Instructors

Click on a name below to view the instructor's biography.


Dean Adams, PhD

Sophia Ansari, MA

Arnie Aronoff, PhD

Donna R. Baptiste, EdD

William Borden, PhD

Jacqueline Boyd

Jerrold Brandell, PhD

Sarah Buino, MSW

Evette Cardona, AM

Bob Carty, LCSW

Sara Cherny, MS CGC

Denise Davis, MSW

Aren Drehobl, AM

Sophia F. Dziegielewsk

Carol Ganzer, PhD

Jill R. Gardner, PhD

Adia Gooden, PhD

Debra A. Hass, MPP

Janna A. Henning, JD, PsyD 

Brit Holmberg, MSW, MDiv

Paul Holmes, PsyD

Camesha Jones, AM

Marion Malcome, MSW

Stanley McCracken, PhD

Michael A. McNulty, PhD

Sarah Morgan, AM

Janice M. Pyrce, AM, MBA

Frederic Reamer, PhD

Stephanie Renno, AM

John Rolland, MD, MPH

Mark Sanders, MSW

Amy Schigelone, PhD

Soo Shim, MS, MBA

Danielle Simmons, PhD

S Simmons, PhD

Helene Snyder, JD 

Belinda Stiles, AM

Nick Turner, AM

Jancey Wickstrom, AM

Krista Woods, MSW

Gabriela Zapata-Alma, AM

 

Dean Adams, PhD
Dean Adams has a Ph.D. in Special Education with concentrations in Women and Gender Studies, and Disability Studies from Syracuse University. Dean has been teaching courses and presenting on topics such as disability culture and history, inclusive pedagogy, universal design for learning, and the intersections of disability, race, and gender for over a decade. His current work has been in the areas of DisCrit (a framework that uses disability studies and critical race theory to examine how race, racism, dis/ability and ableism are infused into educational institutions); and analysis of the school to prison pipeline. Dean was the Interim Director of the Disability Cultural Center at UIC, as well as working with the Inclusive Classroom Initiative on a training module for faculty and staff on meeting the needs of students with disabilities at UIC. 

Sophia, Ansari, MA
Sophia Ansari, MA, LCPC, is the coordinator for the Midwest Play Therapy Institute-Chicago and a member of the Association for Play Therapy. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Wright State University and her Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling from the University of Cincinnati. Ansari works with children, adolescents, couples, and families. She provides trainings for parents and teachers on the importance of play as it relates to development and learning. Presentation topics include mental health, play therapy, trauma, and autism spectrum disorder. 

Arnie Aronoff, PhD
Arnie Aronoff is an instructor in the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice and the Master of Science in Analytics (MScA) graduate program at the University of Chicago.  At Crown Family School, he teaches Leading Teams in the Social Sector; in the MScA program, his courses include Strategy and Communications in Data Analytics, Leading Technical Teams, and Data Ethics.  Arnie has facilitated workshops in Crown Family School’s PDP program for over 15 years. Arnie maintains an organizational development consulting practice focusing on health care and nonprofit administration.  He received his undergraduate degree from Williams College and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Chicago.

Donna R. Baptiste, EdD
Donna R. Baptiste is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Licensed Marital and Family Therapist with an active clinical practice at The Family Institute at Northwestern University. She provides therapy and psycho-education for individuals, couples and families across the lifespan. She is currently senior faculty in the Center for Psychological and Family Studies and in the Counseling Master degree program also at Northwestern University, teaching courses related to marriage and family therapy, counseling methods and child and adolescent development.  Prior to her work at Northwestern, she was Associate Professor in Psychiatry and Associate Director of the Center for Research on Women and Gender at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).

William Borden, PhD
William Borden is Lecturer at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice and Lecturer in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Chicago, where he teaches courses on contemporary psychodynamic theory, human development, and comparative psychotherapy. Borden is the Director of Crown Family School's Advanced Psychodynamic Fellowship in Clinical Practice. He has written articles, essays, and books on relational perspectives in contemporary psychoanalysis, integrative perspectives in psychosocial intervention, brief psychotherapy, and narrative psychology, and conducted empirical research on stress, coping, and development across the life course. His current work focuses on recent developments in neuroscience and integrative perspectives in psychosocial intervention. Borden has worked as a clinician, supervisor, and consultant in mental health settings since 1983. He received the SSA Excellence in Teaching Award in 2000, and has been teaching in the PDP at Crown Family School for over twenty years.

