HGPS 2021 Virtual Institute

Melissa Beason-Smith, MEd, PhD, CGP
Melissa Beason-Smith is a psychologist in private practice.  She earned her doctoral degree from the University of Houston with an emphasis in trauma.  She completed her internship and a trauma fellowship at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center.  Melissa is currently completing training in modern analytic group psychotherapy with the Center for Group Studies in New York City.

Christopher Frier Brown, LCSW Christopher became a psychotherapist because therapy changed his life for the better. He’s a Clinical Social Worker and sex therapist in private practice. He’s licensed as an LCSW in Texas and Colorado. Christopher has worked in psychiatric hospitals, The Baylor Psychiatry Clinic, and The Menninger Clinic. He’s trained with John and Julie Gottman, Esther Perel, and has completed the Sexual Health Certificate Program at the University of Michigan School of Social Work.

Nanine Ewing, PhD, FAGPA, CGP, BC-DMT
Nanine Ewing, PhD, FAGPA, CGP, BC-DMT is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Houston.Texas for the past 33 years. She is a Fellow of the American Group Psychotherapy Association and a Certified Group Psychotherapist and a Dance Movement therapist.

She has spoken nationally and internationally on the subjects of nonverbal communication, Jungian theory, Group process , Group dynamics , Psyche and Soma, Countertransference, the Anti-group, and many other topics.

She teaches in an alternate training route for dance movement therapists in Embodied Neurobiology for advanced clinical training at Experiential Therapies in Austin , Texas. She has a private practice in Houston Texas and runs 3 groups a week for clinicians and private clients. She does in depth individual work with a Jungian orientation focusing on dream work and symbolic work in the body and psyche. Her clientele includes a large percentage of her fellow clinicians.

She has a PhD in clinical psychology and a Masters in counseling psychology and is a certified Adlerian and has studied hypnotherapy to the consultant level.

She believes deeply in the work of the therapist’s inner life and has been committed to her own therapy and analysis for the entire spectrum of her clinical work and dedicates herself to encouraging other clinicians to do the same.

Kimberly B. Harrison, PhD
Dr. Kimberly B. Harrison is a clinical psychologist and founder of The Conative Group, in Houston, Texas. She works with children, adolescents, and adults though individual and group therapy. Dr. Harrison also conducts psychological evaluations, and works closely with schools and families on learning and attention issues. She also works extensively with individuals who have Asperger’s-type ASD. Recent groups, both virtual and in-person, include Young Adults with ASD, Art Therapy for  Elementary and Middle School Girls, Parents of Children with ADHD, and Workfromhomeschooling.

Robert Hilliker, LCSW-S, LCDC
Robert is driven by a deep commitment to serve others and is passionate about the subject of hope and despair in clinical treatment. His 17 years in the field of addiction and mental health encompass private practice, clinical supervision, the creation and management of clinical programming, and the co-founding of The Lovett Center in 2014 and its parent company Ethos Behavioral Health Group in 2018.

Andrew Krieger, DSW, MBA, LCSW, LCDC
Dr. Andrew Krieger is a private practice psychotherapist with extensive experience in business consulting, clinical program design and development, addiction treatment and group psychotherapy. He has held clinical positions at some of the leading addiction treatment programs in Texas and has served in executive roles in top companies across multiple industries. He received his Doctor of Social Work from the University of Southern California, and his Masters of Clinical Social Work and Masters of Business Administration from the University of Houston. Dr. Krieger has provided consulting services for over 25 years to both for-profit and non-profit organizations along a wide range of operational areas, including addiction treatment, business process refinement, public relations, practice development, marketing, business development and executive coaching. He has also worked for over 15 years with individuals and families as a private practice and group psychotherapist, specializing in addictive disorders, family therapy, group psychotherapy and process addictions.

Paul LePhuoc, PhD, CGP
Paul LePhuoc is a licensed psychologist and a Certified Group Psychotherapist in Houston, TX where he maintains a full-time private practice and leads two longterm ongoing analytic therapy groups.  He is also a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine.  He is a former board member of the Houston Group Psychotherapy Society and the International Board for Certification of Group Psychotherapists.  He has led training groups in St. Petersberg, Russia through the Center for Group Studies.  He received his PhD in Counseling Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin.

Jennifer Markey, PhD, MEd, CGP
Jennifer Markey is a Licensed Psychologist in private practice and founder of the Petoskey Center Intensive Outpatient Program.. She received her Masters in Education in Risk and Prevention from Harvard Graduate School of Education. She went on to receive her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from Suffolk University.  Jennifer is currently the co-chairperson of the Training and Education Committee for the Houston Group Psychotherapy Society.

Kula Moore, LPC-S, ATR-BC
Kula Moore is a Board Certified Art Therapist and Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor. She is founder of Art Therapy Houston, a private practice providing art therapy services to people and organizations in Houston. Kula also practices art therapy at The Menninger Clinic, where she works primarily with the emerging adult population. She specializes in personality disorders and the young adult population. With extensive training in Mentalizing-Based Treatment, Moore co-developed a mentalizing-based art therapy group protocol and has presented this work at local national conferences and workshops. She is also a recent author of Mentalizing in Group Art Therapy: Interventions for Emerging Adults. Moore has served on the board of the South Texas Art Therapy Association and is also co-founder and illustrator at One Moore Book, publisher of multicultural educational stories for children of countries with low literacy rates and underrepresented cultures. She joyfully lives, works, paints, and plays in the great city of Houston.

