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2008 Presenters (in alphabetical order)
Fred Bartlett, MATS, ACPE, Chaplain (on sabbatical) Kansas City, Missouri. Fred has trichotillomania, and has dealt with it since he was 15 years old. Training for and serving as a Chaplain to people of all faiths has helped him develop a deeper understanding of people’s feelings, including those feelings that can lie behind trichotillomania for many. He enjoys sharing what he has learned about some of the inner causes of this outwardly defacing and often humiliating behavior. His sharing often draws on his religious perspective, but the main focus of his work is on reaching a deeper understanding of what can lie behind pulling, so healing may begin.
Merrill Black, L.C.S.W./ Reiki Master: Merrill is a cognitive behavior therapist who has been treating patients for over twenty years. In her private practice at the Scarsdale Wellness Center, Scarsdale, N.Y., she works with a diverse population. Among her specialties are anxiety disorders, including trichotillomania, which she has been treating for over ten years. In her practice she works with children, adolescents, and adults. In addition to her traditional therapy, she is also a trained Reiki Master, and has incorporated this energy work into her repertoire. Most recently she has also been using the process of hypnosis in helping her patients manage anxiety, stress, and their trichotillomania.
Karen Lynn Cassiday PhD, ACT, is a licensed clinical psychologist who has treated children, teens and adults suffering from TTM and anxiety disorders for the past 23 years. She is the chairman of the scientific advisory board of OCD Chicago, a member of the clinical advisory board of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America and a Founding Fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. She is the owner and clinical director of the Anxiety & Agoraphobia Treatment Center, Ltd. in Chicago and Northbrook, IL, a group private practice that specializes in treating anxiety disorders, impulsive control disorders and OC spectrum disorders. She is a clinical assistant professor at the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Sciences and an instructor in the departments of Psychiatry and Psychology at Rush Medical School. Her publications and presentations are in the area of the anxiety disorders, impulse control disorders and OC spectrum disorders.
Brett Dufour received his BS degree from UC Davis in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior. He then worked as a research assistant on the first studies to validate barbering (whisker and fur plucking) in mice as a model of Trich. After a spell teaching high-school science, he moved to Purdue University for graduate study in Dr. Joseph Garner’s lab. Brett’s graduate research has focused on the manipulation of brain serotonin and dopamine using diet, and the effect of these diets in mice on model behaviors for Trich and skin-picking.
Christopher A. Flessner, MS is a doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee under the supervision of Douglas W. Woods, Ph.D. Mr. Flessner’s primary areas of research interest are in the study of tic disorders, trichotillomania, and other obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders in both children and adults. His current research focuses on the examination of possible subtypes of hair pulling in individuals with trichotillomania and phenomenological similarities between various obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders.
Martin Franklin, PhD is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Clinical Director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety. Dr. Franklin has been a faculty member at the Center since 1992, and he has been actively involved in clinically oriented research with OCD, social phobia, PTSD, and TTM. He also has extensive clinical experience with adults, adolescents and children with anxiety disorders and related conditions such as TTM, and has served as Principal Investigator on several NIMH-funded and foundation-sponsored clinical research projects. Dr. Franklin is a member of TLC’s Scientific Advisory Board, and serves as Chair of the Research Committee.
Ramona Friedman MS, is a doctoral candidate from the Department of Psychology at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Sciences. Her advanced clinical training has specialized in the treatment of Trichotillomania and anxiety disorders. She will be focusing her dissertation research on gaining a more comprehensive understanding on TTM in children and adolescents. Her intention is to continue her work in this area in her post-doctoral endeavors.
Joe Garner, PhD, received his BA in zoology from Oxford University, UK. He studied for his doctorate in the Animal Behavior Research Group at Oxford, working on the neuropsychology of stereotypes in captive animals in Georgia Mason’s lab. His postdoctoral work was conducted with Joy Mench at UC Davis, and included developing animal models of Abnormal Repetitive Behaviors in autism. In 2004, Joe began an Assistant Professor position in the Animal Sciences Department at Purdue University. He has served as a council member for the International Society for Applied Ethology since 2003, as a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Animal Science since 2005, on the AAALAC Board of Trustees since 2006, as a member of TLC’s Scientific Advisory Board since 2006, and as an editor for Applied Animal Behaviour Science since 2007. Joe is perhaps best known for developing general neuropsychological methods for identifying brain systems involved in Abnormal Repetitive Behaviors in several animal species. Current work in his lab continues to develop mouse models of Trichotillomania, including investigating: why being female, puberty, and reproductive activity are linked to the development of Trichotillomania; the role of environmental effects, especially diet, in Trichotillomania; and the molecular and genomic events leading to the development of Trichotillomania.