Jacqueline Boyd
Jacqueline Boyd is the founder and owner of The Care Plan, www.the-care-plan.com, the country's first LGBTQ+ centered care management company. The Care Plan’s innovative model of client directed care provides advocacy, care navigation and advance planning for successful aging experiences. Jacqueline is also a co-founder of Project Fierce Chicago, and One Roof Chicago. Jacqueline recently contributed a chapter to Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Health and Aging, and authored the guide Create Your Care Plan: An LGBT Person’s Guide To Preparing For Medical Procedures.

Jerrold Brandell, PhD
Jerry Brandell is Distinguished Professor, Wayne State University School of Social Work (1992 – present), and an instructor at the Michigan Council for Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy.   A practicing psychotherapist-psychoanalyst, he is (Founding) editor of Psychoanalytic Social Work, currently in its 26th year of publication.  Jerry has led workshops and lectured widely on clinical topics in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and the Pacific Rim.  His scholarly interests include theoretical and clinical psychoanalysis, the portrayal of psychoanalysis in the cinema, psychotherapeutic process, psychodynamic supervision, and therapeutic storytelling with children.  He has been a visiting scholar at University of Canterbury (New Zealand), Lund University (Sweden), Zurich School of Applied Sciences (Switzerland), and National Taipei University (Taiwan).  In 2017, he received the Selma Fraiberg Award for his contributions to the field of child and adolescent treatment at the 15th National Conference of the American Association for Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work, and more recently, received the Edith Abbott Award for Lifetime Achievement from the University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration (now the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice).  Jerry has published over 50 journal articles and book chapters, and fourteen books, including Trauma: Contemporary Directions in Theory, Practice, and Research, second edition (Columbia University Press, 2019).  His most recent book, (Theory and Practice in Clinical Social Work, third edition) will be published in 2020.

Sarah Buino, MSW 
Sarah Buino, LCSW, RDDP, CADC, CDWF is a speaker, teacher, therapist and the founder of Head/Heart Therapy in Chicago. She is a licensed clinical social worker, registered dual diagnosis professional, certified addictions counselor and a Certified Daring WayTM facilitator. She holds a masters degree from Loyola University in Chicago and specializes in shame, trauma, and substance use disorders. She has trained in a variety of therapy modalities including: NARM (neuro-affective relational model), sensorimotor psychotherapy, comprehensive energy psychology, psychodrama/experiential therapy, and shame-resilience. She uses these modalities as a framework to support resilience within her clients and create a space for self-knowledge and growth.

Sarah is a member of the adjunct faculty at Loyola University Chicago, Fordham University and presents on topics such as shame, trauma and addiction to therapists all over the country. She’s also the host of two podcasts: Conversations With a Wounded Healer which examines the role of one’s own healing while being a care-giving professional. And Transforming Trauma, a podcast by the NARM Training Institute about thriving after trauma. Sarah integrates her knowledge of complementary healing modalities such as music, yoga, reiki, and the chakra system into her clinical practice to help clients enhance connection with their authentic selves. From an early age, Sarah began to share the stage with her mother who was a professional singer. She sings in a local Chicago band and has utilized her musical skills in therapy interventions at various addiction treatment centers in the city.

Evette Cardona, AM
Evette Cardona is Vice President of Programs at the Polk Bros. Foundation where she began as an intern in 1998.  She is the Vice Chair of the board of directors of the Donors Forum and chairs its Diversity and Inclusiveness committee. She is a native Chicagoan and a graduate of the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration, where she received the 2008 Elizabeth Butler award for outstanding professional success and achievement in social work, the University of Chicago’s Leadership in Diversity Alumni award in 2010, and where she teaches a course in philanthropy and public policy.  Her undergraduate degree in art and design is from the University of Illinois Chicago.  Before entering the field of philanthropy, Cardona's  experience included working with teenage mothers and their children at Christopher House, and teaching photography through Urban Gateways and various freelance audio-visual and photography assignments. She has been active in Chicago’s LGBT community, was a member of the Center on Halsted’s inaugural board of directors, and in 2002 was inducted into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame in 2002.

