2018 Convention Presenters

Shamima Akhter, M.A., M.S., BCBA/LBA, is a Doctoral Intern from Spalding University. She was in the inaugural cohort of the Spalding University's Integrative Behavioral Health Scholars Program, funded by a HRSA grant with the aim of increasing health care access and improving health outcomes among underserved minorities. She is a board-certified behavioral analyst (BCBA). She earned a Master of Science Degree in Applied Behavioral Analysis and a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology Degree from Spalding University.

Federico "Felito" Aldarondo, Ph.D., received his Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Indiana University in 1998.  He also earned an M.S. in clinical psychology from Mississippi State University in 1993.  He served on the faculty at Purdue University from 1998 - 2002.  He is a licensed psychologist in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and for the past 16 years has worked at the University of Kentucky (UK) Counseling Center: Consultation and Psychological Services (UKCC), where he has served as associate director since 2009.  His clinical and professional interests include substance abuse prevention and treatment, healthy lifestyle change, motivational interviewing, identity development, mindfulness, multicultural issues, interpersonal therapy, therapy supervision, and group work.  As part of his duties at UK, he is involved in clinical work, training, and outreach/preventative programming, as well as collaborations and committee work, focused on healthy college student development and success.

Blanka Angyal, M.A., Ed.M., Ed.S., is a fourth-year doctoral student in Counseling Psychology at the University of Kentucky. She graduated from John Jay College of Criminal Justice with a B.A. in Forensic Psychology and later earned an M.A. degree in Psychological Counseling, and an advanced Ed.M. degree in Mental Health Counseling from Teachers College, Columbia University. She served in the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students the liaison to the Board of Educational Affairs, as the Regional Advocacy Coordinator for the South Central Region within the APAGS Advocacy Coordinating Team, as a campus representative and state advocacy coordinator, as well as a student representative for Division 17 and Division 35.

Rebecca Asher, Psy.D., is a licensed psychologist and forensic evaluator at Eastern State Hospital (ESH) where she provides forensic psychological services including court-ordered evaluations for civil commitment, competency to stand trial, criminal responsibility, and guardianship. She provides related court testimony as an expert witness in Fayette County and other area courts. Dr. Asher previously completed felony level competency and criminal responsibility evaluations as an outpatient evaluator through Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center. She serves as a consultant to the Fayette County Mental Health Court and is a Board member for NAMI Lexington.

Isela Arras is the Director of Training at the Kentucky Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Isela directs the KCADV's continuing education program. Since joining KCADV in 2002, she has served as liaison and resource to KCADV's member programs that are working with Immigrant and Refugee Women and their children in order to increase accessibility to domestic violence services to immigrant communities. As part of her duties at KCADV, Isela also provides training in the areas of violence against women, immigration issues, language accessibility, public benefits, meaningful access, underserved populations, and cultural competency.

Joseph L. Bargione, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist. Dr. Bargione served as the Lead Psychologist for the Jefferson County Public Schools for 25 years. In this position, he was responsible for facilitating the creation of the trauma-informed multi-tiered framework the District uses to support students, staff, and families who are exposed to trauma.

Mark Brengleman, J.D. worked as the assigned counsel to numerous health professions licensure boards as an Assistant Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Moving to private practice, he now helps private clients in a wide variety of contexts who are professionally licensed. Mark holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Philosophy from Emory University in Atlanta and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Kentucky College of Law. He is a frequent participant in continuing education and has been a presenter for over thirty national and state organizations and private companies, including webinars and in-person seminars. National and state organizations include the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards, the Kentucky Bar Association, the Kentucky Office of the Attorney General, the National Attorneys General Training and Research Institute.

