Mary Jo Barrett, MSW, a CCFH Associate Faculty member, is Director, Center for Contextual Change, located in Skokie, West Loop, and Elmhurst, IL.,a clinic specializing in The Collaborative Stage Model-a component phase model working with individuals, families, and groups. She is also on the faculties of the University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration, and the Family Institute of Northwestern University. She holds a masters degree in social work from the University of Illinois Jane Addams School of Social Work.

Ms. Barrett is a nationally prominent expert in the treatment of trauma and traumatic violence in the family. Her model is a collaborative, resilience-oriented approach which helps family create healing plans that can provide lasting change. Mary Jo also works extensively with helping therapist prevent Compassion Fatigue and heal from Vicarious Traumatization. She is a leading authority on family violence, including the physical and sexual abuse of children, neglect, incest, and spouse abuse, and has been working on these issues in since 1974.

Ms. Barrett has co-authored a new book Treating Complex Trauma: A Relational Blueprint for Collaboration and Change (with Linda Stone Fish). Ms. Barrett has co-authored two books with Dr. Terry Trepper: Treating Incest: A Multiple Systems Perspective and The Systemic Treatment of Incest: A Therapeutic Handbook. She is working on a handbook addressing compassion fatigue. Her other publications focus on systemic and feminist treatment of women, adult survivors of sexual abuse and trauma, eating disorders, couples therapy and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Ms. Barrett provides consultations, workshops, and courses, nationally and internationally, to families, lawyers, psychotherapists, social service providers, staff of residential treatment facilities and staff of governmental agencies.

Tracy Levine is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who currently serves as the Executive Director of the Naomi Ruth Cohen Institute for Mental Health Education at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Tracy earned both a bachelor’s degree and her Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan. She has a certificate in Non-Profit Executive Leadership and over 30 years of experience in behavioral health and direct services. Her passion for service and dedication to improving the lives of others is proven through years of leading programs focused on building resilience, strengthening family relationships, and supporting children, families, and emerging adults. Tracy is a respected educator, trainer, and presenter and an adept advocate for the coordination and implementation of trauma-informed community-based programming. She believes in fostering inclusivity, meeting the needs of the under-resourced, and reducing stigma while supplying support and hope. Tracy is the Board President of Mental Health America of the Northern Suburbs(MHANS).

John P. Forsyth, PhD is Professor of Psychology at the University at Albany, SUNY, and Director of the Anxiety Disorders Research Program (ADRP) in Albany, NY. He is also a licensed clinical psychologist in New York, with expertise in the use and application of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for anxiety disorders and a range of other mental health concerns.

John is the author of several popular books, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Anxiety Disorders, The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety (2nd edition), ACT on Life, Not On Anger, and Your Life on Purpose. His latest book, Anxiety Happens, is for anyone who gets tripped up now and then by anxiety and fear.

He received his B.A. in psychology from Providence College and his M.A. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from West Virginia University. He did his pre-doctoral internship training at the University of Mississippi Medical Center Jackson VAMC Consortium, where he served as Chief Psychology Resident within the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior.

He has authored and co-authored over 100 articles, five books (many of which have been translated in other languages), several book chapters, routinely leads professional workshops on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy across the United States and abroad, and has presented hundreds of talks at professional meetings.

Sarah Buino, LCSW, RDDP, CADC, CDWF, NMT is a speaker, teacher, therapist and the founder of the therapy practice Head/Heart Therapy and organizational consulting firm Head/Heart Business Therapy.
Sarah is a member of the adjunct faculty at Loyola University Chicago and presents on topics such as shame, therapist wellness, antiracism, trauma, and addiction to organizations all over the country. She’s also the host of a podcast: Conversations With a Wounded Healer which examines the role of one’s own healing while being a caregiving professional.

In addition to clinical work with clients, Sarah provides consultation services to therapists and therapeutic organizations who seek professional healing and transformation.