Bob Carty, LCSW, CADC, CCJP
For forty years, Bob Carty participated in the behavioral health profession in various roles – counselor, supervisor, trainer, mentor, and board member. In 2019, he retired from his position as the Director of Clinical Services at the Chicago facility of the Hazelden-Betty Ford Foundation. Previously, he coordinated Grant Hospital's Clinical Training Program for Addictions Counselors, worked as a Deputy Director at TASC, started his own consulting company, and served as the Program Coordinator of Harborview Recovery Center. In 2011, the Illinois Certification Board presented him with the Professional of the Year award. In 2019, the Illinois Association of Addictions Professionals presented him with the William White Lifetime Achievement Award. Since Bob's retirement, he continues to provide training events throughout Illinois.

Sara Cherny, MS CGC
Sara is proud to be the first genetic counselor in the Section of Cardiology at Lurie Children's Hospital. Her role is a combination of patient care, program development, and research. She has a special interest in health equity, using her privilege to lift and amplify the voices and experiences of marginalized individuals in her day to day patient and professional interactions as well as in her contributions to the community. She is the founder of the DEI Discussion Group for genetic counselors at Lurie Children's, and is an active member of the Advocacy Committee of the Illinois Society of Genetics Professionals, serving as Chair in 2021. She is committed to being a leader on health equity, and to helping those around her find their own path to inclusive practice.

Denise Davis, MSW
Denise Davis, LCSW is in private practice where she treats children, adolescents, adults and couples, provides consultation and supervision, and runs study groups. In addition to teaching at Crown Family School’s Advanced Psychodynamic Fellowship in Clinical Practice, she also teaches at the Institute for Clinical Social Work and at the Si Chuan He Guang Clinical Psychology Institute in China (remotely). She is a member of the Midwest Self Psychology Study Group, the chairperson of the International Association for Psychoanalytic Self Psychology’s (IAPSP) Child and Adolescent Initiative, a regional editor of IAPSP’s e-forum, as well as a member of IAPSP’s Council. Davis has presented at IAPSP Conferences and has been a discussant and moderator for IAPSP’s online journal clubs. She has published papers on therapeutic action, boundaries and empathic imagination, all from within a self psychology framework.

Aren Drehobl, AM
Aren Drehobl, LCSW, CADC, is a psychotherapist, substance abuse counselor, trainer, and consultant with eighteen years of experience in the social services. Drehobl currently works as a Clinical Field Consultant at the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice at the University of Chicago and as a therapist in private practice. Prior to these roles, Drehobl was the Program Manager of Recovering With Pride, Howard Brown Health Center’s substance abuse treatment program. Drehobl's specialty interests include LGBTQ-affirming therapy, recovery from trauma, substance use and abuse, and issues facing transgender and gender nonconforming individuals. Drehobl has presented workshops on these and other topics to thousands of professionals in schools, nonprofits, and businesses. As a transgender/genderqueer therapist, Drehobl brings both consumer and provider perspectives to discussions of gender identity diversity. Drehobl holds a Master of Arts in Social Service Administration from the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago.

Sophia F. Dziegielewski
Sophia F. Dziegielewski is a licensed clinical social worker and professor at the School of Social Work at the University of Central Florida (UCF), in Orlando, Florida.She is also Chair of the UCF Institutional Review Board which provides oversight for the protection of human subjects in university-related research studies and is Editor of the Journal of Social Work Research. Throughout her academic, administrative, and practice career she has been active in mental health practice and research, maintaining her license and serving as an expert witness in the courts. She is the recipient of numerous awards and supports her research and practice activity with over 135 publications, including 8 textbooks, 85 articles, and the book, DSM-5™ in Action, 3rd Edition.

