Gestalt Institute of Cleveland - Who We Are

Dorothy A. Faller, ACSW, LISW, board chairperson. President of Faller International Training, Dorothy has extensive experience in social work, education, executive management, governance, and consultation in Cleveland and international arenas from Ethiopia to Romania, including 21 years as director of the Cleveland International Program and the Council of International Programs USA, adjunct faculty at Case Western Reserve University, and active participant in the National Association of Social Workers. Dorothy brings grant and major donor development experience as well as high ethical standards for sound governance, management transparency, and fiscal accountability to her position as treasurer of the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland board.

David Hertz, board secretary. David is vice president and communications counselor at Dix & Eaton, the nation's largest employee-owned, full service communications consulting firm. An award winning journalist for over twenty years, he held the positions of enterprise editor, metro editor and business editor at the Akron Beacon Journal. David brings to the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland his expertise in developing communications programs that are integrated, aligned with organizational strategy, promote the organization's mission, and improve performance.

Ronald L. Moss, PhD, board treasurer. Ron is an education professional with over forty years experience and strong record of accomplishments in academic and student affairs. Past positions in educational administration have included assistant provost, then dean of student development at Cuyahoga Community College, director of the school/business partnership program with Cleveland Initiative for Education, and consultant and specialist-manager for the Ohio Department of Education and Cleveland Metropolitan School District. He brings this wealth of experience in managing educational excellence and effectiveness to his service on the board of the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland.

Frances S. Baker, PhD, RN, director. Frances is a registered nurse, clinical psychologist, and ordained minister who specializes in helping individuals and couples develop satisfying lifestyles and applying multidimensional healing to address serious illnesses in her private practice in Shaker Heights. Having served in both faculty and leadership positions at the Institute since 1970--teaching the art and practice of psychotherapy for individuals and groups and developing in postgraduate students a balance of artistry and pragmatism in therapy--Frances brings invaluable historical depth and sensitivity to the board. While she has elected emeritus status, Frances occasionally makes a cameo appearance, besides serving on the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland board.

Lawrence Bell, Esq., director. As partner with the corporate and securities practice group in the Benesch business law firm, Larry focuses on mergers and acquisitions, public and private debt and equity financing, and contract law. Adjunct professor of contracts law at Case and Cleveland-Marshall with extensive expertise with issues of legal ethics, Larry is an officer or active trustee on the boards of several foundations, nonprofit, and community organizations in addition to his service on the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland board of directors. He brings a sense of humor, can-do attitude, and legal and business acumen to this position.

Robert Cohen, BS, MBA, JD, CTP, director and immediate past chairperson. Bob is an Akron-based attorney who specializes in business turnarounds as president of the Centrus Group. A certified turnaround professional, Bob was an adjunct professor of organizational behavior at the University of South Carolina International Business School and lecturer at Kent State University Business School. Bob lives in Medina and is the proud father of three sons, including two stationed in Iraq, and active in the community. Board chair from 2006 to 2008, Bob brings his business and organizational development savvy to the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland board.

Gayle E. Huggins, MBM, director. A native Clevelander with strong community ties, Gayle recently accepted a position with Prince George's County Public Schools as administrator for the Division of Student Services in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Her current board, civic and professional memberships include the Phillis Wheatley Association, United Way Services Investment Committee, Neighborhood Leadership Cleveland, Women in International Trade, the Association of Public Administrators, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Devoted member of a close knit family and grounded in her belief in the power of positive change agency, Gayle has been called the "heart of Gestalt" by other board members. Gayle also brings over 20 years experience in nonprofit and government program administration to the board of the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland.

Jeffrey Vengrow, JD, director. Jeff served as interim executive director of the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland for almost two years under contract with the Akron-based, Center for Nonprofit Excellence. In addition to his knowledge of internal operations, Jeff brings his expertise as lawyer and nonprofit management consultant to assist the board and staff.

Kathy Ball, JD, executive director. Kathy brings over twenty years experience as nonprofit executive, public interest lawyer, and organizational development consultant and a lifelong commitment to individual and community empowerment. Her goal is to provide efficient, effective, collaborative, and relevant leadership in working with the board, staff, faculty, students, professional associates, and other community stakeholders to develop the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland as the world's best provider of the study, development, and application of Gestalt theory.

Jacqueline McLemore, PhD, academic director. Jacquie has over 20 years experience as a coach, consultant, and facilitator of change processes, the last 18 years as president of McLemore Consulting Associates. She earned a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from Case Western Reserve University Weatherhead School of Management, coaches senior managers and executives in changing their organizations and themselves, and collaborates with teams and organizations as they plan and implement critical change initiatives. As academic director at the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland, Jacquie will work with faculty to improve existing programs, initiate new offerings, and ensure that all practices are well grounded in Gestalt Theory.

Patrick Zippert, facilities coordinator. Besides managing a landscaping business and his own duplex rentals in the Larchmere area, Patrick maintains the old mansion at 1588 Hazel Drive, keeping it as safe, clean, dry, and warm/cool as possible, given its age and the heavy traffic from many workshops and programs. With his education in biology and horticulture, Patrick is gradually upgrading the aesthetics and natural life of the property as a welcoming ground for Gestalt experiences.

