Dr. Bremner is a professor of psychiatry and radiology and director of the Emory Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, as well as director of mental health research at the Atlanta VA Medical Center in Decatur, Georgia. Dr. Bremner also serves on the faculty of the Neuroscience Graduate Program in the Division of Biological and Behavioral Sciences at Emory. From 2000 to 2006 he was director of the Emory Center for Positron Emission Tomography. Dr. Bremner moved to Emory from Yale in November 2000, where he spent the first 12 years of his career.
Desmond is a mindfulness teacher, therapist, and co-founder of Morning Sun Mindfulness Center in Alstead, New Hampshire. He is the author of Self-Compassion in Psychotherapy and offers training to therapists around the world, helping them to integrate mindfulness and self-compassion practices into their work. He is a student of Thich Nhat Hanh, with whom he has studied closely for over 15 years.
Melissa Caldwell Engle is the Clinical Director of Healing Springs Ranch LLC. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and a Registered Art Therapist (A.T.R.) She has over 25 years of experience treating trauma, addictions and the co-morbid client. She has worked with a variety of trauma related disorders including; PTSD, Eating Disorders, Dual Diagnosis, MDD, Anxiety Disorders, Dissociative Disorders, Bi-polar disorder and all addictions-both substance and process.
Mrs. Caldwell Engle played an integral part in the Healing Springs program development. Her “Core Curriculum” classes are taught daily and provide an “Integrated Addiction Model” bridging the gap between trauma, addictions, and mental health. Mrs. Caldwell Engle has a unique way of combining theory with specific treatment techniques emphasizing experiential and expressive treatment modalities.
Dr. Harmell is a national lecturer specializing in legal and ethical issues in clinical practice. She is a professor at the Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology and has written extensively in professional publications on ethical practice. Dr. Harmell is a former chair of the California Psychological Association State Ethics Committee and is the current co-chair of the Los Angeles County Psychological Association Ethics Committee. She served on the Board of Directors of the California Psychological Association, and she is a past-president of the Los Angeles County Psychological Association.
Harville Hendrix, PhD and Helen LaKelly Hunt, PhD are partners in life and work. Their work is to make relational information and skills available to everyone. To do so, they co-created Imago Relationship Therapy as a couples therapy, co-initiated Imago Relationships International as a training institute for couples therapists, co-founded Relationships First as a collaborative mission to create a relational culture and Safe Conversations® as a social experiment to raise the joy index of a whole city. They believe that how we interact with each other, in all our contexts—family, workplace, schools, etc.—is the key to the emotional, physical, economic and relational well-being of everyone, including society and culture. They vision shifting from the age of the individual to the age of relationship and making “relationship” the primary value system of culture. Dr. Hendrix and Dr. Hunt continue to co-create Imago Relationship Theory and Therapy and make it available in workshops, training programs, lectures, seminars and books. Over 1200 Imago therapists practice in 37 countries. Their professional partnership has produced 10 books including three NYT best sellers (Getting the Love You Want, Keeping the Love You Find, and Giving the Love that Heals). Their latest book is Making Marriage Simple (2013). They are working on a new professional text on Imago theory and therapy. Dr. Hendrix is a couple’s therapist with over 40 years’ experience as an educator, clinical trainer and lecturer whose work has been on Oprah 18 times. In addition to Dr. Hunt’s partnership with her husband in the co-creation of Imago, she is sole author of Faith and Feminism and has been installed in the Women’s Hall of Fame for her leadership in the global women’s movement. Helen and Harville have been married for over 30 years, have six children, and six grandchildren and reside in Dallas, Texas and New York City.
Dr. Hickmon served as a professor of marriage and family therapy in the Marriage and Family Master’s Program at Harding University from its beginning in 1993 until 2013, and he now teaches classes on addictions and trauma as an adjunct professor. In 2001 he founded Capstone Treatment Center in Searcy, Arkansas, where he now serves as the CEO. Dr. Hickmon earned a PhD in marriage and family therapy from Virginia Tech and an MA in substance abuse counseling from NE Louisiana University. Dr. Hickmon developed the Core Model of therapy, which focuses on chemical and process addictions and compulsions, trauma, attachment, and relationship intimacy within the family and their core underlying issues.