Carol Ganzer, PhD
Carol Ganzer is on the faculty of the Institute for Clinical Social Work where she teaches contemporary psychodynamic theory, and an instructor in Crown Family School's Advanced Psychodynamic Fellowship in Clinical Practice. Ganzer is the managing editor of Clinical Social Work Journal and has served on its editorial board. She is faculty and president of the Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis. Ganzer has worked in the mental health field as a clinician and supervisor since 1996. She received a PhD in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago, an MSW from Jane Addams College of Social Work, and a certificate in advanced psychodynamic clinical practice from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration. She has presented and published articles on the application of psychoanalytic theory to practice with vulnerable populations and on issues of supervision and consultation. She maintains an independent practice of psychotherapy and consultation in Chicago.

Jill R. Gardner, PhD
Jill R. Gardner is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice in Chicago. She has been a lecturer at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice and a Visiting Professor at the Institute for Clinical Social Work. She is a frequent presenter at workshops and in-service programs and has published papers on the use of self psychology in brief treatment and supervision. She also does executive coaching and has consulted to numerous organizations and businesses on management and organizational issues. Gardner has more than thirty-five years' experience in community mental health and private practice in Chicago.

Adia Gooden, PhD
Adia Gooden is the Director of Community Programs & Outcome Measurement at The Family Institute. She received her BA from Stanford University and a PhD in Clinical Community Psychology from DePaul University. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at The Family Institute at Northwestern University. Dr. Gooden is the author of a blog focused on promoting mental health among Black women. 

Debra A. Hass, MPP
Debra A. Hass is Principal and Founder of Serendipity Consulting which emphasizes program development and management, evaluation, research, and writing. She has over 20 years of professional and volunteer experience in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors including serving as a senior policy associate at the Women Employed Institute and as a foundation program officer focused on early childhood development. She is a Lecturer at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, teaching Evaluation of Social Welfare Policies and Programs. Hass holds a bachelor's degree from Beloit College and a master's degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago.

Janna A. Henning, JD, PsyD 
Janna A. Henning is a Professor at the Adler School of Professional Psychology in Chicago and the founder and coordinator of its Traumatic Stress Psychology Concentration. She also maintains a part-time private practice. Her teaching and research concentrates in trauma-focused approaches to intervention, death and dying, life-threatening illness, caregiving, bereavement and loss, and gender in psychotherapy. Henning earned her BA in Political Science and JD in Law at Indiana University and her MA and PsyD in Clinical Psychology at The Chicago School. She is a Board Certified Expert in Traumatic Stress, a Certified Thanatologist (Death, Dying and Bereavement), and certified in Clinical Hypnosis. 

Brit Holmberg, MSW, MDiv
Brit Holmberg, LCSW, MDiv. works with individuals of diverse ages and backgrounds at the Samaritan Counseling Center. He uses a strengths-based, holistic approach to treat a variety of mental health challenges including life adjustments, grief, depression, anxiety, and adolescent emotional issues. He received his Master of Social Work from Loyola University of Chicago and his Master of Divinity from Garrett Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL. Holmberg has been engaged in anti-racism work since college and once interned for the Peoples' Institute for Survival and Beyond in New Orleans, LA.

Paul Holmes, PsyD
Paul Holmes is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice and was previously a faculty member in the University's Department of Psychiatry. He is also the Director of the Contextual Behavior Therapy Fellowship Program at Crown Family School. Paul is the Founder and Managing Partner of the Emotion Management Program (EMP). He has wide-ranging experience working with multiproblem client populations and has provided dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) services since 1994. Holmes's current interests focus on the impact of mindfulness on private experiences associated with self-injurious behavior and emotional dysregulation. Holmes has been an instructor in the Professional Development Program at Crown Family School since 2001.

Camesha Jones, AM
Camesha is a Radical Social Worker, Social Entrepreneur, and Mental Wellness Advocate. She’s been in the Social Work field for over 7 years, primarily working in community settings with youth and young adults focusing on issues of violence prevention, mental health, and disease prevention. She combined her 7+ years of social work & personal experience to create the social impact business, Sista Afya to help young adult Black women experiencing mental health challenges to get the information, community support, and resource connection necessary to be mentally well. Camesha is a Licensed Social Worker in Illinois. She graduated with Phi Beta Kappa honors from Spelman College with a Bachelor's degree in Sociology and received her Master's degree in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago.

