Introduction of New Members

We would like to introduce and welcome the new members of AFTA as of February 2003. One person chose not to submit a self-description.

Ferid Agani, M.D., is an Albanian neuropsychiatrist, assistant professor at Prishtina University, and National Mental Health Coordinator and Director of the Department for Strategic Management in Ministry of Health of Kosova. He is also a co-leader of the Kosovar Family Professional Educational Collaborative Project.

Steven C. Atkins, Psy.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in specific learning disabilities, ADHD, and family therapy and developmental theory. He is an instructor and clinical associate for Dartmouth Medical School's Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Section. He holds a Masters degree in Education from Harvard University and a Doctorate of Psychology from the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology.

Carl Auerbach, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Psychology at Yeshiva University. He is the co-director, with Dr. Louise Silverstein, of the Yeshiva University Fatherhood Project. He also does research on trauma and family resilience, and teaches a course in qualitative research methodology.

Jerry J. Bigner, Ph.D., is a relative newcomer to the therapeutic field but has learned so very much from his clients. His therapeutic experiences have certainly enriched his abilities as a professor and enhanced his writing skills. His focus continues to be on his work with gay and lesbian parents and their families. He is most appreciative of having the opportunities to be an advocate on their behalf in local, state, national, and international proceedings.

Thomas W. Blume, Ph.D., Associate Professor at Oakland University, began clinical work in the Washington, DC area. He earned a Ph.D. in MFT from Texas Tech University. He combines family developmental, role, and conflict theories into a focus on the negotiation of identity narratives in relationships.

Mary Coombs, Ph.D., MSW, has been a psychotherapist and clinical social worker since 1971, having practiced in Philadelphia until 1995 when she moved to Berkeley, CA to attend a NIMH postdoctoral fellowship in mental health research at UC Berkeley. Since then, she has been teaching at UC Berkeley as a Lecturer in the School of Social Welfare, and doing psychotherapy process research in the Dept. of Clinical Psychology. Current interests are the socialization of emotion in the family, the role of emotion in different psychotherapeutic treatment modalities, and clarifying the process of using integrative methods.

Marilene A. Grandesso, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist, family and couples therapist, teacher and supervisor of family and couples therapy of the Family and Community Nucleus at Pontifical Catholic University in São Paulo, Brazil. Dr. Grandesso was also the president of the Family Therapy Association of São Paulo for the years 2000-2001. She has written the book, Sobre a reconstrução do significado: uma análise epistemologica e hermeneutic a da prática clinica.

Barbara Jósefik, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and family psychotherapist who has worked in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry of Jagiellonian University in Kraków since 1979. Dr. Jósefik runs the Family Therapy Unit of the Department, and teaches courses on family therapy in Poland within the framework of the Cracow Foundation of Psychotherapy Development. Her special interests are in family therapy, systemic consultation, and eating disorders.

Katie Kennedy, LPC, lives in Portland, Oregon where she works in private practice with families, individuals and groups. She is an adjunct faculty member of Lewis and Clark College and consults with alternative schools developing anti-violence projects. She loves spending time with her partner, enjoying music, creating art and playing outdoors.

Barry Mason, MSc, is the Director of the Institute of Family Therapy in London. He has recently co-edited two new books-one on supervision (with David Campbell) and one on cross-cultural work (with Alice Sawyer) and is presently writing up research on chronic pain and family relationships.

Sandra Mattar, Psy.D., is a graduate of the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (MSPP), and is a licensed psychologist with more than 10 years of clinical experience. Her main professional work focuses around immigrant families, the psychology of acculturation, ethnic and racial identity, cross-cultural mental health issues, and trauma. Dr. Mattar is an Assistant Professor in the Psy.D. program and Adjunct Faculty in the MA in the Counseling program at JFKU. She has taught courses at UC Berkeley-Extension, and MSPP.

Beatriz Maria Molina Velez, MSW, is a family therapist in Medellin, Colombia, who works as a professor at a Family Therapy Postgraduate Program at the University of Antioquia. Although it was the first program in the country, there are still few. It is important for professionals in Colombia to exchange their work internationally to grow theoretically and in their clinical work. They are very isolated.

Mathilde Neder, Ph.D., is a psychologist, psychotherapist and titular professor at the S. Paulo Catholic University; professor and supervisor of the course, "Family and Couple Therapy"; coordinator, professor and supervisor of the course, "Health Psychology: Hospital Psychology;" and collaborator professor of the Medical School and Clinical Hospital.

Susan Oppenheim, DSW, trained at the Hunter Post Masters Program in Family Treatment and the Ackerman Institute for the Family. She participated in a yearlong family-of-origin group at the Westchester Family Institute (led by Monica McGoldrick). She has taught courses in couples and family treatment at The Hunter College School of Social Work, the Doctoral Program at the NYU School of Social Work, and the Columbia University School of Social Work. She is currently a supervisor at the NYU Child Study Center. Most recently, she and AFTA member Tazuko Shibusawa presented, "The Use of Internet in Teaching Couples Therapy Skills: The Electronic Webboard as a One-way Mirror" in Japan.

Patricia Pitta, Ph.D., ABPP, is a family psychologist who practices in Manhasset, NY, and is an Adjunct Professor at St. John's University in the doctoral and post-doctoral program in Family Specialization. She has developed an "Integrated Healing Family Therapy Model," which she has published and is applied to children, adolescents, couples, and individuals.

Luis Torremocha Duran, Ph.D., is a psychiatrist and present Director of the Mental Hospital "San Juan de Dios," and of the School for Family Therapy in Malaga, Spain. He is also the former director of the Provincial Hospital for Psychiatry in Malaga, and former Associate Professor of Psychiatry in the Dept. of Medicine at the University of Malaga. Dr. Torremocha has done clinical work in mental health since 1970, especially with cases of major mental disorders. Since 1987, he has been applying the systemic model to mental health programs for communities and hospitals.

Gil Tunnell, Ph.D., is pleased to become an official member of this exciting organization, after attending two Annual Meetings as a guest. He has been learning and teaching family therapy for almost 20 years now. He is currently in full-time private practice in New York City, with special interests in gay and lesbian couples. Dr. Tunnell currently consults at the Beth Israel Medical Center in its family therapy training program, which he directed for six years.

Karen Westbrooks, Ph.D., is professor of Family Therapy at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, KY. She has authored Functional Low-Income Families, Overcoming Dysfunction, and Oral Histories...A Study of Unconventional Strengths. As an award-winning teacher and effective leader, she has a growing professional presence. She is an AAMFT-Approved Supervisor, an immediate Past President of AAMFT-Kentucky, and was recently elected as a member of the AAMFT Elections Council.