Dr. Lee-Samuel is board certified in Adult Psychiatry, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. As Medical Director at Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center, she supervises the medical staff and sets the overall vision and direction for the treatment program, working collaboratively with primary and family therapists, expressive therapists, nutritionists, and other treatment team members. Prior to Timberline Knolls, Dr. Lee-Samuel was affiliated with multiple inpatient psychiatric hospitals including Lakeshore Hospital, Provena Mercy, and Alexian Brothers. She had a private practice for several years, was an assistant professor at the University of Chicago, and also served as the Director of Psychiatric Services for DCFS of Illinois. Dr. Lee-Samuel attended Wellesley College in Massachusetts, the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. She is a member of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Dr. Love has published six books, numerous articles, and online training programs. She is a distinguished professor, licensed marriage and family therapist, and former president of the International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors. Her passion is research, clinical practice, and training.
Kirk Moberg, MD, PhD, is the Executive Medical Director of the Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery in the UnityPoint Health System. Moberg graduated from the University of Illinois and holds an MD, a PhD in biology and an MS in health policy and administration. He is a clinical professor at the University Of Illinois College Of Medicine and is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Addiction Medicine.
Jamison Monroe, Jr., Founder and CEO of Newport Academy, Co-founder of Drugs Over Dinner, is a prominent voice in the field of adolescent mental health and addiction treatment. He is an active participant in the movement to reduce social stigma around mental health challenges and substance abuse. Monroe is a writer, spokesperson, Kundalini Yoga teacher, and fierce advocate of holistic learning and compassionate care for struggling teens.
Dr. Pohl is a board certified family practitioner, as well as vice-president of medical affairs and the medical director of Las Vegas Recovery Center, where he was a major force in developing its chronic pain recovery program. He is the former chairman of the American Society of Addiction Medicine’s AIDS Committee, a member of its Symposium Planning Committee, a member of its planning committee for its Annual “Common Threads, Pain and Addiction” course, and co-chair of its Pain and Addiction Workgroup. He is a nationally known public speaker and author and co-author of several books. His newest book with Kathy Ketcham is The Pain Antidote–Stop Suffering from Chronic Pain, Avoid Addiction to Painkillers, and Reclaim Your Life.
Deborah is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, National Certified Counselor and Certified Addiction Professional. She is a trained EMDR therapist and a Clinical Hypontherapist. Deborah has worked in several treatment centers throughout South Florida as Case Manager, Therapist, Director of Intensive Outpatient, and also Clinical Director. She has presented workshops at several state and national conferences about using mindfulness and emotional regulation to manage stress and using the arts as motivation in recovery. Deborah recently returned to work at The Palm Beach Institute as a consultant running a monthly, three-day Family Program and then transitioned back into the role of Primary Therapist where she is happiest helping motivate clients to change.
Dr. Ryback is an internationally recognized authority on emotional intelligence and a respected consultant and speaker across the United States, Europe, and Asia. He remains at the forefront of the latest research on applications of mindfulness and dream work. President of EQ Associates International in Atlanta, Dr. Ryback is the author of several books, including Putting Emotional Intelligence to Work and Dreams That Come True, as well as over 60 professional articles, such as “Self-Determination and the Neurology of Mindfulness,” “The Neuroscience of the Soul,” and “Dreams and Archetypes.”
Weiss is senior vice president of national clinical development for Elements Behavioral Health, creating and overseeing addiction and mental health treatment programs for more than a dozen high-end treatment facilities, including Promises Treatment Centers in Malibu, The Ranch in Tennessee, and The Right Step in Texas. An internationally acknowledged clinician and author of self-help literature for over 25 years, Weiss is a subject matter expert on the intersection of human intimacy and digital technology for multiple media outlets. Weiss’s books, talks, and event information are at www.robertweissmsw.com.
