registered Play Therapy-Supervisor, TEDx Speaker and past Chair of the Association for Play Therapy Ethics and Practice Committee and past President of the Florida Association for Play Therapy, FirstPlay Therapy was awarded third place overall in the Best Practices Showcase for FirstPlay Therapy at the First 1000 Days Infant Mental Health Summit (2018) along with the Children’s Healing Institute. She is author and editor of the following books: Infant Play Therapy: Foundations, Programs, Models and Practice, and Healing Child and Family Trauma through Expressive and Play Therapies: Art, Nature, Storytelling, Body & Mindfulness and Nature-based Play & Expressive Therapies: Interventions for Children, Teens and Families, and Touch in Child Counseling and Play Therapy: An Ethical and Clinical Guide. Her research in practitioner experiences of training in touch and Developmental Play Therapy is published in the American Journal of Art Therapy and the International Journal of Play Therapy. She is a contributing author in several books including Play-based Interventions for Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders and the book Environmental Expressive Therapies (2017), and Play Therapy Supervision (2023). She is also published in the Journal of Therapeutic Horticulture. She offers a certification in FirstPlay Therapy® and provides training to professionals in the Ethical and Clinical Competencies of Touch, FirstPlay® Therapy, Ericksonian-based StoryPlay®, Expressive Therapies, and Nature-based Play Therapy. She has been invited to speak nationally and internationally including Bali, Indonesia, the Cayman Islands, England, Ireland, Morocco, Russia and the Ukraine. She is a provider through the Florida state boards of Mental Health and Massage Therapy, and an approved provider through the Association for Play Therapy. She specializes in infant mental health and infant play therapy, attachment, and Trauma related issues. Dr. Courtney’s new form of Kinesthetic Storytelling® can be found in her children’s book, The Magic Rainbow. Website: www.firstplaytherapy.com

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Janet Courtney is founder of FirstPlay™ Therapy, FirstPlay Café Podcast, and FirstPlay® Café. She is in private practice, has employment relationships with Ellen Whiteside McDonnell School of Social Work and Barry University, and is a consultant for Barry University Play Therapy Educational Center Curriculum School of Social Work and Continuing Education through the Association for Play Therapy. Dr. Courtney receives royalties as a published author and receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Janet Courtney is a member of the National Association of Social Workers, World Association for Infant Mental Health, and the International Association for the Study of Affective Touch.

David A. Crenshaw, PhD, ABPP, RPT-S™, is Clinical Director of the Children’s Home of Poughkeepsie. He is Past-President of the New York Association for Play Therapy, a Board-Certified Clinical Psychologist; a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychology, and a Registered Play Therapy Supervisor. Dr. Crenshaw has taught graduate courses in play therapy at Columbia University and Johns Hopkins University. He was honored with the Excellence in Psychology Award in 2009, and a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012 by the Hudson Valley Psychological Association. In 2018, he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the NY Association for Play and in 2021 was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the NY Association for Play Therapy. The author/editor/co-editor of 17 books, numerous book chapters, and journal articles on child aggression, play therapy and child trauma, his latest book co-edited with Cathy Malchiodi is What to Do When Children Clam-Up in Psychotherapy and a book co-written with Eliana Gil titled Termination Challenges in Child Psychotherapy.
 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: David Crenshaw is the founder and director of Rhinebeck Child and Family Center LLC. He receives royalties as a published author. David Crenshaw receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: David Crenshaw is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Association for Play Therapy, and the New York Association for Play Therapy, Los Angeles County Psychological Association, and the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.

Christina Reese, PhD, LCPC, has been working with children impacted by trauma and their families for the last 20 years. She has provided attachment training to orphanages in Albania, trained school districts across the country on trauma-informed classrooms, and worked with adoptees and their families from childhood into adulthood. She is a licensed clinical counselor in Maine, Maryland, and Pennsylvania and is a licensed clinical supervisor. Dr. Reese is an internationally recognized trainer for mental health professionals in creating trauma-informed schools, working with mental health in the classroom and attachment and trauma in children. She is a TBRI (Trust-Based Relational Intervention) practitioner and owns Felicity Counseling Services. Dr. Reese authored the books Attachment, Puzzle Pieces, The Attachment Connection, Trauma and Attachment, The Socially Confident Teen, Leveling Up, God and Attachment and Hope for this Upside Down and Backwards Life.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Christina Reese maintains a private practice and has an employment relationship with Sheppard Pratt Health System. She receives royalties as a published author. Dr. Reese receives a speaking honorarium, recording, and book royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Christina Reese has no relevant non-financial relationships.