Ruth Goldfinger Golomb, MEd, LCPC, is a clinician, supervisor, and co-director of the doctoral training program at the Behavior Therapy Center of Greater Washington, where she has worked since the mid 1980’s. Ms. Golomb specializes in treatment of anxiety disorders in children and adults. She has conducted numerous workshops and seminars, and participated in panel discussions covering many topics including Tourette Syndrome, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Trichotillomania, and managing anxiety disorders in the classroom. In addition to publishing articles for professional journals and newsletters, Ms. Golomb is an author of “The Hair Pulling ‘Habit’ and You: How to Solve the Trichotillomania Puzzle,” a book describing the comprehensive treatment of trichotillomania in children. Ms. Golomb is a member TLC’s Scienctific Advisory Board.
Jon Grant, MD is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at The University of Minnesota Medical School and staffs the Impulse Control Disorders Clinic at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Dr. Grant has written over 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on the phenomenology and pharmacological management of impulse control disorders. He is the author of “Stop Me Because I Can’t Stop Myself,” a book on impulse control disorders published by McGraw-Hill (2002). The National Institute of Mental Health funds his research. Dr. Grant is a member of TLC’s Scientific Advisory Board.
Ted A. Grossbart, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice in Boston. He is a Senior Associate and Clinical Supervisor for Boston's Beth Israel-Deaconess Hospital's Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts Mental Health Center, and the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, and an assistant clinical professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School. He has been a pioneer in the use of bio-behavioral methods including relaxation, imaging, hypnosis, and psychotherapy to treat skin and hair diseases and conditions. Skin picking and trichotillomania have been a focal point of his practice for 30 years. Dr. Grossbart is actively involved in public health education via popular magazine and newspaper articles, radio, and television appearances. His best known writing is the book SKIN DEEP: A Mind/Body Program for Healthy Skin, now in its second edition and sixth printing. The Skin Deep website (http://grossbart.com) has provided multimedia psychodermatology resources to over a million visitors.
Sarah Hess, BA, received her degree in Neuroscience from The College of Wooster, where she worked on the genetic and hormonal contributions to gender differences in behavior in mice. She then moved to Purdue for graduate study in interdisciplinary integrative neuroscience with Dr. Joseph Garner and Dr. Bob Meisel. For her graduate research, Sarah is working with mice to study the interaction of reproductive hormones with neurotransmitter physiology, and the potential role of these mechanisms in the development of Trich.
Joan Kaylor, MSEd, NCC, LPC is a Licensed Professional Counselor in private practice in Pittsburgh, PA. Joan treats TTM , OCD and all anxiety disorders. Joan has personal knowledge of TTM, having pulled for 25 years, and being pull free now for 17 years. She is Founder and current treasurer of the Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation of Western PA. She is also a past board member of both TLC’s National Board of Directors and the National Obsessive Compulsive Foundation. Joan is President of the Pennsylvania Counseling Association. Joan sees children, adults and families with anxiety disorders and trichotillomania.
Nancy Keuthen, PhD is the Co-Director of the Trichotillomania Clinic and Chief Psychologist in the OCD Clinic at Massachusetts General Hospital, and an Associate Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Keuthen is currently the Chairwoman of TLC’s Scientific Advisory Board and has been a board member for the past 15 years. Dr. Keuthen has pioneered considerable research in both trichotillomania and skin picking and authored over 70 scholarly research papers and chapters. She is currently launching a pilot study to investigate the genetics of trichotillomania and chronic hair pulling. Dr. Keuthen is the author of the popular book “Help for Hairpullers.” She also co-authored the internet-based treatment programs StopPulling.com and StopPicking.com.
Christine Larson, PhD has attended TLC conferences in Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Orlando. She recently completed a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology and is working towards gaining licensure. Her interest in the phenomenology, assessment, and treatment of TTM is both personal and professional, and she chose to focus her dissertation research on developing a self-report measure of hairpulling distress. Christine currently provides individual psychotherapy at a university counseling center, and she enjoys working with adolescents, children, and adults with a wide variety of presenting issues. She lives with her husband and a white-pawed grey cat in Pittsburgh, PA.