Elizabeth Bresten-Knight, Ph.D., Featured Presenter is a Professor of Psychology at Auburn University. She has conducted local, state-wide, national and international civic engagement projects focusing on PCIT and she has supervised graduate student PCIT therapists for over 19 years. Previously, Dr. Brestan-Knight conducted a civic engagement project at the Child Advocacy Center of East Alabama (CACEA). Through this project, Dr. Brestan-Knight’s clinical research team was able to provide parent training free of charge to high-risk families from Lee County and surrounding areas during a three year period. Dr. Brestan-Knight’s more recent collaborators include the National Children’s’ Advocacy Center (NCAC) in Huntsville, Alabama, PCIT-Japan, and the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Singapore. Dr. Brestan-Knight authored a book published by Wiley-Blackwell, A Guide to Teaching Developmental Psychology, and her research interests include the behavioral observation of parent-child interactions, PCIT training, and parent education.

Alissa Briggs, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist and nationally certified school psychologist. She is an assistant professor at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and serves UK Healthcare as psychologist in multiple divisions of the department of pediatrics. Prior to coming to UK, Dr. Briggs worked in schools as a school psychologist and in private practice. Dr. Briggs has published widely on the topic of social justice as it relates to school psychology. Research interests include preventative interventions in schools and the prevention of the human trafficking of children. Clinical interests include the assessment and treatment of developmental disabilities, anxiety disorders, and depressive disorders.

Georgeann Stamper-Brown, Ph.D., is currently the Advocacy Chair and Federal Advocacy Coordinator for KPA. She is also involved on the Legislative Advisory Team, the PAC committee, and has helped plan the past 4 annual KPA Legislative Days in Frankfort. She most recently worked at Transylvania University's Counseling Center, (2007-2016), where she started their on-campus counseling center and continues to consult. She graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2006 with a doctorate in Clinical-Community Psychology.

Dan Florell, Ph.D.,  is an Associate Professor in the School Psychology Program at Eastern Kentucky University and has a private practice with a focus on children and adolescents. He has written extensively regarding the use of technology in practice and how it impacts adolescents. Dr. Florell is a national presenter on topics regarding cyberbullying, technology and ethics, telehealth, and the history of school psychology. 

James Furrow, Ph.D., Featured Presenter, is an internationally recognized leader and contributor to the practice of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) with couples and families. Together with EFT originator, Dr. Susan Johnson, Jim co-authored Becoming an EFT Therapist: The Workbook and The EFT Casebook. He is a co-author of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy for Dummies, a practical resource for couples and therapists seeking an everyday understanding of EFT principles and practices. Jim maintains an active research program examining the process of EFT and its effectiveness with couples and families. His work has been published in Applied Developmental Science, Developmental Psychology, Journal of Couple and Relationship Therapy, Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, Journal of Systemic Therapies, and Psychology and Spirituality. Formerly Jim served as the Evelyn and Frank Freed Professor of Marital and Family Therapy at Fuller Graduate School of Psychology, where he trained psychologists and marital and family therapists in couple and family therapy. He is a clinical fellow and an approved supervisor of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, a member of the National Council on Family Relations, and a Certified Family Life Educator. Jim served as co-founder and Executive Director of the Los Angeles Center for Emotionally Focused Therapy before relocating to the Seattle area. Jim is an ICEEFT certified EFT therapist, supervisor, and trainer.

Crystal Goodwin, M.A., is a doctoral intern from Spalding University. She graduated from the University of Louisville with a B.A. in Psychology, later earning her M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Spalding University. She was in the inaugural cohort of the Spalding University’s Integrative Behavioral Health Scholars Program last year, working in an integrated primary care facility that served underserved minorities. She is currently on internship at Community Healthlink in Worcester, Massachusetts, providing therapeutic and assessment services to youths and their families as well as trauma survivors.

Tripp Griesinger, Ph.D., is a staff psychologist at the VA medical center in Lexington, Ky where he conducts individual and group therapy, mostly working with those who have been diagnosed with anxiety disorders. He received his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Kentucky.