Eleanor Reed, registrar. As a graduate of one of its major programs, Ele (pronounced ell-ee) knew many members of our faculty, and was familiar with Gestalt principles and training, when she accepted the registrar position. Ele brings marketing and sales experience, as well as the ability to manage many details within a broad perspective, to her responsibilities of assisting faculty and enrolling participants in the Institute's programs and workshops.

John (Jeff) Erdie, webmaster. Jeff owns John Erdie Web Design, LLC. While working with his family manufacturing business, Jeff discovered his passion for information technology, and has been programming, administering and networking computer systems since 1987. Clients have included the Cleveland Clinic, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Metroparks, Lorain County Metro Parks, and many small business and nonprofit organizations. With a BA and MA in English from Cleveland State University and study of art and photography at the Cleveland Institute of Art and Maine Photographic Workshops, Jeff brings his highly developed aesthetic and technical skills and experience to his responsibilities as webmaster for the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland.

Laura Musarra, marketing consultant. Laura uses her 15 years of executive experience in marketing, product management, strategic planning, and licensing with such Fortune 500 companies as Newell Rubbermaid/Little Tikes, American Greetings, BP America and Fisher Price, to help companies and nonprofits, including the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland, develop key strategies and achieve critical objectives. She has served on various nonprofit boards, including InfoLine and The Summit Choral Society, and frequently serves on panels to facilitate companies and nonprofits to enhance their marketing programs. To keep things creative and lively, Laura is also co-president of a fine art photography company and a duathlon participant.

Laurel E. Schafrath, MTax, accountant. Laurel is a self employed accountant whose specialty and passion is providing accounting services and consulting for nonprofit organizations. She has worked with and for nonprofits most of her career and likes bringing that expertise to small to mid sized groups who need but cannot afford a full time accounting position. Laurel also provides general accounting services to smaller sole proprietorships as well as doing individual tax preparation and planning.

Philip R. Belzunce, PhD, SMFT, DAPA, RPP, CPE, CPC is a diplomate in psychotherapy, and a psychotherapist, lecturer, worldwide consultant, and supervisor for AAMFT. He applies a systemic approach integrating Gestalt, Ericksonian hypnosis, and family therapy methodologies. His training includes family therapy with Virginia Satir, Jay Haley, and Chloe Madanes. He is a certified Tao instructor and a Reiki Master. He is also certified in polarity therapy and as a spine realigner He is the author of What Really Matters Is the Heart and Heart Shadows, and the co-author of Once upon a Doggie.

Jean Berggren, MD is an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University's School of Medicine, and is in private practice.

Donna Marie Berwald, MA, LMHC, LMFT, LSW is a private practitioner in Fort Wayne, where she works with individuals, couples, and groups. She is on the faculty of the Working with Physical Process training program, and co-chairs the Working with Individuals training program.

Marlene Moss Blumenthal, PhD, LPC is a therapist and school psychologist in Cleveland, OH, specializing in adolescent and family therapy, psychoeducational assessment, school consultation, and family conflict. She authored "A Field of Difference: A Gestalt Consideration of Learning Disabilities," published in The Heart of Development and has published research in the areas of Gestalt therapy, mother-daughter relationships, and conflict.

Jay C. Brinegar, MA has over 20 years' experience in executive assessment and coaching, organizational change, and senior team development. He consults to a range of clients in the manufacturing, finance, and professional services industries. He is on the Board of the Seaman Corporation, a vertically integrated manufacturing company, and has served on GIC's Board.

Arye Bursztyn, MFA teaches dance at Seminar Hakibbutzim Teachers College in Tel Aviv, and facilitates workshops in dance, contact improvisation, and body process. He works with private individuals as well as with organizational development consultants, healers, expressive therapists, and educational counselors.

Cathe Carlson, MEd is a leadership and organization development consultant with 25 years' experience working with a broad range of executives in diverse businesses and industries in both public and private sectors, many of them Global 500 and Fortune 100 companies. Her primary focus is helping clients develop innovative solutions to complex issues while enhancing the quality of thinking and interacting in human systems. Current interests include personal and leadership coaching, development of consultants and other leaders, and transformational change strategies. Field theory, phenomenology, and dialogic existentialism are theoretical underpinnings of her work. She is currently a principal with an international consulting firm based in Houston specializing in building capabilities to support breakthrough performance.

Kirste Carlson, ND,RN,CS is a clinical nurse specialist in the Department of Nursing Education at Cleveland Clinic, and adjunct faculty at both Case Western Reserve University and Kent State University. She provides teaching, coaching, and consultation to health professionals in a variety of specialties, and maintains a clinical practice. Her particular interests include integral philosophy and psychology, physical process, and adult development.

Kathy Clegg, MD is a psychiatrist on the faculty of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, where she also directs the Public Academic Liaison Program for psychiatry residents and the psychiatry core clerkship for CWRU medical students. She has special interests in community psychiatry, addictions, and group process, and in working with survivors of sexual abuse.

Michael Clemmens, PhD is a licensed psychologist in Pittsburgh working with individuals, couples, and groups. He has 20 years' experience working with chemical dependency and personality disorders. He is trained in various forms of body work. One of his special interests is consulting with therapists to develop and maintain self-support. He is the author of Getting beyond Sobriety.

J. Rick Day, PhD, PsyD, MBA is an international organization and leadership development consultant. Previously, he was Vice President of Organization and Management Development at Honeywell Aerospace in Phoenix. Before that, he was Vice President of Corporate Services in a behavioral health care organization, and a clinical psychologist. He has consulted to diverse industries in both public and private sectors throughout the world, including several international 500 companies. As a clinical psychologist, he has worked with adult individuals, couples, and groups.

