2023 ASMW Faculty

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Afik Faerman, MS

Afik Faerman, MS

Afik Faerman is a clinical researcher and educator with a Ph.D. in clinical psychology with an emphasis on neuropsychology. He completed his clinical training at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX.

Akira Otani, Ed.D., ABPH

Akira Otani, Ed.D., ABPH

Akira Otani, Ed.D. is a Fellow and Approved Consultant of the ASCH. After spending 20-plus years at The Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland Counseling Center, he decided to teach, consult, and travel which he had always wanted to do.

Anita Jung, LPC-S, LPA

Anita Jung, LPC-S, LPA

Anita Jung is the founder of the Jung Wellness Institute and an internationally acclaimed lecturer, psychotherapist, trainer, and business consultant. She is a board member of the International Society of Hypnosis, the past president of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis, and serves as the President of the Central Texas Society of Clinical Hypnosis. Anita shares her wealth of knowledge and experience in published audio recordings (Germany and USA), lectures, workshops, and consultations. .

Cameron Alldredge, Ph.D.

Cameron Alldredge, Ph.D.

Cameron Alldredge, PhD is a licensed psychologist and an early career professional. He is currently the postdoctoral fellow for Dr. Gary Elkins in his Mind-Body Medicine Research Lab at Baylor University. He was a successful stage hypnotist in his early 20s but eventually abandoned performing with hypnosis to spend the last 9 years earning his doctorate degree in order to advance hypnosis in a therapeutic and experimental context.

Carole Stokes-Brewer, Ph.D., LISW-S

Carole Stokes-Brewer, Ph.D., LISW-S

Carole Stokes-Brewer, Ph.D., LISW-S is a psychotherapist in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her background experiences include working in the field of mental health, addictions, personal development, and teaching. Whether she was working with children, couples, families, or adults, she had only one passion…to help those on their journey to find successful outcomes.

Carolyn Diatch, Ph.D.

Carolyn Diatch, Ph.D.

Dr. Carolyn Daitch is an internationally renowned psychologist, trainer, author, and presenter who teaches individuals and groups to recognize and manage stress and anxiety. Dr. Daitch is frequently invited to speak about anxiety and affect regulation at international conferences and as a keynote speaker at these conferences.

Christina L. Vair, Ph.D.

Christina L. Vair, Ph.D.

Christina L. Vair, the licensed clinical psychologist, is the Whole Health Director for the Salisbury North Carolina VA Health Care System and the Mid-Atlantic regional lead for Whole Health. She received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Geropsychology.

Ciara Christensen, Ph.D.

Ciara Christensen, Ph.D.

Ciara Christensen, Ph.D., is a licensed Clinical Psychologist in Idaho and Wisconsin. Previously, she was a hospital psychologist at St. Luke's, in Twin Falls, Idaho. She is the President of the Society of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis (SCEH). She is the past President of the Society of Psychological Hypnosis (D30) of the American Psychological Association (APA).

Courtney Armstrong, M.Ed., LPC

Courtney Armstrong, M.Ed., LPC

Courtney Armstrong M.Ed., LPC is a licensed professional counselor and ASCH-approved consultant with 20 years of experience who specializes in grief and trauma recovery. She is the author of Transforming Traumatic Grief (2011), The Therapeutic "Aha" (2015), and Rethinking Trauma Treatment: Attachment, Memory Reconsolidation, and Resilience (2019).

Dana L. Lebo, Ph.D.

Dana L. Lebo, Ph.D.

Dana Lebo, Ph.D. works as a clinical psychologist with the University of North Carolina's THRIVE Team serving military veterans with TBI, PTSD, Moral Injury, Substance Abuse, and other mental health challenges. She also is a performance psychologist with the Brain and Body Health Team at the University of North Carolina and an executive coach with a leadership consulting firm.

Daniel Radesca, MD, MSc

Daniel Radesca, MD, MSc

International lecturer and physician specializing in palliative care. He was trained in hypnotherapy by Michael Yapko and currently serves as vice president of the Clinical Hypnosis Association (CHA) in the USA. Founder and co-director of the Hypnosis Center of Uruguay

David Elliott, Ph.D.

David Elliott, Ph.D.