Marion Malcome, MSW
Marion Malcome, LCSW, received a BS in Psychology with a Minor in Afro-American studies and a MSW with a concentration in Community Mental Health both from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is currently a doctoral student at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. She has extensive training and experience in clinical diagnostic assessment, and providing mental health support to adults with severe and persistent mental illnesses. Malcome is passionate about community mental health and dedicated to reducing stigma about mental health on an individual and community level.

Stanley G. McCracken, PhD
Stanley G. McCracken is a Lecturer at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. He has published in the areas of evidence-based practice, psychiatric rehabilitation, chemical dependence, behavioral pharmacology, behavioral medicine, aging, and staff training. He is co-author of Interactive Staff Training and Practice Guidelines for Extended Psychiatric Residential Care. McCracken has thirty years of experience as a clinician, educator, and consultant specializing primarily in mental health, chemical dependence, and dual disorders. He serves on a number of editorial, review, and advisory boards in evidence-based practice, mental health, chemical dependence, and multicultural/multilingual mental health services. McCracken is a licensed clinical social worker and registered dual disorder professional.

Michael A. McNulty, PhD
Michael A. McNulty is a psychotherapist with twenty-five years' experience who maintains a private practice in Evanston and Highland Park, Illinois. He is a Certified Gottman Relationship Therapist, Trainer, and Consultant, and former Adjunct Faculty member of The Chicago School of Professional Psychology where he taught couples therapy. He has presented workshops to professionals and paraprofessionals on The Gottman Method, trauma, and other topics in a variety of settings in both the United States and Sri Lanka. He recently served as a Fulbright Senior Specialist and received a grant to support his work training Sri Lankan lay counselors. He also has a subspecialty in working with the emotional aspects of learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder and has published on the psychological experience of living with dyslexia over the course of life.

Janice M. Pyrce, AM, MBA
Janice M. Pyrce is President of Pyrce Healthcare Group and a lecturer at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. She has been a national speaker on many health-care topics and has presented at meetings of the American Hospital Association, National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems, and other professional organizations. Pyrce has over two decades of health-care experience at the executive level and has been teaching in the Professional Development Program since 1997.

Frederic Reamer, PhD
Frederic Reamer is professor in the graduate program, School of Social Work, Rhode Island College, where he has been on the faculty since 1983. His teaching and research focus on professional ethics, criminal justice, mental health, health care, and public policy. Dr. Reamer received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and has served as a social worker in correctional and mental health settings. 

Reamer chaired the national task force that wrote the Code of Ethics adopted by the National Association of Social Workers in 1996 and recently served on the code revision task force. He has lectured nationally and internationally on social work and professional ethics, including in India, China, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and in various European nations. His books include Social Work Values and Ethics; Risk Management in Social Work; The Social Work Ethics Casebook; Ethical Standards in Social Work; Boundary Issues and Dual Relationships in the Human Services; Ethics and Risk Management in Online and Distance Social Work; and The Social Work Ethics Audit, among others. Dr. Reamer has served as an expert witness in many court and licensing board cases throughout the United States. 

Stephanie Renno, DSW, AM
Stephanie Renno, LCSW,  received her master’s in social work from the University of Chicago and her Doctorate in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania.  She currently serves as the Director of Training and Clinical Practice at the Cohen Veterans Network where she oversees the network-wide training of clinical evidence-based practices and processes and works directly to support each clinic in delivering state of the art clinical services to our veterans and military families. Renno has worked in both government and not-for-profit sectors providing and overseeing mental health services for veterans, service members and their families. Stephanie serves as a Master Trainer and consultant for Behavioral Couples Therapy for Substance Use Disorders and a Trainer and Consultant for Cognitive Processing Therapy.