Laurie Mount Grimes, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist specializing in children and families. After having a private practice for almost 15 years, she joined Open Arms Children's Health, the outpatient healthcare arm of Home of the Innocents, where she currently serves as the Director of Psychological Services. Since 2013, Dr. Grimes has also served as the Director of Professional Affairs for the Kentucky Psychological Association. Dr. Grimes opened her private practice in 2000 through which she provided early intervention services through the First Steps program through 2013. Over the years she has taught at Bellarmine University, University of Louisville, and Spalding University, and has supervised graduate psychology practicum students from Spalding University. After completing an MPH at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dr. Grimes was awarded her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Vanderbilt University. She completed both her pre-doctoral internship and post-doctoral fellowship in pediatric psychology through the University of Louisville School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry at the Bingham Child Guidance Center where she also served as clinical faculty.

George B. Haarman, Psy.D., LMFT, is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over 40 years of experience in private practice, working with youth detention centers, juvenile group homes, child protective services, and juvenile probation. Dr. Haarman is currently in private practice. Prior to being in private practice, from 1984-1994, he was the Deputy Director for Jefferson County Department for Human Services in Louisville, KY. He received his doctorate in clinical psychology from Spalding University in 1989 and is a member of the American Psychological Association. Dr. Haarman has been an instructor at Jefferson Community College, Bellarmine University, and Spalding University. He has presented seminars regionally and nationally on clinical supervision, psychopathology, depression, and emotional disorders in children and adolescents. Dr. Haarman is the author of three books: School Refusal: Children Who Can't or Won't Go to School, Clinical Supervision: Legal, Ethical, and Risk Management Issues, and Mastering the DSM-5.

Dan Han, Psy.D., is the Chief of University of Kentucky Neuropsychology Service’s Clinical Section, and Associate Professor of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. He is also the Director of Neurobehavioral Studies at the Sports Medicine Research Institute of the University of Kentucky. He is the past president of the Lexington Board of Brain Injury Alliance, current Chair of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Board for the Association of the U.S. Army – McMillan Chapter, and the president of the International Society of Neurogastronomy. He is a Blavatnik nominee in Life Sciences by The New York Academy of Sciences, and recipient of the Honor the Fallen Soldier Patriot Medallion by the Association of the U.S. Army – McMillan Chapter, Abraham Flexner Master Educator Award, Jack Runyon Service Award, and the Neurogastronomy Founder’s Award. Dr. Han is a funding recipient of federal and state mechanisms, foundational grants, and clinical trials involving studies of brain–behavior and curriculum development. His research areas include assessing neurocognition, neurophysiology, behavior and affect, in the context of acquired brain injuries such as TBI, stroke, tumors, encephalitis, and toxic exposure. His research also extends to subsequent clinical sequelae such as post-injury dysgeusia, pain, epilepsy, and other quality of life impairments. His work gauges diagnostics and neurorehabilitation models in translational settings. His work in translational neuroscience has been featured in Newsweek, BBC, National Geographic, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Huffington Post, Business Insider, STAT News and The New Scientist.

Laura Eckler Johnson, Ph.D. Licensed Psychologist Installation Director of Psychological Health and Chief, Department of Behavioral Health FT Knox, KY Adjunct Instructor, University of Louisville's Kent School of Social Work - Military Specialization Track 200 RYT - Registered Yoga Teacher 100 hour Trauma Sensitive Yoga teacher

Steve Katsikas, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist and received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Arkansas. Dr. Katsikas is the Chair of the Spalding School of Professional Psychology and the Founder of Spalding's Center for Behavioral Health. His teaching interests include psychopathology, tests and measurement theory, advanced quantitative methods, and personality, culture and social structure. His most recent publications have been in the areas of juvenile fire setting, cross-cultural differences in childrearing practices, computer use among the elderly and the effects of psychostimulants on weight change in Hispanic children.