Debra Dunkle, PhD, LISW is a private practitioner in the Cleveland area. She works with individuals, couples, and groups, serving adolescents and adults. She has special training and consulting interests in experiences between larger groups--of cultures, races, faiths, and sexual orientations--and the individuals within those groups. She is also interested in adventure as growth, particularly for women. She serves on the faculties of GIC's Couple and Family Therapy and Small Systems and Working with Individuals training programs.

Jim Etzkorn, PhD is a psychologist in private practice in Ann Arbor, MI. Having worked at three university counseling centers, he has focused on developmental issues of young adults. He works extensively with gay and bisexual men, and presents workshops on issues affecting this population. Recently he has joined the staff of the University of Michigan Comprehensive Gender Services Program, which assists people seeking to transition from one sex to another.

Barbara W. Fields, MSSA, LISW is a therapist in private practice, working with individuals, couples, and groups. She also works as a consultant and clinical supervisor. She serves on the faculties of the Gestalt Training Program, the Group Intensive Training Program, and Working with Individuals.

Karen Fleming, PhD is director of Adult Outpatient Services at Coleman Professional Services in Kent, OH. She works in both community mental health and private practice settings. As assistant professor of psychology for Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, she provides training supervision for pre-doctoral psychology interns. She works with individuals, couples, and groups. Her research and interests include theories of change and stability.

Isabel Fredericson, PhD has been involved with GIC almost since its inception. She has served as chairperson of the Educators Program, Humanism in Action, PG II, and the Group Intensive Training Program. She now resides in Santa Barbara, and continues to work as a teacher, trainer, and therapist.

Lalei E. Gutierrez, PhD, SMFT, RPP, CPE, CPC is a psychologist in private practice and a consultant member of ForeSight Consultants, Ltd. She is an approved supervisor for AAMFT. She trains and consults internationally, and is involved in the development of Gestalt practice in the Philippines. She applies a holistic perspective, integrating her special interests in cross-cultural, multicultural, and diversity issues with healing, energy, spirituality, and whole health in working with individuals, relational and intimate systems, families, groups, organizations, and communities. She is the co-author of Once upon a Doggie.

Aviel Hadari, MA is a drama coach specializing in the transformational use of storytelling in group and individual work. He is chair of the Department of Psychodrama at Lesley College, and teaches elsewhere in the US as well as in Israel. He maintains a clinical practice and supervises practicing therapists.

Elaine Brown Hammond, PhD has been a member of GIC's professional staff since 1972. She specializes in the use of hypnosis and imagery in conjunction with Gestalt techniques, and is exploring techniques for working with the body to restore balance, to free-up natural energy, and to promote holistic healing.

Richard B. Hancock, MA is Principal of Richard B. Hancock and Associates, an organizational development group based in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. With more than 20 years of senior management experience, he applies the Gestalt approach to resistance to whole-system assessments, large-group facilitation, team development, conflict resolution, and executive coaching.

Frances L. Harris, MSSA, LISW is president of FH International, as well as a clinical social worker in private practice with individuals, couples, families, and organizations. She has a special interest in developing relationships between adult siblings and their parents, including consulting to family businesses. She is a former chairperson of GIC's Board of Governors and of the Cleveland Approach for Gestalt Practitioners. She teaches Gestalt internationally.

Will Heindel, MA is the founder of CCTI, Inc., a counseling, consulting and training institute based in Pittsburgh, Pa. He works with individuals, groups and organizations and blends myth, metaphor, poetry and the natural environment to support transformation. He has a strong interest in bridging the wide gaps between the psyche, the body's physical processes, and the spiritual realms and emphasizes our sensory capacities toward greater self-awareness.

C. Wesley Jackson, Jr., PhD, ABPP is a diplomate in clinical psychology, American Board of Professional Psychology, and a certified health service provider, Council for the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology. He is in private practice specializing in couple, family, and individual issues. He is especially interested in working with couples who have fertility or adoption issues, and is currently engaged in research on the change process. He is Chairperson of GIC Couple and Family Therapy and Small Systems Training Program.

Barry Johnson, Ph.D. is president of Polarity Management Associates. For the past 35 years, he has been working to help create organizations that are good places to work, to own, to do business with and to have in the community. In the process he has founded 5 organizations. The Polarity Management Map® and initial set of principles emerged out of his work in 1975. Since then he has continued to develop the map, principles with a variety of organizations all over the world. He wrote a book on his work with polarities (dilemmas, paradox) in 1992: Polarity Management, Identifying and Managing Unsolvable Problems. HRD Press.

Daniel E. Jones, PhD is a licensed psychologist in Cleveland working with individuals and couples with over 30 years of clinical experience. His special interests include the development of a contemporary relational approach in gestalt therapy, the developmental process of therapy, and the role of emotional understanding in the change process. He is one of the co-chairs of the Gestalt Training Program and the Structure, Dialogue and Improvisation Program.

Yaacov Kaiser, MA, MSW is a clinical psychotherapist who maintains a private clinic in Nahariya, Israel. He is a member of the Israel Psychoanalytic Therapy Association, and is trained in body bioenergetics, and in individual, couple, and family therapies. He is on the faculties of Tel Hai and Haifa Rambam, where he teaches and supervises students.