Anita Mardney, BS has 25 years experience as an Information Technology Professional where Global Process, Organizational, Problem Solving, Project Management, Communication, Financial, and People Management have been her responsibilities on a daily basis. She has experience in managing large scale Corporate Organizational Change of which Dynamics of Change is always present. She is married and has two daughters ages 8 and 10. Anita has been dealing with Trichotillomania since age 12 and now with 35 years of hills and valleys, she has reached a point in her recovery where she has made peace with her past and looks only forward in her life.
Charles S. Mansueto, PhD is a psychologist who specializes in the treatment and study of TTM. He is a founding member of TLC’s Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), and serves as the current Chair of the SAB’s Professional Education Committee. He is on the faculties of Bowie State University (MD) and the American School of Professional Psychology (VA), and is Director of the Behavior Therapy Center of Greater Washington, D.C., where he has been involved in the treatment of hundreds of TTM sufferers. Dr. Mansueto chaired the first national symposium on TTM in 1990, and continues to conduct research, publish and speak about the disorder.
Carol Novak, MD has extensive experience in treating adults with TTM. She directed the Pioneer Clinic for ten years, specializing in trichotillomania and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. In addition to medication treatment, she developed the country’s first Intensive Treatment Program for TTM. Dr. Novak has worked with TLC for years to raise public awareness, is a member of TLC’s Scientific Advisory Board, and was the founding Chair of the Advisory Board. She is currently the Assistant Medical Director of Behavioral Health for HealthPartners in Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN.
David L. Pauls, PhD is Professor of Psychiatry (Genetics) at the Harvard Medical School and Director of the Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit in the Center for Human Genetic Research at Massachusetts General Hospital. He has been interested in the genetics of behavior throughout his career and his research has been focused on elucidating the genetic and environmental factors important for the expression of child and adult psychiatric conditions. Dr. Pauls is a member of Scientific Advisory Boards for the OC Foundation and the Trichotillomania Learning Center, and the Board of Directors of the Asperger’s Assoc. of New England. He also serves as the Chair on two separate consortia: the OC Foundation Genetics Collaborative and the Tourette Syndrome Assoc. International Consortium for Genetics.
Christina Pearson grew up with TTM and skin picking, and is the founder and Executive Director of the Trichotillomania Learning Center, Inc. (TLC). Founded in 1991, TLC is a national non-profit educational resource center that has directly served over 100,000 sufferers, and provided web-based information and resources to over one million. She has lectured extensively on TTM and Spectrum Disorders, done countless media presentations, and developed a series of compelling workshops for individuals whose lives have been impacted with TTM or skin picking.
Fred Penzel, PhD is a licensed psychologist who has specialized in the treatment of Trichotillomania and OCD since 1982. He is the Executive Director of Western Suffolk Psychological Services in Huntington, Long Island, New York, a private treatment group specializing in neurobiological disorders including Body-focused Behaviors and OCD related problems. Dr. Penzel is a founding member of the TLC Science Advisory Board as well as the OC Foundation Science Advisory Board. He is the author of “The Hair Pulling Problem,” a self-help book dedicated exclusively to TTM , as well as “Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders: A Complete Guide To Getting Well And Staying Well,” a self-help work covering TTM and other O-C spectrum disorders. Dr. Penzel is also a frequent contributor to TLC’s newsletter In Touch. He has lectured nationally and internationally on the subjects of Body-focused Behaviors and OCD.
John Piacentini, PhD, ABPP is Professor of Psychiatry in the David Geffen School of Medicine and Director of the Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Program at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. He received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Georgia and completed post-doctoral training and was a faculty member at Columbia University/NY State Psychiatric Institute. Dr. Piacentini has authored over 140 papers, chapters, and books and has received numerous NIH and other grants to study childhood OCD, anxiety, tic and related disorders. He is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for the Trichotillomania Learning Center, Chair of the Tourette Syndrome Association Behavioral Sciences consortium, and a Founding Fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. He is also a frequent lecturer and actively involved in training mental health practitioners how to treat youngsters with anxiety, tics, and related problems.
Sue Price, MS, LAPC, NCC grew up with trichotillomania, and due to her rewarding experiences helping (and being helped by) TLC, decided to become a counselor. Sue received her MS in Professional Counseling in May 2006 from Georgia State University, and currently works as a counselor at a psychiatric hospital in Atlanta, with the goal of becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC).