Jacqueline Kearns, Ed.D., has over 30 years of experience working with children who have severe and multiple disabilities. Her most recent work has been providing professional learning opportunities for interdisciplinary school teams primarily including an educator and speech-language pathologist to develop and execute appropriate communication interventions. Dr. Kearns works collaboratively with speech-language pathologists to support and coach team learning and student outcomes.

Warren Lambert, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of Counseling and Human Development at Lindsey Wilson College. In addition, Dr. Lambert has a private practice in Louisville, KY where he specializes in psychotherapy with LGBTQ* populations.

Eva Markham, Ed.D., is a practicing psychologist with diverse experience providing clinical services to clients of all ages. Presently Dr. Markham provides practicum training for doctoral students and also provides education for medical students, residents, and fellows. She serves as a clinician at the Weisskopf Center, participating in a variety of multi-disciplinary evaluations. Dr. Markham also provides consultation for a variety of entities including educational institutions. Dr. Markham has been a presenter at local, regional and national events. She has served as an assessment consultant for several test publishers and has participated in data collection for the standardization of several tests. She has served on the KY Board of Psychology. During her 2 terms on the board, she Chaired the Board, and also Chaired Supervision, Complaints, and Examinations.

Benjamin Mast, Ph.D., ABPP, is a licensed clinical psychologist, a board-certified clinical geropsychologist and a Fellow with the Gerontological Society of America. He serves as Professor and Vice Chair in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences at the University of Louisville. He is the past-president of the Society of Clinical Geropsychology (APA Division 12, Section II) and is co-Editor in Chief of the American Psychological Association Handbook of Clinical Geropsychology (2015, American Psychological Association). Dr. Mast has written several books on dementia, mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease including Whole Person Dementia Assessment (2011, Health Professions Press), Second Forgetting: Remembering the Power of the Gospel During Alzheimer’s Disease (2014, Zondervan/HarperCollins), and Alzheimer’s Disease, Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment (2017, Hogrefe).

Teri Maynard, Psy.D., CBIS, is a licensed psychologist and certified brain injury specialist who provides acute inpatient and long-term geriatric and brain injury services including supervision of psychology graduate students and predoctoral interns at Eastern State Hospital. As a former staff member in physical medicine and rehabilitation hospitals, she participated in providing acute inpatient education and therapies focused on adjustment to injury for individuals with a variety of physical injuries including spinal cord injury, acquired brain injury, amputation, pulmonary disease, pediatrics, cerebral vascular accidents, and organ transplantations. She provided supervision for psychology graduate students and provided consultative services to interdisciplinary medical teams.

Elizabeth W. McKune, Ed.D., is the Chair of the Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology and Vice-President of Health Integration at Passport Health Plan, a non-profit provider-sponsored health plan serving Kentucky Medicaid and Medicare members.

Sean Reilley, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist who provides acute inpatient psychological services including psychological assessment, individual and group therapy, and supervision of psychology graduate students and predoctoral interns at Eastern State Hospital. Dr. Reilley is a former recipient of the KPA Graduate Mentor Award and the Jack Runyon Community Service Award and has served on the Board of Directors of KPA, the Kentucky Academy of Science, and NAMI Kentucky.

Pam Remer, Ph.D., is a Professor Emerita of Counseling Psychology at the University of Kentucky. She is currently one of APA's Division 35's (Society for the Psychology of Women) representatives to APA's Council of Representatives and Chair of APA's Committee for the Recognition of Specialties and Proficiencies in Professional Psychology (CRSPPP). She is in private practice specializing in women's issues and trauma and leads training in Psychodrama in Asia. 

John Scanish, Psy.D., is a licensed psychologist at Eastern State Hospital (ESH) where he provides assessment and therapy services for an acute inpatient population. He also trains and supervises doctoral psychology students during their ESH rotations. Before coming to ESH, Dr. Scanish worked for 13 years in the Dept of Corrections, including the assessment of more than 500 sex offenders on behalf of the Circuit Court. He co-authored a Rorschach training program published by PAR, Inc. 