James I. Kepner, PhD is a psychologist who works with individuals and groups, and who specializes in body approaches to therapy. He is the author of Body Process and Healing Tasks: Psychotherapy with Adult Survivors of Childhood Abuse, both published by GestaltPress.

Kay King, MSW, LSW is a therapist and assistant professor at Clarion University of Pennsylvania, where she oversees the training and supervision of psychology majors and interns, with special attention to returning adult students, and where she also offers consulting services to faculty and staff. She provides individual and group psychotherapy and educational programming, and teaches Gestalt therapy in her classes.

Robert Kolodny, PhD is an organizational consultant working with a wide range of human systems in the US and abroad. His guiding professional vision is helping people build more satisfying and effective workplace communities and creating more just and democratic relations in civic affairs. He has a particular interest in the development and role of leaders, and in the evolution of Gestalt practice in fuller appreciation of its relational and field-theoretic core. Bob has been on the faculty at Columbia University and at the New School University in New York City, has taught at a number of educational institutions around the world, and is a professional member of NTL.

Mary Ann Kraus, PsyD is a clinical psychologist specializing in consultation and training with individuals, couples, groups, and organizations. She co-chairs the Gestalt Training Program, teaches in the specialization tracks Working with Individuals and Working with Groups, and is a faculty member in the OSD and Becoming a Better Intervener programs. Her interests include expanding integral and holistic theory, and creating capabilities for full-spectrum development in individuals, groups, and organizations. She has particular interests in gender issues and in women's development across the lifespan.

Peter Krembs, MA has over 30 years' experience as a consultant to major international corporations, specializing in leadership and organization development and in transitioning experts/specialists to group leadership and strategic leadership roles. Previously on the faculty of G.E.'s international leadership courses, he is currently a faculty member of the Institute for Management Studies and the Carlson School of Management. He authored Leadership Challenges in Technical Organizations in Leadership in a New Era, and is co-author of On the Level: Performance Communication That Works.

Lynne M. Kweder, MPA, LSW formerly GIC's executive director, is an independent consultant, primarily to nonprofit and public organizations. Her interests include working with organizational change, leadership development, strategic planning and structuring, development of boards of trustees, and race and multicultural relations.

Robert G. Lee, PhD has written extensively and presented widely on how shame and belonging regulate the relational field. His research on couples and shame led to an understanding of the hidden dynamics of the intimate couple. His current book, The Secret Language of Intimacy (GestaltPress/Analytic Press, in press) explores these dynamics, offering potentially transformational paths toward greater connection and intimacy for couples. He is co-editor of and contributor to The Voice of Shame: Silence and Connection in Psychotherapy (Jossey-Bass, 1996) and editor of The Values of Connection: A Relational Approach to Ethics (GestaltPress/Analytic Press, 2004). He is an editor at GestaltPress, and teaches and trains internationally. He practices psychotherapy in Boston.

Carolyn J. Lukensmeyer, PhD is an organizational consultant forging public-private partnerships, reforming educational systems and curricula, and transforming and revitalizing bureaucracies to integrate corporate strategy, structures, and human resources. Her clients have ranged from organizations of 10 to the Executive branch of the federal government, when she consulted to the White House. She is founder and director of America Speaks, a not-for-profit organization and nationwide network that links authentic citizen voices with the governance of the nation.

Rick Maurer, MA works with leaders who want to lead change without migraines™. Through Maurer & Associates, he provides expertise to help you identify even deeply hidden resistance, overcome it rapidly, and thereby implement even the most difficult strategic and tactical changes.  Rick works closely with clients to develop and adapt change management strategies that will work in their unique culture. Due to the popularity of his books, Why Don't You Want What I Want?, Beyond the Wall of Resistance, and Feedback Toolkit, Rick's opinion has been sought by CNBC, NBC Nightly News, The Wall Street Journal, Investor's Business Daily, Fortune, USA Today, The Economist, Industry Week, Nation's Business and many trade publications and wire services.

Mark McConville, PhD is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Cleveland, OH specializing in adolescent and family psychology. He is the author of Adolescence: Psychotherapy and the Emergent Self, and co-editor of The Heart of Development: Gestalt Approaches to Working with Children, Adolescents, and Their Worlds, Vols. I & II. He is currently working on a book on parenting and the development of the family field.

Jacqueline McLemore, PhD is an organizational consultant with over 20 years experience as a change management consultant, executive and life coach. She is president of McLemore Consulting Associates, Inc. Jacquie enjoys her collaborations with communities, organizations, work groups and individuals as they consider, plan and implement changes that are important to them.

Joseph Melnick, PhD is a clinical psychologist specializing in training and consultation to individuals, families, and larger organizations. He has a particular interest in the use of strategic and intimate approaches within organizations. He has published extensively, and is currently serving as editor of the quarterly journal, The Gestalt Review.

Tali Mirkin, MA is a psychologist and therapist for individuals and couples at the Student Counseling Service of Ben-Gurion University. She teaches developmental psychology to educators of young children.

Hanna R. Scherler, PhD is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Istanbul, working with individuals and couples. She teaches part-time in a state university, and is involved in research projects that explore the adaptability of Western personality instruments to Turkish culture. Her interest is in the development of a Turkish sense of self. She has been active in studying the mental health responses of survivors of earthquake trauma.