John S. Rolland, MD, MPH
John S. Rolland, MD, MPH, is Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. He is also Co-Founder and Executive Co-Director of the Chicago Center for Family Health and Director of its Families, Illness, and Collaborative Healthcare Program. Internationally recognized for his integrated conceptual model, clinical work, and research on couple and family psychosocial challenges with serious health conditions, Dr. Rolland is coeditor of Individuals, Families, and the New Era of Genetics. He is past president of the American Family Therapy Academy (AFTA); Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association; Senior Fellow of the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry, Family Committee; past board member of the Collaborative Family Healthcare Association; and former Fellow of the Yale University Institute for Social and Policy Studies. Dr. Rolland is a recipient of the Innovative Contributions to Family Therapy Award from AFTA and the Blanche F. Ittleson Award from the American Orthopsychiatric Association (now the Global Alliance for Behavioral Health and Social Justice). He is an active speaker and consultant on family-oriented systemic approaches to illness and disability challenges.

Mark Sanders, MSW
Mark Sanders, LCSW, CADC, is a trainer and consultant whose work has reached thousands throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, and the Caribbean Islands. He has worked with adolescents for over twenty-five years in a variety of roles, ranging from social worker, consultant, and administrator. Sanders is author of five books and numerous workbooks. He had two stories published in the New York Times best-selling book series, Chicken Soup for the Soul. In 2003, he was named Professional of the Year by the Illinois Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Counselor Certification Association for his work as a trainer and consultant.

Amy Schigelone, PhD
Amy Schigelone earned her A.B. in Sociology from the University of Chicago, and her MSW and Ph.D. in Social Work and Sociology from the University of Michigan, where she was a National Institute on Aging fellow.  She completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Clinical Medical Ethics while working as an Assistant Research Professor in Geriatrics at the University of Chicago Hospitals. Schigelone is a former hospice social worker and has both research and clinical experience working with older adults and end of life issues.  She teaches courses at Crown Family School on Aging and Mental Health and Death and Dying, and works with adult clients across the lifecourse in private practice in Oak Park and Chicago as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW).   

Soo Shim, MS, MBA
Soo Shim MS, MBA. LCSW is a clinical social worker currently employed at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Hospital in the Division of Genetics and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Chicago Crown School of Social Work. Soo is an Ethics Consultant on the Lurie Children’s Ethics committee. She is currently on the NPKUA National Alliance Board as well as on the PKU of Illinois Board. Soo is a recipient of the Social Work Leader of the Year Award in 2014 by the SSWHLC Illinois Chapter. Mrs. Shim received her graduate Master of Social Work degree from Columbia in New York and undergraduate degree B.S in Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis.

Danielle Simmons, PhD
Together, Drs. Danielle & S. Simmons are a married couple invested in the liberation of oppressed people. Individually, Danielle is a licensed psychologist with a private practice in downtown Chicago, promoting sustainable growth, change, and healing.  She is a native Chicagoan, and derives great joy and honor from giving back to the communities that have given her so much, including communities of queer folk, disenfranchised folk, and people harmed by ongoing systemic oppression. As a clinician, educator, and facilitator, Danielle encourages honest self-reflection, increased self-awareness, unconditional self-compassion, and a willingness to accept our imperfections. Her partner, spouse, and co-pilot in life, Dr. S has been working in U.S. higher education for nearly 20 years. In that time, they have developed engaging, informative, and educational experiences for classes, units, departments, and divisions through challenging and supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion. S. is a Black, queer, trans*, first-generation, temporarily able bodied, upwardly mobile, spouse living in Chicago. These identities and the associated structures that label and influence them inform how S shows up and how they educate. Who we are influences how we know and what we know. S’s epistemology is deeply rooted in recognizing the influences of systems of power, privilege, and oppression in how we know and what we know because knowledge is filtered through these systems.

