Course Director
James S. Gordon, MD, Founder and Director of The Center for Mind-Body Medicine; Dean of the Graduate School of Mind-Body Medicine at Saybook University; Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Family Medicine; Georgetown University School of Medicine; former Chairman of the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy; author,
Manifesto for a New Medicine,
Comprehensive Cancer Care, and
Unstuck: Your Guide to the Seven Stage Journey out of Depression
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Clinical Director
Amy Shinal, MSW, LCSW, Integrative Psychotherapist in private practice; Clinical Director at The Center for Mind-Body Medicine; and part-time faculty at Saybrook University in the College of Mind-Body Medicine
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Course Faculty
Rhonda Adessky, PhD, Clinical Psychologist, private practice, Jerusalem; Director of trainings, Center for Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem; Clinical Director, Training Center for Mind-Body Medicine, Israel
Toni Bankston, LCSW, BACS, Psychotherapist and Consultant; Executive Director, Mind-Body Center of Louisiana; Director of Behavioral Health Services, Baton Rouge OneStop Homeless Services Center, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Baton Rouge; Mind-Body Skills groups with displaced Katrina and Rita survivors, Horizon Oil Spill Disasters and school-based mental health
Barbara Black, NCBTMB, wellness educator, cancer guide, SoulCollage® and Mind-Body Skills Group facilitator; senior staff, Smith Center’s Cancer Help Program Retreats, Washington, DC; facilitator & presenter, Smith Center’s community education and patient navigator programs
Susan Blum, MD, MPH, Board Certified, Preventive Medicine; Founder and Director of the Blum Center for Health in Rye Brook, NY; Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Afrim Blyta, MD, PhD, Neuropsychiatrist, Head of Department of Neurology, University Clinical Center of Kosova; Faculty member, University School of Prishtina; Co-founder of Institute for Mental Health and Recovery of Kosova; Country Co-Director, The Center for Mind-Body Medicine; private practice in Prishtina, Kosovo
Bob Buckley, LCSW, Consultant in stress management, coping with change in the workplace, and the aftermath of violence; Critical Incidence Stress Debriefer, giving sessions for police, fire and rescue personnel, private corporations, and the general public; Senior Clinical Supervisor, The Center for Mind-Body Medicine
José Calderón-Abbo, MD, dually boarded in Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine; Faculty, Louisiana State University and Tulane University Departments of Psychiatry; Associate Medical Director, Co-Occurring Disorders Program, DePaul Hospital; Director and Founder, the Mindful Living Program
Monique Class, MS, APRN, BC, Clinical Nurse in Holistic Health; Certified Family Nurse Practitioner; Director of Nursing, the Center for Women’s Health, Stamford, CT; Certified by the Psychosynthesis Institute in Imagery and Visualization
Chad Dingman, LCSW, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Oncology Certified Social Worker; Mind-Body Skills Group facilitator at Gibbs Cancer Center Spartanburg, SC
Joel M. Evans, MD, Founder and Director of the Center for Women’s Health, Stamford, Connecticut; Assistant Professor, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women’s Health; author, The Whole Pregnancy Handbook
Kathleen Farah, MD, Mind-Body Skills Group facilitator, Integrative Medicine Clinic, Children’s Hospitals and Clinic in Minneapolis; Board certified in family practice and holistic medicine
Ellen Fein, LCSW, RYT-500, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Yoga Teacher, Therapist, Cancer Coach, private practice; author, Not Just a Patient, How to Have a Life When You Have a Life-Threatening Illness
Naftali Halberstadt, PhD, Director, Training Center for Mind-Body Skills, Israel; Psychologist; Psychotherapist-supervisor; Mental Health Officer, Israel Defense Forces; Former Director, JDC’s Psycho-Trauma Response Program
Thomas Hudson, MD, Board certified diagnostic radiologist specializing in breast imaging, Center for Radiology, Orlando, FL; facilitator, Mind-Body Skills Groups at WCR; author, Journey to Hope, a book of self-care and prevention relating to breast cancer
Debra Lewis Kaplan, LCSW, LMFT, Psychotherapist, Dallas, TX; Diplomat, American Psychotherapy Association
Jerrol Kimmel, RN, MA, Integrative Medicine Practitioner and Mind-Body Skills Group facilitator; Faculty Mentor for Saybrook University; Massage Therapist; Private practice services in counseling and bodywork
Thomas Kuciejczyk-Kernan, MD, Board Certified Family Physician; Facilitating Mind-Body Skills Groups in family practice at Grace Hill Health Centers, St. Louis, MO
Lilita Matison, MSW, Clinical social worker; Adjunct faculty member at the University of Latvia in Riga.