Herb Stevenson, MA, CDP, CPC is President/CEO of the Cleveland Consulting Group, Inc. He is a Certified Professional Coach and Certified Diversity Professional. Herb is on the professional staff of the post-graduate Gestalt Institute of Cleveland and the College of Executive Coaches, which certifies executive coaches in affiliation with the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Herb is on the graduate faculty of Cleveland State University where he teaches assessment and diagnosis, facilitation, change management, and conflict settlement in the Master’s degree program in Organizational Psychology with a diversity management specialization. He is a member of the Organization Development Network (ODN), the International Coaching Federation (ICF), and the Academy of Management.

Jackie Lowe Stevenson, MSSA, LISW, EAGALA Crt is a private practitioner specializing in personal growth journeys through psychotherapy, physical process, nature, and the healing arts. She offers group and individual work through equine facilitated psychotherapy and learning. She is adjunct faculty at Case Western Reserve University’s Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences.

Jody Niinita Telfair, PhD has a private practice in Gestalt therapy, working with individuals, couples, and families. She integrates Gestalt theory and methodology with Eastern systems and Native American philosophy. She is studying yoga and the psychophysical issues of the elderly. She has a particular interest in physical processes, energy, and the spiritual dimension of growth, health, and healing.

Denise Tervo, PhD is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Pittsburgh, PA. She has worked with children, adults, and families in residential, school, hospital, and mental health settings for 28 years. She is a graduate of Violet Oaklander's Child and Adolescent Gestalt training program, and is co-chair of GIC's advanced training program, Working with Physical Process. She is the author of Physical Process with Children and Adolescents, published in The Heart of Development: Gestalt Approaches to Working with Children, Adolescents, and Their Worlds, Vol. II (2003). In her Gestalt practice, she integrates physical process awareness and energy work.

Barbara Y. Thomas, PhD is a psychologist on staff at the Oberlin College Counseling Center, where she provides psychotherapy, educational programming, and consultation. Her interests include integrations of Gestalt, existential, dialogical and multicultural approaches to psychotherapy; adolescent and adult development; and cultural influences on identity development.

Nancy S. Wadsworth, PhD, LISW has extensive experience in the field of aging as a clinician, program developer, and consultant. She has developed innovative model programs based on Gestalt theory and methodology for geriatric interdisciplinary team training and for working with older adults and their families. As a principal of Wadsworth and Associates, she provides training and consultation to organizations on program development, interdisciplinary team training, and management of programs serving older people.

Mary H. Ward, PhD, ABPP has been on the professional staff at GIC since 1973 and has served on the Board of Governors. Her primary teaching at GIC was in the PG Program (now the Gestalt Training Program), and for several years she was the Director of Training. She was a professor at John Carroll University for 21 years, and is now Professor Emeritus. Essentially retired, she enjoys staying in touch with the faculty and students at GIC and JCU.

Mark Warren, MD, MPH, FAED is the medical director of the Cleveland Center for Eating Disorders. A Cleveland native, he is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University Medical School and completed his residency at Harvard Medical School. He served as Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Mt. Sinai Hospital and Medical Director of University Hospital Health System's Laurelwood Hospital. Dr. Warren is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, a two time recipient of the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, and a winner of the Woodruff Award. He leads the Males and Eating Disorders special interest group for the Academy of Eating Disorders. His practice focuses on the integration of Gestalt Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Family based Therapy.

Yona Weiss, MSW, PhD is a social worker and family therapist working at the Family Therapy Unit in the Emeq Izrael Regional Council. She works with individuals and teams, and provides marital enrichment and family education services.

Gordon Wheeler, PhD is President & CEO of Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, offering over 500 residential programs each year, many of them Gestalt-based. A licensed clinical psychologist with a long experience of practice, organizational consulting, and coaching, he teaches and trains widely around the world. Gordon is author or editor of more than a dozen books and over a hundred articles in the field. His work is noted for integrating the Gestalt tradition with relational psychology, with a special focus on lifelong development and education, early childhood, and issues of evolutionary neuropsychology, individualism, gender, culture and values, intersubjectivity, and the dynamics of intimacy and shame. His writings have also been in evolution, values, and cultural psychology, including multi-cultural issues and post-Holocaust studies, as well as several works of fiction; they include numerous translations from French and German, and have themselves been translated into some twenty foreign languages. As Editor and Co-Director of GestaltPress (publishing jointly with Analytic Press), he has been instrumental in bringing some 40 titles containing the work of over 100 Gestaltists to print in book form. Gordon and his wife Nancy Lunney-Wheeler have eight children and two grandchildren, and make their homes in Big Sur and Santa Cruz, California.

Victoria R. Winbush, MPH, MSSA, LISW is a licensed independent social worker in Cleveland, Ohio providing psychotherapy to individuals and families, and facilitation and consultation to groups and organizations. She is an adjunct faculty member at Cleveland State University's Diversity Management Program, and the Smith College School for Social Work, where she is also a doctoral candidate. Her clinical research interest is understanding how adolescents with mood/behavior disorders, along with their parents, perceive the adolescents' illness, and make treatment decisions. Her organizational research interest is examining the intersection of diversity-related issues and change management strategies.

Lester P. Wyman, PhD, LISW is a social worker, privately practicing as a psychotherapist and organizational consultant. He chairs ISRAGIC, GIC's training program in Israel. He trains Gestalt practitioners and trainers internationally.