S Simmons, PhD
Together, Drs. Danielle & S. Simmons are a married couple invested in the liberation of oppressed people. Individually, Danielle is a licensed psychologist with a private practice in downtown Chicago, promoting sustainable growth, change, and healing.  She is a native Chicagoan, and derives great joy and honor from giving back to the communities that have given her so much, including communities of queer folk, disenfranchised folk, and people harmed by ongoing systemic oppression. As a clinician, educator, and facilitator, Danielle encourages honest self-reflection, increased self-awareness, unconditional self-compassion, and a willingness to accept our imperfections. Her partner, spouse, and co-pilot in life, Dr. S has been working in U.S. higher education for nearly 20 years. In that time, they have developed engaging, informative, and educational experiences for classes, units, departments, and divisions through challenging and supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion. S. is a Black, queer, trans*, first-generation, temporarily able bodied, upwardly mobile, spouse living in Chicago. These identities and the associated structures that label and influence them inform how S shows up and how they educate. Who we are influences how we know and what we know. S’s epistemology is deeply rooted in recognizing the influences of systems of power, privilege, and oppression in how we know and what we know because knowledge is filtered through these systems.

Helene M. Snyder, JD
Helene M. Snyder is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School and has a background in both private practice and public interest law, including two years as a guardian ad litem with the Office of the Cook County Public Guardian representing children in abuse and neglect proceedings and supervising courtroom attorneys. Her legal practice includes representation of children as their court-appointed attorney in custody and visitation cases and representation of parents in abuse, neglect, custody and visitation cases. Since 2005, she has taught courses on social work and law and on family policy at Crown Family School. She is past chair of the Chicago Bar Association Domestic Relations Committee and presently serves on the Board of Directors of the Family Defense Center.

Belinda Stiles, AM
holds a master’s degree from the University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration, and a Bachelor of Social Work degree from the University of Cincinnati. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and currently serves as the Director of Integrated Behavioral Health Services for Christian Community Health Center.  She has served adolescents and adults as a behavioral health provider in a Federally Qualified Health Center providing brief interventions and referrals to treatment for mental health and substance abuse-related issues. Ms. Stiles has supported individuals and families in community mental health and private practice by providing individual, couples, and family counseling for those struggling with anxiety, depression, school-related behavioral issues, substance abuse, grief and loss, life transitions, trauma, gender orientation and sexuality, and HIV/AIDS.

Nick Turner, AM
Nick Turner received his Master of Arts in social work from the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration. He has worked in various mental health and substance abuse settings with children, adolescents and adults and is a Lecturer at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. He is also an instructor in Crown Family School's Contextual Behavior Therapy Fellowship. Turner co-authored the book Mindfulness-Based Sobriety, a treatment guide for addiction recovery that was published by New Harbinger Publishing in January 2014. Turner is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), certified alcohol and drug counselor (CADC) and a member of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science and the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers.

Jancey Wickstrom, AM
Jancey Wickstrom, AM, LCSW is a full-time Lecturer at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. She is also an instructor in Crown Family School's Contextual Behavior Therapy Fellowship Program. She graduated from Grinnell College in Iowa and The University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration. She has trained nationally and internationally on the topics of mindfulness and Third Wave behavioral approaches. She contributed a chapter titled ‘Healing Self Inflicted Violence in Adolescents with Eating Disorders’ in the book Treatment of Eating Disorders: Bridging the Gap Between Research and Practice

Gabriela Zapata-Alma, AM
Gabriela Zapata-Alma, LCSW, CADC, is the Director of Policy and Practice for Domestic Violence and Substance Use at the National Center for Domestic Violence, Trauma & Mental Health, as well as a Lecturer at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. She is a 2012 graduate of SSA (now Crown Family School) in the Extended Evening Program. Gabriela brings 15 years of experience working with survivors of domestic violence and other trauma; providing direct services, training, advocacy, and consultation; and leading programs using a trauma-informed approach, Motivational Interviewing, Harm Reduction, Gender Responsive Care, Housing First, and third wave behavioral interventions. Gabriela has been recognized with numerous awards, including Health & Medicine Policy Research Group’s 2018 Health Award, and the Illinois Association of Addiction Professionals chapter of NADAAC’s 2017 Rising Star Award.  Gabriela has provided training and technical assistance related to serving marginalized communities impacted by trauma and other social determinants of health, locally, nationally, and internationally.