Sheila Schuster, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist who has served as KPA’s Federal Advocacy Coordinator and Legislative Liaison. Dr. Schuster also represents a number of mental health and healthcare organizations in Frankfort. She currently serves as Executive Director of the Advocacy Action Network, an umbrella organization encompassing the work of the KY Mental Health Coalition and the United 874K Disabilities Coalition. Dr. Schuster also serves as Board Chair of Kentucky Voices for Health, a statewide coalition whose mission is to improve the health of Kentuckians.

Sarah Shelton, Psy.D., MPH, MSCP, is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in KY, IL, IN, TN, and OH with specialties in Health and Forensic Psychology. She has a multi-state practice specializing in forensic evaluation and services. In addition to a Doctorate in Psychology from Spalding University, she holds graduate degrees in Forensics, Public Health, and Psychopharmacology. She completed her internship at the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, where she served as Chief Intern. She then completed two Postdoctoral Fellowships in Medical Psychology and Behavioral Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia, where she later served as faculty in the Department of Psychiatry and Pediatrics. She is currently faculty at Spalding University in the Psychology (PsyD) Program and Clinical Coordinator of the Integrative Behavioral Health Scholars Program; University of the Cumberlands in the Psychology (PhD) and Master of Justice Administration (MJA) programs; and The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in the Master of Science in Psychopharmacology (MSCP) program. Dr. Shelton is President of the Kentucky Psychological Association. She also holds an appointed committee position for APA's Division 41 American Psychology-Law Society and is serving her second elected four-year term on the Board of Directors of the National Register of Health Service Psychologists. More information about Dr. Shelton is available at sheltonforensics.com.

A.J. Steele, Psy.D., currently works as a Psychology Program Administrator in the Health Services Division for the Kentucky Department of Corrections in LaGrange, KY. She is a Licensed Psychologist and a Licensed Clinical Alcohol & Drug Counselor. She has a Master’s and Doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from Spalding University in Louisville, KY. She also has a Master’s degree in Health and Human Performance (Sports Psychology) from Michigan State University. She has worked in the mental health and substance abuse fields for approximately 30 years in a variety of capacities. For the majority of those years, she has worked in public service to include Community Mental Health Centers, Crisis Centers, Military Posts, and Corrections. Additionally, she taught university classes for approximately 10 years at both the undergraduate and graduate level in the fields of psychology and mental health.

William W. Stoops, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Behavioral Science at the University of Kentucky. He holds joint appointments in the UK Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, as well as the Center on Drug and Alcohol Research. Dr. Stoops' research on human laboratory studies and early phase clinical trials of behavioral and pharmacological interventions for stimulant use disorder. Dr. Stoops is an APA Fellow and is actively engaged in APA service. He is currently Editor of Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, Member and Immediate Past Chair of the Board of Convention Affairs, Council Representative for APA Division 28 and Member-at-Large for APA Division 3.

James Walker, Featured Presenter is boarded in clinical neuropsychology and forensic psychology. He is the director of Clarity Professional Evaluation Center, a program devoted to assessing the needs of potentially impaired professionals. In the past, he has served as the neuropsychologist for Texas' maximum security forensic hospital, as the director of psychology of a brain injury rehab hospital, and as the Director of Forensic Services at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

Patricia Weiter, Psy.D., is the Health Behavior Coordinator at the Robley Rex VAMC in Louisville, Ky. She serves as clinician coach, helping primary care staff partner with Veterans in self-management of chronic conditions, health risk behavior change, and adoption of healthy living behaviors. Dr. Weiter also functions as the Lead Tobacco Cessation Clinician and Minority Veterans Program Coordinator. She is passionate about engaging staff and a love of learning. Her professional interests include motivational interviewing & positive psychology and the connection to health care and workforce engagement. Dr. Weiter has 2 young daughters and recently completed her yoga teacher training.