Pre-Conference Workshop Faculty

David is a clinical psychologist who received his Ph.D. in Psychology from Harvard University in 1989.  He is the former President of the Rhode Island Psychological Association. Currently, he is an International Faculty and Chair of the Advisory Board of the International School for Psychotherapy, Counseling, and Group Leadership in St. Petersburg, Russia, and is on the faculty of the Psykosyntes Akademin

David Gaffney, LMSW, BCDCH, EFT-Adv

David Gaffney, LMSW, BCDCH, EFT-Adv

David Gaffney, LMSW, BCDCH, EFT-Adv has been practicing as a Clinical Social Worker for the past 38 years, utilizing systemic therapy, hypnosis, NLP, neurofeedback, and mindfulness in many different MH systems. He currently is in private practice and is also employed by the Veteran's Affairs hospital in Saginaw, MI as the Mind-Body therapist in the Integrated Pain Clinic.

David Patterson, Ph.D., ABPH

David Patterson, Ph.D., ABPH

Pre-Conference Workshop Faculty

David Patterson, Ph.D., ABPH, is a psychologist from the University of Washington School of Medicine, where he has practiced hypnosis and experimental hypnosis for more than 30 years.

Elizabeth Slonena, Psy.D., MSCP

Elizabeth Slonena, Psy.D., MSCP

Dr. Liz is a psychologist, consultant, speaker, and artist who owns a thriving private practice in Asheville, NC. She specializes in adult ADHD, perfectionism, burnout, and complex PTSD. Dr. Liz has co-authored 13 peer-reviewed research articles and is the co-creator of Brief Mindful Hypnosis. She holds multiple leadership roles in the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis.

Eric Spiegel, Ph.D.

Eric Spiegel, Ph.D.

Eric Spiegel, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Spiegel is a Past-President and Fellow of ASCH. He is co-author of the book Attachment in Group Psychotherapy, published by the American Psychological Association in 2013.

Eva Szigethy, MD, Ph.D.

Eva Szigethy, MD, Ph.D.

Eva M. Szigethy, MD, Ph.D., is a professor of psychiatry, pediatrics, and medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, director of behavioral health within the Chief Medical Officer, and consultant to UPMC Health Plan, Behavioral Unit of Digitally Delivered Interventions (BUDDI).

Gabor Filo, DDS, ABHD

Gabor Filo, DDS, ABHD

Filo graduated from the University of Toronto's Faculty of Dentistry in 1984. Since then, he has been an ardent and passionate proponent of dental hypnosis. During the last two decades, he has proselytized to fellow dentists at many of the major North American dental conferences.

George Glaser, LCSW, MSW, DAHB

George Glaser, LCSW, MSW, DAHB

George P. Glaser, LCSW is a clinical social worker in private practice in Austin, Texas. An ASCH Approved consultant, he is a co-founder of the Milton H. Erickson Institute of Austin and has served as a faculty member since its creation in 1987. George is the Past President of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis and the Central Texas Society of Clinical Hypnosis and continues to be very involved with both organizations.

Hal Wain, Ph.D.

Plenary Session Faculty

Jeffrey Sugar, MD

Jeffrey Sugar, MD

Dr. Sugar, a Child Psychiatrist, has used clinical hypnosis with adults and children for 30+ years in public non-profit, academic, and private settings. He learned hypnosis at UCLA with Jean Holroyd, John Hedenberg,  and Joseph Barber, then with Ernest Rossi; child hypnosis with Lonnie Zeltzer, Karen Olness, and Dan Kohen, and hypnosis research methods with Ken Bowers and John Khilstrom.

John W. Hall, Ph.D., ABPP

John W. Hall, Ph.D., ABPP

John W. Hall, Ph.D., ABPP, is a board-certified clinical health psychologist in Charlotte, NC. He is one of the Whole Health Pain Psychologists and Emeritus LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinator for the Salisbury VA Health Care System. He is one of the VHA's subject matter experts for the clinical hypnosis rollout effort and co-lead the first regional pilot training.

Joseph F. Zastrow, MD, FAAFP

Joseph F. Zastrow, MD, FAAFP

Dr. Joseph Zastrow, MD, FAAFP is a medical doctor practicing in rural Eastern North Carolina. The proverbial country doctor, Dr. Zastrow integrates clinical hypnosis into the practice of medicine. He commonly uses clinical hypnosis to treat addictions and habit control, anxiety disorders, and conversion disorders.

Lane Wagaman, Ed.D.

Lane Wagaman, Ed.D.