Philip Manfield, Ph.D. has practiced psychotherapy in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1975. He has authored or edited four books about psychotherapy and EMDR and taught on six continents. Most recently, Dr. Manfield has developed the flash technique, a process used in the preparation phase of EMDR that permits overwhelmingly disturbing memories to be processed with virtually no pain. He has been the lead author on two published papers concerning the flash technique that has appeared in the Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, the most recent of which is entitled “Flash Technique in a Scalable Low-Intensity Group Intervention for COVID-19 Related Stress in Healthcare Providers”

Dr. Megan Kelly is a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School. She obtained her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the University at Albany, State University of New York and she completed her research fellowship at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Her current research involves grant-funded studies of novel psychosocial and digital interventions for people with co-occurring tobacco use and mental health disorders and interventions to improve the social reintegration of individuals with mental health disorders.

Fred J. Hanna, Ph.D., is a professor and co-designer of the PhD Program in Counseling at Adler University, in Chicago. He is also a Senior Faculty Associate at Johns Hopkins University where he taught graduate counseling courses for 25 years, including 11 years full time, leaving as a Full Professor. Fred has authored or co-authored over 70 peer reviewed and professional publications. An award-winning teacher, he has also delivered over 500 presentations at conferences, seminars, trainings, and workshops, across America. He was the recipient of the 2019 Humanistic Impact Award, a national award granted by the Association for Humanistic Counseling. He was also the recipient of the Adler University Social Justice Award for 2020. Fred has served as a consultant and trainer to the medical, mental health, corrections, business, and education communities, including such places as the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, the Fort Peck Sioux Reservation in Montana, the Department of Psychiatry at Yale University, and a wide variety of school systems, community agencies, prisons, and criminal justice settings from coast to coast. His research interests have focused on developing the Precursors Model of Change which has received international attention. He has also developed, published, and presented many evidence-based, innovative psychotherapy techniques and strategies designed for application in the areas of client motivation, resistance to therapy, addictions, diversity and multiculturalism, oppression, liberation, trauma, spirituality, criminality, defiant adolescents, personal development, and difficult personalities. He is also an accomplished world traveler, having explored many remote areas in Asia. Fred is the author of the book, Therapy with Difficult Clients: Using the Precursors Model to Awaken Change, now in progress for its 2nd Edition. He and his Precursors Model were also the focus of a DVD, Treatment with Defiant, Aggressive Adolescents. The original book, the 2nd Edition, and the DVD are all published by or under contract with the American Psychological Association (APA). Fred is also currently working on a book that outlines and describes a new model of psychotherapy that includes many innovative new techniques, including variations on the themes of existentialism, mindfulness, Buddhist, and Yoga psychology.

Rayell Grayson is a therapist and the Executive Director at Head/Heart Therapy Inc. Rayell has worked primarily in outpatient settings, providing addiction treatment and individual therapy to those who have, and continue to be, impacted by chronic trauma. She believes that having an understanding of the ways in which historical/intergenerational and present day trauma impacts our communities is an essential part of the therapeutic healing process.

In her work, Rayell empowers and encourages clients to utilize their story as the driving force to support change, growth and foster resilience. She is an advocate for racial and social justice and is passionate about making an impact in BIPOC communities.

Rayell holds a Master of Arts degree in clinical counseling psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She is a licensed clinical professional counselor and certified alcohol and drug counselor.

Lewis Engel, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist in private practice in San Rafael, California, and consults with both groups of therapists and individual therapists mastering EMDR and Flash Technique. Dr. Engel is a former associate professor of psychology at Lone Mountain College, San Francisco, and is the author of Imaginary Crimes: Why We Punish Ourselves and How To Stop, co-authored with Tom Ferguson, M.D., Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1990. He currently col-laborates with Dr. Phil Manfield, the developer of the Flash Technique, in research and training therapists around the world in the use of the Flash Technique. At present, he and Dr. Manfield have trained over 8000 therapists in the Flash Technique. In addition, they have published two peer-reviewed journal articles and are preparing another while also collaborating with re-searchers in the US, Europe, and Australia in other studies of the Flash Technique.