Robert J. Ackerman, PhD is Professor Emeritus from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and the previous Director of the Mid-Atlantic Addiction Research and Training Institute. He is co-founder of the National Association for Children of Alcoholics. He is the previous Editor of Counselor: The Magazine for Addiction and Behavioral Health Professionals and currently is the Chair of the Advisory Board. He has published numerous articles and research findings and wrote the first book in the United States on children of alcoholics. He has become internationally known for his work with families and children.
Paul Auchterlonie is Acting CEO of Decision Point Center, with three locations across Arizona. He has more than 25 years of experience in behavioral healthcare and education. His expertise includes organizational change management and turnarounds, strategy, marketing, and program development.
John Briere, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California. He received the Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Science of Trauma Psychology from the American Psychological Association, and has authored 15 books and over 120 articles and chapters.
Brenda Lee Gauthier, LCSW, LCDC is licensed as Clinical Social Worker and Chemical Dependency Counselor. She is a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, Certified facilitator of Trauma Informed Yoga Therapy and is in the advanced level of training in Somatic Experiencing. She facilitates the Intensive Family Program at The Last Resort, as well as Integrative Holotropic Breathwork experiences for treatment centers and the community. In June she will be facilitating an Overcoming Anxiety Clinic - a four part weekly series. Gauthier is currently in private practice in Austin where she specializes in working with people recovering from trauma, addiction and anxiety disorders.
Pamela Harmell, PhD 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 Past President of the Board of Psychology. She is former Chair of the California State Ethics Committee, and is current Co-Chair of the LA County Psychological Association Ethics Committee.
Brennon P. Moore, MS, CTT, CADC-II, LPC
Brennon Moore is a Licensed Professional Counselor and has his MS in Mental Health Counseling. His interest in trauma healing began in academia while studying experiential and gestalt approaches to treating trauma at The University of Cork in Ireland, and several months working as a counselor with children in the Middle East during his graduate studies. Brennon is a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC-II), a Nationally Certified Trauma Therapist (CTT), a trained EMDR practitioner and he has over 150 hours of training in Peter Levine's Somatic Experiencing.
Brennon joined The Refuge clinical team in 2011 and currently leads groups, co-facilitates trauma Intensives and trauma therapy trainings, and speaks all over the country. He has written several published articles on treating trauma and addiction, and in the summer of 2016, his first book will be released, focusing on working with young men struggling with childhood sexual trauma and addiction.
Dennis Ortman, PhD, has been a clinical psychologist in private practice in the Detroit Metropolitan area for over 20 years, specializing in treating those with addictions and those who have suffered the trauma of infidelity. He received his doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Detroit-Mercy and a graduate degree in theology from the Gregorian University in Rome, Italy.
Jason ZW Powers, MD, MAPP, is the Creator and Chief Instructional Designer of Positive Recovery® as well as Chief Medical Officer for Promises-Austin & Right Step. An expert in addiction medicine treatment and prevention, Dr. Powers is board certified in Family Medicine and Addiction Medicine and received a Master’s in Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.
As a Clinical Addictions Specialist at Timberline Knolls, Roseann Rook is responsible for conducting psycho-educational and process groups as well as providing individual counseling for addiction treatment including co-occurring disorders such as eating and mood disorders. Rook specializes in process addictions with a strong focus on relationship addictions. She was instrumental in the development of the addiction treatment program at Timberline Knolls and the implementation of integrating process addictions into the curriculum. As a member of Timberline Knolls Clinical Development Institute, Rook has presented locally and at national conferences. She has worked in the addictions field for 23 years starting as an addiction counselor at Aunt Martha’s Youth Service and moving on to counsel MISA clients at Grand Prairie Services. She also worked for the YMCA Network for Counseling and Youth Development as an Addictions Counselor and Crisis Worker. Rook returned to Grand Prairie Services for a brief stint to develop and implement an outpatient program before joining Timberline Knolls in 2006.
Colin A. Ross, MD is an internationally renowned clinician, researcher, author and lecturer in the field of traumatic stress and trauma-related disorders. He is the founder and President of the Colin A. Ross Institute for Psychological Trauma and is the Executive Medical Director of three trauma programs located in Texas, Michigan, and California.
Ronald D. Siegel, PhD is Assistant Professor of Psychology, part time, Harvard Medical School; serves on the Board of Directors and faculty, Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy; and is author of: The Mindfulness Solution: Everyday Practices for Everyday Problems; Sitting Together: Essential Skills for Mindfulness-Based Psychotherapy; and co-editor of Mindfulness and Psychotherapy, 2/e.
Stevie Stanford, PhD, Clinical Director at Promises Austin, is a licensed psychologist, a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional and Certified EMDR Psychotherapist. Stanford completed her PhD in Counseling Psychology at Northern Arizona University, and has presented across the country on: attachment disorders in adopted teens, eating disorders in males, EMDR and mindfulness, and trauma treatment for clients with addictions.
Karen Kissel Wegela, PhD is a psychologist in private practice and a professor at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. Focusing on the integration of Buddhist psychology and therapeutic work, her books include: What Really Helps (1996); The Courage to Be Present (2009); and Contemplative Psychotherapy Essentials: Enriching Your Practice with Buddhist Psychology (2014).