Dana Wyss, PhD, LMFT, ATR-BC, RPT™, is a board-certified art therapist, a registered play therapist, a marriage and family therapist, holds a doctorate in expressive therapies, and is the coauthor of The Invisible String Workbook. Her doctorate in expressive therapies has led her to create programs integrating art, music, poetry, dance, and animal assisted therapy in the healing process for clients and self-care of staff. For the last 25 years, Dr. Wyss has worked in psychiatric hospitals, group homes, and nonpublic school settings to manage crisis, conduct training, coach staff, and support children and families. Dr. Wyss is a corporate clinical training specialist and clinical/art therapy supervisor at Stars Behavioral Health Group, a company specializing in the treatment of complex developmental trauma. She also owns a small private practice where she specializes in the use of art and play for all ages. Dr. Wyss is a national trainer and consultant with the Center for Trauma Training and national trainer to raise awareness of commercial sexual exploitation of children. She uses her creativity for her own healing as well as to support others.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dana Wyss has employment relationships with Stars Behavioral Health Group, Center for Trauma Training, and Loyola Marymount University. She receives royalties as a published author. She is an exam writer at ATCB and reviewer for both ATCB and Accreditation Council for Art Therapy Education and Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs. Dana Wyss receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dana Wyss is a member of American Art Therapy Association and Association for Play Therapy.

Frank Anderson, MD, completed his residency and was a clinical instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He is both a psychiatrist and psychotherapist. He specializes in the treatment of trauma and dissociation and is passionate about teaching brain-based psychotherapy and integrating current neuroscience knowledge with the IFS model of therapy.

Dr. Anderson has lectured extensively on the Neurobiology of PTSD and Dissociation and wrote the chapter “Who’s Taking What” Connecting Neuroscience, Psychopharmacology and Internal Family Systems for Trauma in Internal Family Systems Therapy – New Dimensions. He co-authored a chapter on What IFS Brings to Trauma Treatment in Innovations and Elaborations in Internal Family Systems Therapy, and recently co-authored Internal Family Systems Skills Training Manual.

His most recent book, entitled Transcending Trauma: Healing Complex PTSD with Internal Family Systems was released on May 19, 2021.

His memoir, To Be Loved, was released on May 7, 2024.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Frank Anderson maintains a private practice, is the co-founder of the Trauma Institute, and is the co-founding producer of Trauma Informed Media. He receives royalties as a published author. He receives a speaking honorarium, recording, and book royalties from PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Frank Anderson is a member of the New England Society Studying Trauma and Dissociation and the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation.

Dan Hughes, PhD, is a clinical psychologist who founded and developed Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), the treatment of children who have experienced relational trauma within their family and demonstrate ongoing problems related to attachment and trauma. This treatment occurs in a family setting and the treatment model has expanded to become a general model of family treatment. Dan presents and trains in DDP internationally. He is also engaged in extensive training and supervision in the certification of therapists in his treatment model, along with ongoing consultation to various agencies and professionals. Information about DDPI can be found on ddpnetwork.org

Dan is the author of many books and articles. These include Building the Bonds of Attachment, 3rd Edition (Rown-Littlefield, 2017) and The Neurobiology of Attachment-Focused Therapy, with Jon Baylin, (W.W. Norton, 2016). His most recent books are Healing Relational Trauma with Attachment-Focused Interventions: Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy with Children and Families, with Kim Golding and Julie Hudson as co-authors (WW. Norton, 2019), as well as The Little Book of Attachment with Ben Gurney-Smith (W.W. Norton, 2020).

Dan resides in South Portland, Maine.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Daniel Hughes maintains a private practice. He receives royalties as an author for multiple publishers. Dr. Hughes receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Daniel Hughes is a member of the American Psychological Association.