Dr. Wagaman is a Health Services Provider and Licensed Psychologist in Hollywood, South Carolina. He is also a Licensed Psychologist in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Maryland.

Larry Goldman, MD

Larry Goldman, MD

Retired OB/GYN physician after 27 years of practice. Past President Florida Society of Clinical Hypnosis. Fellow and past teaching faculty ASCH. Volunteer faculty at UCF School of Medicine. Past director of the undergraduate emergency training program at the University of Florida.

Louis Damis, Ph.D., ABPP

Louis Damis, Ph.D., ABPP

Dr. Damis is a Diplomate with the American Board of Professional Psychology, a Fellow of the American Academy of Clinical Health Psychology, the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance, and the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. He is a licensed psychologist who holds ASCH Certification in Clinical Hypnosis with Consultant Status.

Mark Jensen, Ph.D.

Mark Jensen, Ph.D.

Plenary Session Faculty

Mark Jensen, Ph.D., is UW Medicine's vice chair for research in Rehabilitation Medicine and a UW professor of Rehabilitation Medicine. As a clinician/scientist, Dr. Jensen has been developing and studying the efficacy of psychosocial pain treatments and facilitating national and international workshops on these treatment approaches over three decades.

Mary Wells, Ph.D.

Mary Wells, Ph.D.

Dr. Mary Wells is a licensed clinical psychologist who has been in practice for over 30 years in the areas of rehabilitation and pain management. She completed her graduate work at George Washington University and started her career at the Washington Pain and Rehabilitation Center in Washington DC.

Michael A. Quiñones, Ph.D.

Michael A. Quiñones, Ph.D.

Michael A. Quiñones, Ph.D. is in independent clinical and forensic psychology practice in Broward County, Florida. He specializes in treating trauma-related and dissociative disorders, regularly employing hypnotherapy, mindfulness practices, and other altered states to empower clients to assume an active role in resolving their difficulties, and has an extensive and sophisticated knowledge base in the biopsychology of traumatization and altered states.

Nicholas Dogris, Ph.D., BCN, QEEGD‎

Nicholas Dogris, Ph.D., BCN, QEEGD‎

Plenary Session Faculty

Dr. Dogris is a California-licensed psychologist specializing in Health Psychology, wellness, and mind-body physiology. He holds a Diplomate in QEEG and is Board Certified in Neurofeedback through the ‎Biofeedback Certification International Alliance (BCIA).

Philip L. Accaria, Ph.D.

Philip L. Accaria, Ph.D.

Dr. Philip L. Accaria is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Tennessee and New Jersey and has been practicing since 1984. He is Past-President of both ASCH and the Clinical Hypnosis Society of NJ, is Past-Moderator of the ASCH Board of Governors, and is an ASCH Fellow and Approved Consultant.

Robert Staffin, Psy.D., ABPH

Robert Staffin, Psy.D., ABPH

Dr. Robert Staffin is a clinical psychologist who has been teaching hypnosis nationally and internationally for over 20 years. He is an ASCH-approved consultant, the president of the Clinical Hypnosis Society of New Jersey, and a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychological Hypnosis.

Steven Gold, Ph.D.

Steven Gold, Ph.D.

Steven N. Gold, Ph.D. is a Professor Emeritus, at Nova Southeastern University College of Psychology, and Founding Director of NSU's Trauma Resolution & Integration Program (TRIP).

Steven Warner, Ph.D.

Steven Warner, Ph.D.

Dr. Warner received his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Miami in 1986. He works primarily in private practice providing psychotherapy, clinical hypnosis, and neurofeedback in Cape Canaveral, Fl. Dr. Warner is the past director and co-founder of the Miami Institute of Clinical Hypnosis.

Tiff Thompson, Ph.D.

Tiff Thompson, Ph.D.

Plenary Session Faculty

Wendy Lemke, MS, LP

Wendy Lemke, MS, LP

Lemke is an ASCH-certified approved consultant and board member. She is the recipient of numerous awards and is also a fellow and an active member of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD).

William (Bill) Brislin, LMHC, NCC

William (Bill) Brislin, LMHC, NCC

Bill Brislin, LMHC, NCC,  is a professional counselor in independent practice in Orlando, Florida. Certified in clinical hypnosis and EMDR therapy, he is an EMDR-approved consultant, basic EMDR trainer, and trainer for the EMDR Recent Traumatic Episodes Protocol and the Group Traumatic Episodes Protocol.