Renae M. Reinardy, PsyD received her Doctorate at Argosy University, Washington, D.C. campus. She is the director and founder of the Lakeside Center for Behavioral Change, P.C. in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Dr. Reinardy specializes in the treatment of trichotillomania, obsessive-compulsive disorder, compulsive hoarding and related conditions. She has been an adjunct professor at the doctoral level and provides professional training to other mental health providers.
Cheryn Salazar, owner of Cheryn International, as well as author of two books, the first being her story and recovery process called "You Are Not Alone: Compulsive Hairpulling..", and the second book for parents of hair pullers called "What's Happening to my Child? A Guide for Parents of Hair Pullers, will be offering two workshops. One will be of makeup application techniques, which Cheryn has developed a wonderful line of waterproof makeup, to restore a feeling of beauty and normalcy for women, children, and men. The other will also offer a workshop for kids with Trich addressing self-esteem issues & encouragement. Cheryn is the mother of four, two which have trichotillomania and are in "recovery".
Stacy Shaw Welch, PhD is the Director of the Anxiety and Stress Reduction Center of Seattle. She is also on the research faculty at the University of Washington Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and is a clinical instructor at the University of Washington Department of Psychology. Dr. Welch has had a longstanding interest in anxiety-related problems, trauma and body-focused repetitive behaviors (such as trichotillomania and compulsive skin-picking). She specializes in treating anxiety disorders, including Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, Social Phobia and specific phobias, as well as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. She completed her doctorate in clinical psychology at the University of Washington. She is very interested in improving existing treatments for trichotillomania and skin picking.
Laura Sirowitz, LMSW, is a licensed social worker and psychotherapist specializing in the treatment of trichotillomania and other body focused disorders. As a former hair puller, Laura is uniquely qualified to treat people with these problems. She has received advanced training in cognitive behavioral therapy, psychodynamic psychotherapy, and mindfulness meditation, and since attending the first TLC Professional Training Institute she has helped numerous adults, adolescents, children and their parents with these problems. Laura balances the need for focusing on the behavior while working with the whole person. It is her belief that when supportive treatment is tailored to the unique needs of each individual, recovery is possible, and the liberation achieved is well worth the ongoing persistence required.
Karen M. Tomoff, LPCC, LICDC, Music Therapist - Board Certified, has 17 years of experience in private practice specializing in treating children, adolescents, families and couples. She utilizes a broad base of therapeutic approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing and Remapping. Specializations include Trichotillomania, Anxiety Disorders, Eating Disorders, Addictions, Attention Deficit Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Mood Disorders. Fifteen years of presenting parenting programs and classes, as well as raising two children into adulthood has resulted in a breadth of effective parenting skills and strategies.
Douglas W. Woods, PhD received his PhD in Clinical Psychology from Western Michigan University in 1999. He is a recognized expert in the assessment and treatment of tic disorders and trichotillomania and is currently an Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Training at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Milwaukee, WI. Dr. Woods has authored or co-authored over 90 papers and chapters and has edited two book describing behavioral interventions for Tic Disorders, Trichotillomania, and other repetitive behavior problems. He has presented his work nationally and internationally with over 100 conference presentations and numerous invited talks. Dr. Woods is a founding member of the Tourette Syndrome Association’s (TSA) Behavioral Sciences Consortium, is a member of TSA’s Medical Advisory Board, and serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Trichotillomania Learning Center. He has been funded by the TSA Grants program, Trichotillomania Learning Center Grants program, and is currently funded by the NIH as part of two separate multisite research projects investigating the efficacy of behavior therapy for children and adults with Tourette Syndrome.
Sherrie Vavrichek, LCSW, CBCD is a board certified clinical social worker who has served in medical, psychiatric, and special education settings in the Washington D.C. area for over 20 years. Her expertise includes adolescents and adults with TTM, OCD, ADHD, and Learning Disabilities. She has been on the staff of the Behavior Therapy Center of Greater Washington for 10 years, and is co-author of “The Hair Pulling Habit and You: How to Solve the Trichotillomania Puzzle,” a treatment guide for children and adolescents, their parents, and therapists.
Noah Weintraub, PsyD is a psychologist at the Behavior Therapy Center of Greater Washington. Dr. Weintraub earned his doctorate from Nova Southeastern University and completed further training at Terry Children’s Psychiatric Center in Delaware. While Dr. Weintraub works with all ages, he specializes in children and adolescents with a wide range of difficulties including OCD and other anxiety disorders, ADHD, body-focused repetitive behaviors, and other behavioral disorders.