Celia Cheng-Ying Young, MBA, MA is the president of CELIA YOUNG & ASSOCIATES, INC. (www.celiayoung.com). Since 1986, Ms. Young and her associates have helped their clients develop vision and strategies and implement change in their businesses worldwide. They coach and develop globally competent and multiculturally versatile leaders on the individual and group basis in order to help mold a new organization that is open to and capable of fully utilizing the diversity of its people. Ms. Young is a professional speaker on Pacific Rim cultures, cross-cultural communication, organizational behavior, organizational change, leadership, diversity and creativity, and multicultural marketing strategies. She has a BA in Business Administration from Fu-Jen University in Taiwan, a MBA in Marketing from Michigan State University and a MA in Counseling Psychology from Pepperdine University. Having been educated and had business careers on both sides of the Pacific Rim, she possesses an excellent and unique ability to straddle the two worlds. It is between the two worlds where Ms. Young continues to do her life's work.

Rosanna O. Zavarella, PhD is a holistic psychologist in private practice with 25 years' clinical experience working with individuals, families, and groups. She specializes in women's health issues, chronic illness, childhood trauma, and life transitions. She incorporates energy healing, hypnotherapy, female shamanism, guided imagery, and ritual into her psychotherapy practice. She is a long-time student of Eastern psychology and incorporates its principles into her teaching and her practice.

Heidi Abrams MSSA, LSW is a therapist and an artist specializing in working with children and adolescents. She is particularly interested in fostering creativity over the lifespan, in theory and in practice. She received her post graduate training at The Gestalt Institute of Cleveland where she now teaches on creativity using a Gestalt relational model. She authored the article Towards an Understanding of Mindful Practices with Children and Adolescents in Residential Treatment. In her therapeutic work she integrates art, music, yoga, meditation, storytelling, dance and play.

Elizabeth Bach-Van Valkenburgh, MSSA, LISW, CNM is a practitioner in a therapeutic practice Heal...Grow...Thrive...located in Solon, Ohio where her clinical focus is healing trauma and developmental issues across the life span. Elizabeth applies her relational strength based approach to therapy with individuals, couples and groups. She is the former Associate Director of the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center where she continues to serve as a clinical and educational consultant. Elizabeth is a graduate of the Mandel School of Applied Social Science where she is currently an adjunct faculty member. She is a national speaker on the topic of the connection between trauma and addiction, process oriented group work, relational ethics, and vicarious trauma.

Ann L. Begler, J.D. is the principal of the Begler Group, a Pittsburgh firm providing services in mediation, facilitation and organizational development. Ann is an experienced trial attorney and mediator. She is former Chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association?s ADR Committee, is an active member of the Workplace and Spirituality Sections of the Association for Conflict Resolution and Chair of a Pennsylvania legislative advisory group formed to examine best practices in ADR. Along with her work in law and mediation, Ann has finished basic and advanced gestalt training from a clinical perspective through the Gestalt Institute of New England, and multiple organizational training programs through the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland. In addition to her mediation practice, Ann is actively engaged as an organizational consultant to a wide range of private and non-profit organizations, and with various intimate organizational systems such as family businesses and professional practices. She also works on the design and implementation of conflict management systems in healthcare and other organizations.

Carrie Burick, MA, ATR, PC is a registered art therapist and licensed counselor. She is currently in private practice and specializes in trauma, addictions, expressive therapies, self care and wellness approaches for adolescents and adults individually and in groups. She has been working in the anti-violence field for over twelve years and was the Adult Therapeutic Services Coordinator of the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center. Carrie is a graduate of the Gestalt Training Program and the advanced training in physical process work. She provides workshops and trainings for social service providers, clients and caregivers.

Ann Attayek Carr, MS, PCC is owner/principal of an organizational effectiveness and executive coaching firm located in the Washington, D.C. area. After over 15 years experience consulting within two Fortune 50 corporations, Freddie Mac and GE Capital Mortgage Corporation, Ann and a colleague now offer a broad range of clients the Intruequest® suite of services which range from facilitating large scale strategic change, to building team excellence, to individual leadership effectiveness, and much in between. Ann particularly enjoys working with small groups and/or individuals, inspired by their "aha's!" as they move from awareness to increased effectiveness. Ann is a member of the ICF, OD Network, Global Coaches Network, and adjunct faculty for Georgetown University's Certificate in Organizational Development. She has a depth of experience with executive coaching; leadership and diversity development; facilitating large scale strategic change initiatives; building high performance teams; facilitating large and small group interventions; helping people resolve conflict; and designing and delivering learning laboratories. She has continually achieved impressive results -- from designing and implementing corporate-wide organizational change initiatives and an executive development institute at Freddie Mac, to leading diversity and leadership development at GE Capital Mortgage Corporation, to directing a nationwide Six Sigma project that was deemed a global best practice by GE Capital. Ann holds a Master of Science degree in Social and Organizational Learning from George Mason University. Website: www.intruequest.com.

Peter Cole, Chartered Financial Consultant, LCSW is a co-director of Insight Financial Group, an innovative financial planning firm, and of The Sierra Institute for Contemporary Gestalt Therapy. He is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry with UC Davis School of Medicine. His work focuses on the intersection of many and psychology. Peter is co-author of Mastering the Financial Dimension of Your Practice, as well as having published numerous articles on gestalt therapy theory and practice. He currently serves as a board member and treasurer of the Association for the Advancement of Gestalt Therapy. He lives in Northern California with his wife, Daisy Reese, and their five grown children.