TERRY M. LEVY, PhD, DAPA, has been a psychotherapist, trainer, supervisor and consultant for over 40 years. Dr. Levy is the director of the Evergreen Psychotherapy Center and the Attachment Treatment and Training Institute in Evergreen, Colorado. He is a licensed clinical psychologist in Colorado and Florida, a Board Certified Forensic Examiner and a Diplomate and Master Therapist of the American Psychotherapy Association. He is co-author of the best-seller Attachment, Trauma & Healing (2nd edition, 2014, Jessica Kingsley Publisher, London), editor of Handbook of Attachment Interventions (2000, Elsevier Press) and co-author of Healing Parents: Helping Wounded Children Learn to Trust and Love (2006, Child Welfare League of America).

Dr. Levy was the founder and previous director of the Family Life Center (Florida) and the Miami Psychotherapy Institute, which offered family systems treatment and training. He was co-founder and past-president of the board of directors of the Association for Treatment and Training in the Attachment of Children (ATTACh), an international organization dedicated to attachment and its critical importance to human development.

 

Speaker Disclosure:

Financial: Terry Levy is in private practice. He receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Terry Levy is a member of the American Psychological Association; American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy; American Family Therapy Association; and Colorado and Florida Psychological Associations. He does not receive compensation.

Eboni Webb, PsyD, HSP, opened the private practice Kairos in Middle Tennessee in July 2010. Kairos, now The Village of Kairos, offers diverse DBT specializations including DBT or trauma-based disorders and co-occurring disorders. The Village of Kairos has expanded therapy programs, better known as Restorative Services, to include individual and group therapy sessions for adolescents, parents, families, and adults, including in-the-moment coaching for patients.

Dr. Webb earned her Doctor of Clinical Psychology from the Minnesota School of Professional Psychology. Dr. Webb began her clinical work as assistant clinical director and program director at Mental Health Systems in Minnesota, a large clinic specializing in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). She has extensively practiced DBT, developing two special treatment programs for clients with developmental disabilities and borderline-intellectual functioning.

Dr. Webb has completed Level II training and is currently in the process of completing her board certification in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy as an Advanced Certified Practitioner, which has become a prominent feature of therapy offerings in the Village.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Eboni Webb maintains a private practice, has employment relationship with WebbJam Consulting, LLC, Acacia Therapy and Health Training, and Jack Hirose and Associates, Inc. She receives royalties as a published author. Dr. Webb receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Eboni Webb is a board member for Nashville Psychotherapy Institute.

Dafna Lender, LCSW, is an international trainer and supervisor for practitioners who work with children and families. She is a certified trainer and supervisor/consultant in both Theraplay and Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) and an EMDR therapist. Dafna’s expertise is drawn from 25 years of working with families with attachment in many settings: at-risk after school programs, therapeutic foster care, in-home crisis stabilization, residential care and private practice. Dafna’s style, whether as a therapist or teacher, is combining the light-hearted with the profound by bringing a playful, intense and passionate presence to every encounter. Dafna is the author of Integrative Attachment Family Therapy (2023) and co-author of Theraplay® - The Practitioner’s Guide (2020).

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dafna Lender maintains a private practice. She is a published author and receives royalties. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dafna Lender has no relevant non-financial relationships.

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.
 

Laurel Parnell, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and director of the Parnell Institute for Attachment-Focused EMDR. One of the world's leading experts on Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), she is the originator of the EMDR-related therapies Attachment-Focused EMDR and Resource Tapping. Dr. Parnell has served on the faculty of the California Institute for Integral Studies and John F. Kennedy University. She is the author of several books and videos on EMDR, including, Attachment-Focused EMDR: Healing Relational Trauma, Rewiring the Addicted Brain with EMDR-Based Treatment, A Therapist's Guide to EMDR and Tapping In. Dr. Parnell keynotes conferences, trains clinicians in EMDR, and teaches workshops internationally on Attachment-Focused EMDR, Rewiring the Addicted Brain and Resource Tapping. Learn more about Dr. Parnell at www.parnellemdr.com.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Laurel Parnell maintains a private practice and is the director of the Parnell Institute, LLC. She receives royalties as a published author. Dr. Parnell receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Laurel Parnell has no relevant non-financial relationships.