Lora Matz, MS, LICSW, Psychotherapist; Faculty member at the Center for Spirituality and Healing; University of MN
Kelsey Menehan, LCSW-C, Psychotherapist; Writer, health and mental health topics
Gjorgji (Goce) Nikoloski, MD, Psychiatrist; Mental health clinician, child adolescent services, Community Mental Health Clinic, Guelph, Ontario Canada; Founder of the Center for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Skopje, Macedonia, 1999
John A. Patterson, MD, MSPH, Family physician, Irvine, KY; Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Kentucky College of Medicine; Past president, the Kentucky Academy of Family Physicians
Judith Pedersen-Benn, MS, CADC, CHT, Holistic Substance Abuse Counselor; Mind-Body Skills Group facilitator; Transformational Learning Consultant
Carrie Phelps, MA, Mind-Body Medicine Practitioner & Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives, YMCA, Pikes Peak Region; consultant for national health related initiatives, YMCA of the USA
Michael Polliack, MD, Psychiatrist; Head, Post-Trauma unit, Tel Hashomer Hospital, Israel; certified EMDR & EFT practitioner; Acupuncturist
Jane Reilly, MS, LICSW, Psychotherapist and Trauma Counselor, private practice; Coordinator, Center for Victims of Torture; Culinary Teacher
Lynda Richtsmeier Cyr, PhD, LP, Integrative Clinical Psychologist; Consultant; Clinical Instructor of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota School of Medicine; part-time faculty, College of Mind-Body Medicine, Saybrook University
Robert Rothstein, MS, Marriage and Family Therapy; Licensed Psychologist, MN; Psychologist and Associate Lead Physician Allina Medical Clinic, Woodbury, MN; Mind-Body Skills Group facilitator; President of Congregation Shir Tikvah, Minneapolis, MN
Neha Sangwan, MD, Communication and Preventative Health Expert; Board Certified Internist, Kaiser Permanente; Founder of Intuitive Intelligence, Inc.; Corporate Health Strategy
Beret Anne Skroch, PsyD, LP, Clinical Psychologist, Primary Care-Mental Health Integration, VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN; Mind-Body Skills Group facilitator
Cherie Snyder, MSS, MA, Professor, Director of Integrative Health program, Director of the Human Service Associate curriculum, Chair of the Integrative Health Team, Allegany College of Maryland
Jusuf Ulaj, MD, Neuropsychiatrist, Head of Department of Psychiatry, University Clinical Center of Kosova; Faculty member, University School of Prishtina; Co-founder, Institute for Mental Health and Recovery of Kosova; Country Co-Director, The Center for Mind-Body Medicine; private practice in Prishtina, Kosovo
Patricia A. Van Kley, PhD, psychologist, private practice; post-doctoral study in Relational/Cultural therapy; study of samatha and vipassana meditation
Claire Wheeler, MD, PhD, Physician, Psychologist in Portland, Oregon; Founder of MindBody Medicine of Portland; Instructor, Portland State University School of Community Health; author, 10 Simple Solutions to Stress
Stephanie Misaki Whiting, MS, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Hawaii; Mind-Body Skills Group facilitator; Wellness and Stress Management consultant; Board Member, Hawaii Counselors Association