Allison Conte, MSPODC is a leadership advisor and organization development consultant with more than 17 years' experience working with organizations of all sizes across a variety of industries, including energy, manufacturing, publishing, education and health care. Allison is a contributing member of the Integral Business and Leadership Center, which offers global thought-leadership in the field of applied integral theory. She collaborates with Stagen Leadership Institute and the executive coaching service at Case Western University Weatherhead School of Management. Certifications include Appreciative Inquiry, the Emotional Intelligence Inventory and the Leadership Development Framework.

Marianne Erdelyi, MEd consults with organizations, teams and individuals in the areas of leadership, communication and change working largely with clients form manufacturing, steel, oil and health care. As an adjunct faculty member for General Electric Management Institute she worked in Eastern and Western Europe. She has presented for Management Center Europe, NTL, and the American Management Association. How to develop, use and sustain practical partnerships as well as improve communication at every level in the organization is her current interest. As a resident of Northeast Ohio, she continues to be amazed with the richness of this area.

Amy Eugene, MSOD has over ten years experience working with and in organizations supporting team effectiveness, strategic planning, cultural competency, and knowledge sharing capacities. Amy's interests and practices are in spirituality, nature, parenting, embodiment, energy and holistic perspectives. Amy is co-author of Knowledge Management in Practice.

Alan Federman has a Master's degree in Clinical/Counseling Psychology from Akron University and is a Licensed Social Worker. A graduate of the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland, he is licensed as an Independent Chemical Dependency Counselor and has been in private practice since 1987. In addition, Alan teaches psychology at several local colleges.

Lisa (Tong) Parola Gaynier, MA, CDP is the Director of the first-ever Masters program in Diversity Management at Cleveland State University. She is a veteran of the OSD program, and an organizational coach and consultant specializing in leadership and cultural competence. She has published on Gestalt approaches to mediation and an award winning paper on cross cultural leadership.

Denise Hyble, MS, LMHC, LMFT has been a private practitioner in Bloomington, Indiana for over 20 years working with individuals, couples, and groups. As a consultant she provides conflict resolution and interpersonal communication in organizations. She is also a yoga instructor.

Renee Jennings, MA, MSW, LISW has extensive training and experience in the realms of mind, body, and spirit. In addition to coaching for personal and spiritual growth, Renee specializes in treating clients experiencing trauma, chronic pain, phobias, and mood and anxiety disorders. She also facilitates groups and provides workshops. Renee is a graduate of GTP, Working With Physical Process, and is an EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) practitioner.

W. "Cliff" Kayser, III, SPHR, MSHR/MSOD is Founder and President of Xperience® LLC, a firm headquartered in Washington, DC, which offers Organizational Development, Human Resources, Executive Leadership Coaching and Life Coaching services to U.S. and international clients and a retreat facility and facilitation services in Berkeley Springs, WV. Cliff was Vice President of Organizational Development and Training for The National Cooperative Bank and spent nearly a decade serving The Washington Post Company in several key OD and HR management positions. He is certified by the International Coaching Federation and an Associate of Polarity Management™ Associates.

Linda A. Koenig, MA is an executive coach, organizational effectiveness and human resources consultant. She provides executive coaching in leadership, motivation, critical-thinking and survival skills in turbulent work environments. She specializes in helping executives overcome obstacles that keep them from achieving their highest potential. Linda is also a certified mediator and helps resolve disputes between various employees and groups. As a complement to her consulting practice, Linda teaches at Cleveland State University in the graduate Diversity Management program, her classes include Diversity Issues in Human Resources and is a certified trainer of Investment in Excellence and the Emotional Intelligence Inventory. Past clients have included both public and private sector companies/agencies ranging from global companies to small local businesses. Her client industries include banking/finance, insurance, space age technologies, government agencies, social service agencies, food/restaurant businesses, public and private schools including universities.

Robert W. Kubacki, JD, MPA has over thirty years of experience in the field of managing conflict or coaching others to manage conflict in a variety of public, non-profit, academic and corporate settings. He has functioned as legal counsel, hearing officer, assistant director, employee-relations officer, internal and external HR-organizational consultant and conflict coach. Robert teaches conflict resolution at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He is knowledgeable in a variety of models and applies them in an integrated approach to assist others to successfully engage in and resolve complex cultural, interpersonal, group and organizational misalignments.

Arlene L. Luberoff, MA, CCC-SLP is a speech-language pathologist with experience in clinical practice, management, product development, clinical supervision, and teaching. She has an additional degree in psychology with a specialization in diversity management and certification in polarity therapy. She currently practices privately and supervises undergraduate students in the field of communication sciences and disorders. Her special interest is in working with body-oriented and energetic approaches, which she integrates into her existing clinical and coaching practices.

Amy L. Luzar, MSSA, LISW is a psychotherapist who works with children, adults, and families in private practice and at the Neighborhood Family Practice. She is certified as a school social worker. She has experience in adolescent residential treatment, foster care, and social agency care management.