Richard L. Newman, MEd, LPC-S, LMFT-S, LCSW, LCDC, NCC, CCMHC, CGP, FAGPA
Richard Newman is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor, a Social Worker, a Marriage and Family Therapist Supervisor, and a Chemical Dependency Counselor, who has been treating clients for over forty years. He is a Certified Group Psychotherapist, a National Certified Counselor, a Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor, and a Fellow of the American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA). He has experience with inpatient, agency, and outpatient practice as a clinician, a supervisor, and an administrator. He specializes in working with children and adolescents, and, in doing so, he does considerable family and marital therapy work.  He has led groups for children, adolescents, adults, and marital couples over his clinical career, and he has participated in teaching the AGPA Principles Course.

Sarah Pinto Gallego, MSW
Sarah Pinto is a social worker and activist in the area of racial equity and works to help organizations create inclusive and authentic spaces. She received a Bachelors of Arts in Chinese and a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from the University of Houston. She later received her Master’s of Social Work degree from the Graduate College of Social Work at the University of Houston and trained as a GLOBE (Integrated Health) Fellow and Trauma Fellow. Sarah is the tri-chairperson of the Cultural Humility, Equity and Diversity Committee for the Houston Group Psychotherapy Society.

Michelle Puster, MEd
As a therapist I meet each client where they are and apply appropriate therapies, methods, and strategies as needed. I am a Person Centered therapist, meaning I believe my clients are the experts in their lives. I use an empathic approach that empowers and motivates the client in the therapeutic process. I believe that each of my clients has the ability to reach their goals and their full potential. In couples therapy I use Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy Method to help couples learn and understand the cycles in their conflicts and how to break free of damaging patterns in their relationships.

I am the owner of Katy Couples & Wellness Counseling: Providing Individual and Couples counseling.Other credentials: Certified Emotionally Focused Couples Therapist and Supervisor and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional.

Anne Slater, LCSW-S
I believe that we all have stories of power, privilege, and oppression that often go untold and therefore hinder understanding. When we take the time to slow down, listen, and acknowledge this context we open up the possibility of constructing new meaning. I love collaborating with people to expand their stories and build equitable relationships that provide the sense of belonging all humans need.

I received my Master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of Social Work and completed four years of training in couple and family therapy at The Ackerman Institute for the Family in New York City. My experience ranges from working with adjudicated youth in Brooklyn’s under-served communities to directing clinical services for nonprofits to starting my own therapy practice, first in Brooklyn and now in Houston. In my practice, I supervise fellow therapists; work with individuals, couples, and families; and I co-facilitate a short-term process group with Amanda Yoder called Examining Whiteness for white people to confront internalized white supremacy and deepen their understanding of systemic racism.

Laura C. Spiller, PhD
Dr. Laura Spiller is a psychologist who specializes in helping individuals and couples strengthen relationships and connect with those they care about. She completed her doctoral training in psychology at the University of Houston and the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. For over 10 years, she was a professor who trained clinical psychology graduate students and conducted research on relationships. She is the owner of Heights Couples Therapy and co-owner of Wellness Collaborative, psychology practices in the Heights area of Houston.

Amanda Yoder, LCSW, CGP
“We are hurt in relationship, and we heal in relationship” is the core conviction of my therapeutic approach. From the time our earliest map of self-and-other forms in our families, religions and cultures, we see the world through the lens of our experience. It’s through relationships that our worldview expands and our sense-of-self matures, especially if we take time for inquiry and insight, and to integrate what we learn. I work from a social justice perspective, deeply attuning to the ways inequities around race, gender, and sexuality also inform our sense of self-and-other.

I specialize in group psychotherapy, and offer process groups for clinicians and adults in their 30s. I co-lead with Anne Slater a short-term process group called Examining Whiteness, in which white people confront internalized and systemic white supremacy. I teach and supervise clinicians in a variety of settings, and conduct group psychotherapy trainings upon request.

Grounded in psychoanalytic theory, I have studied at Smith College, Columbia University, The Center for Psychoanalytic Studies, The Harvard Program in Refugee Studies, and currently, at the Institute for Clinical Social Work.

Stefanie C. Barthmare, M.Ed., LPC-S
Guy Bender, LPC
Jamie Cool, LCSW, CGP
Tammy Fountain, LPC-S, CGP
Brandy Gibson, LMSW
Mara Gittess, LPC
Elyssa Fink Gottheim, LCSW, CGP
Gregory Kaplan, MA student
Michele Lees, MA, BC-DMT, LPC
Ty David Lerman, MA, LPC-S, CST
Kat Nazaroff, LCSW, LCDC, CDWF
Richard L. Newman, M.Ed., LPC-S, LMFT-S, LCSW, LCDC, NCC, CCMHC, CGP, FAGPA
Harvey A Rosenstock, M.D., LFAGPA, CGP
Leticia H. White, LCSW
Dan Workman, LMSW