Clair Mellenthin, PhD, LCSW, RPT-S™, is an international speaker, author, psychologist, and Registered Play Therapist Supervisor. Throughout her career, she has specialized in providing play therapy to children, teens, and their families. She is currently the Director of Child & Adolescents at Wasatch Family Therapy. Ms. Mellenthin frequently presents professional play therapy and family therapy trainings on Attachment-Centered Play Therapy, Family, and Trauma issues both nationally and internationally.

Ms. Mellenthin is a sought-after supervisor, training graduate students and interns in play therapy, and an adjunct faculty member at the University of Southern California MSW program. She is the past-president of the Utah Association for Play Therapy and remains an active member on the Board of Directors. She is the author of the books Attachment Centered Play Therapy; Play Therapy: Engaging & Powerful Techniques for the Treatment of Childhood Disorders; My Many Colors of Me Workbookand has authored several chapters and articles. In addition to being an experienced play therapist and professor, Ms. Mellenthin also appears on local and national TV and radio as an expert on children and family issues. She holds a master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Southern California.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Clair Mellenthin has an employment relationship with Wasatch Family Therapy. She is a published author and receives royalties. Clair Mellenthin receives a speaking honorarium, recording royalties, and book royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Clair Mellenthin is a member of the National Association of Social Workers, the Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, the American Psychological Association, and the Association for Play Therapy.

Leanne Campbell, PhD, is co-developer of Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT) and co-author with Dr. Susan Johnson of the first basic EFIT text, A Primer for Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT). She also co-authored Emotionally Focused Therapy for Trauma and contributed to Becoming an Emotionally Focused Therapist: The Workbook.

Dr. Campbell is a registered psychologist in the province of British Columbia, vice president of the International Center for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT), and an international speaker, writer, researcher, trainer and co-author of various EFT-related educational programs and materials. In addition to providing psychological services to hundreds of individuals, couples, and families over nearly three decades, Dr. Campbell provides trainings in Emotional Focused Therapy (EFT) to professionals around the globe with a primary focus in the areas of loss and trauma. Dr. Campbell’s dedication to advancing EFT principles and her commitment to helping others grow through emotionally focused interventions have made her a foremost authority in the field.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: T. Leanne Campbell maintains a private practice and receives royalties as a published author. She receives a speaking honorarium, recording, and book royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: T. Leanne Campbell is a board member International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy. She is a member of the Canadian Psychological Association, the College of Psychologists of British Columbia, and the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy.

 

The late Carmen Jimenez-Pride, was the creative mind behind Focus on Feelings®, an emotional literacy curriculum, a licensed clinical social worker, registered play therapist supervisor, certified AutPlay® therapy provider, certified EMDR therapist, registered children’s yoga teacher, certified IFS therapist, and a certified LEGO® Serious Play® facilitator.

Carmen was a trauma therapist experienced in the clinical treatment of children, adolescents, and adults with culturally diverse backgrounds addressing a wide range of concerns. Carmen’s career in the mental health field spanned more than 15 years.

She was an international speaker, award-winning best-selling author, and business consultant. Carmen was a visionary in the therapeutic community, working to create and develop a wide range of educational tools to assist the clinician, and the client to reach optimum goals. With a focus on cultural humility and cultural diversity, Carmen educated clinical professionals to address racial and cultural trauma within their clinical practices.

Carmen served as the South Carolina Association for Play Therapy President and was the recipient of the 2021 Association for Play Therapy Emerging Leader Award. She also served as the diversity and inclusion director of the Internal Sandtray Therapy Association.

Carmen was the developer of Diversity in Play Therapy Inc.; and the Diversity in Play Therapy Summit. She was also the developer and publisher of Focus on Feelings®.
 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Carmen Jimenez-Pride had employment relationships with Internal Family Systems Institute and Outspoken Counseling and Consulting, LLC. She was a published author and receives royalties. She received a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She had no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Carmen Jimenez-Pride was a member of the National Association for Addiction Professionals, National Association of Social Workers, and Association for Play 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.