Mary Jen Meerdink, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist with more than 15 years' experience coaching individuals, couples and organizations in the process of growth and transition. Her foundation in clinical psychology affords her unique tools and expertise to successfully support the processes of assessment, design, implementation, and maintenance of lasting individual and systemic change. She is also a lecturer and trainer specializing in leadership development, conflict resolution, and communication facilitation, assisting organizations in maximizing the productivity of their meetings and offering one-to-one coaching support to individuals in a variety of senior leadership positions and other key organizational roles.

Martina Moore, MA is a Counselor specializing in substance abuse, women?s issues, and marriage and family issues. She is the President of Moore Counseling & Mediation Services, Inc. This organization facilitates counseling and mediation cases, and provides consultation services to area businesses. Martina received her BA in psychology from Notre Dame College and her MA in Community Counseling and Human Services from John Carroll University. She is a Gestalt trained Family Therapist, a Licensed Independent Chemical Dependency Counselor, a Substance Abuse Professional (SAP), a Certified Employee Assistance Professional, and a Certified Mediator.

Daisy Reese, LCSW is the co-director of The Sierra Institute for Contemporary Gestalt Therapy and Insight Financial Group. Her clinical work focuses on Financial Psychology, Women's Work and Group Therapy. Daisy serves as the incoming president of the Northern California Group Psychotherapy Society. She is the co-author of True Self True Wealth and Mastering Financial Dimension of Your Practice. She is a lifelong student of Sufism. She lives in Northern California with her husband, Peter Cole, and their five grown children.

Juliann Spoth, MSN, Ph.D. has over 28 years of experience in individual, group and organizational development providing consultation, coaching, and training both domestically and internationally. She serves a variety of organizations in the manufacturing, finance, healthcare, professional service, education, and transportation industries. She is a Master Coach for Case Western Reserve University's (CWRU) Corporate programs and has been an adjunct faculty in Organizational Development. She is also a Dean and faculty member of the National Training Institute.

Sarah M. Toman, PhD is an associate professor at Cleveland State University. She obtained her Masters and Doctorate degrees from Kent State University and is also a graduate of the Gestalt Training Program, Gestalt Institute of Cleveland. She has formerly served as Chairperson of the National Career Development’s Research Committee and as Secretary of the Association for the Advancement of Gestalt Therapy (AAGT). Sarah has several career development publications that highlight interest inventory assessment, including articles in the Career Planning and Adult Development Journal which merge her two areas of interest: career development and Gestalt therapy. She contributed chapters about use of the Kuder Career Search in MacCluskie, Welfel, and Toman (2002), Using Test Data In Clinical Practice, and is co-editor of the 2005 text, Gestalt Therapy: History, Theory and Practice. Sarah maintains a psychotherapy practice with offices in Medina and Beachwood, Ohio.

Karen Tomoff, LPCC-S, LICDC, MT-BC is co-chair of the Gestalt Couples and Systems Therapy Program. She has clinical experience specializing in couples, families, children and adolescents, trauma, trichotillomania, addictions, group therapy and parent coaching. She is an active member of the Center for Principled Family Advocacy with specialization as a mental health coach and child specialist for collaborative divorce. Karen has been in private practice for over 20 years and has her own practice in Rocky River, Ohio.

Deborah Ullman, MA is co-editor of The Gendered Field: Gestalt Perspectives and Readings, and editor and co-director of GestaltPress. She maintains a private practice of individual and group psychotherapy in Orleans, MA, where she owns and runs a group bodywork practice. Her special interests include developmental gender issues, holistic approaches to healing, and yoga.

Michelle C. Vanderlip, MBA is Vice President - Human Resources of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland responsible for talent management and development. Previously she served in internal and external organizational leadership and consultancy roles for SOAR Consulting Group, the law firm of Baker & Hostetler, Ernst & Young and Parker Hannifin Corporation and has also served as adjunct faculty/guset lecturer at Cleveland State University, John Carroll University, Lake Erie College and at the CASE School of Management Executive Education Program. She brings over twenty-five years of depth to accelerating organization and individual capacity with passion for blending meaningful Gestalt work in a strategic context.

Curt Waller, MS draws on his 25 years industry experience in his coaching and consulting work. He helps his clients in enhancing productivity and quality of work life. He helps build inclusive organizations that can capitalize on the diverse talents for business objectives. He succeeds by combining principles of organization development and practical work experience along with computer technology. Mr. Waller earned his Master of Science in Human Resource Development from The American University/NTL Institute in Washington, DC. He is also a graduate of the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland, OSD/BBI Program.

Timothy H. Warneka, MEd, LPCC is the founder of The Black Belt Counsulting Group. Tim works with complex systems (individuals, families, teams, and organizations) as a leadership coach, consultant, and therapist using principles from Aikido, a revolutionary non-violent martial art. Tim’s newest book, The Way of Leading People offers insights on Tao Te Ching.

Lucene Wisniewski, PhD, FAED a clinical psychologist, is the Clinical Director and co-founder of the Cleveland Center for Eating Disorders. From 1998-2006, she worked with Dr. Marsha Linehan's group, The Behavioral Technology Transfer Group, as their eating disorder expert, giving workshops on the treatment of eating disorders nationwide. She is the first author on the chapter addressing this topic in Linehan's group's most recent book Dialectical Behavior Therapy in Clinical Practice (2007). Her research and clinical interests include using empirically founded treatments to inform clinical programs. She is a fellow in the Academy for Eating Disorders as well as the North American Association for Study of Obesity.