2019 Convention Presenters

 

Maysa Akbar, Ph.D., ABPP, Featured Presenter, is a groundbreaking psychologist, author, and healer. Her work in defining the existence of Urban TraumaTM, a framework developed by Dr. Akbar, unpacks how people of color are existing in a state of crisis due to oppressive societal systems. Resulting in feelings of anger, rage, and hopelessness. Defining Urban TraumaTM allows for new healing paths that empower diverse communities in unearthing liberation and freedom while creating a new legacy.Dr. Akbar is an engaging and dynamic speaker on Urban TraumaTM; Restorative Practices; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion particularly in the area of Philanthropy and Independent Schools. She brings wisdom, courage, and passion to both the learned community and a wider audience.Dr. Akbar is board certified in Clinical Psychology and is an Assistant Clinical Professor at Yale University. She is a media expert in the areas of Urban TraumaTM, Community Tensions and Violence, Race Relations, and Identity Politics. She is an Amazon Best-Selling Author with her work Urban Trauma: A Legacy of Racism. Currently, Dr. Akbar also serves as the Connecticut Psychological Associations Diversity Chair, selected to spearhead CPA’s diversity trainings in the state of Connecticut and represents the American Psychological Association at the UN where she intends to bring Urban Trauma to the international community.

 

Marie Allen-Jenkins, Psy.D., completed her degree at Spalding University's School of Professional Psychology. She currently provides therapy to children, adolescents, and adults at her private practice in Louisville, Kentucky. She has received certification from ASRM in Basic Infertility and Advanced Psychotherapy Interventions for Infertility. She supervises graduate practicum students and recently taught Applied Developmental Psychology at Spalding University. She has developed a love for playing cooperative games with her husband, and they are already introducing their two-year-old daughter to the pastime.

 

Abbie Beacham, Ph.D., Featured Presenter, is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Family Medicine and Associate Director of the Resilience Program and Office of Professional Excellence at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. In her role, she has been part of the inception and implementation of innovative programs designed to address burnout and support the overall well-being of health care professionals. She completed her doctoral training at the University of Louisville and her predoctoral internship in Clinical Health Psychology at the University of Florida Health Sciences Center. Her post-doctoral fellowship research and clinical work were in psycho-oncology and orofacial pain at the University of Kentucky Colleges of Medicine and Dentistry. She has extensive clinical experience working and training students in interprofessional team-based care in medical settings including primary care, psycho-oncology, and chronic pain management. Dr. Beacham’s research and clinical work has integrated acceptance-based approaches to behavioral self-management in clinical medical and non-clinical populations and Resilience/Well-Being in healthcare professionals.

Mark Brengelman, JD, 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.  Mark worked as an Assistant Attorney General having been assigned to numerous state licensure boards, including the Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology from 1995-2012.  Retiring from state government, he now focuses on representing health care practitioners before their respective licensure agencies and in other professional regulatory matters.Mark also became certified as a hearing officer, worked as a lobbyist, and has been a continuing education presenter for over thirty national and state organizations and private companies, including the Kentucky Board, KPA, and the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards.  He is also the Enforcement Counsel and Investigative Attorney for the Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission having now worked for all three branches of state government.

Georgeann Brown, Ph.D., is currently the Federal Advocacy Coordinator for KPA. She is also involved in the Legislative Committee, the PAC committee, and has helped plan the past 6 annual KPA Legislative Days in Frankfort. She currently works in private practice at True North Counseling and Development in Lexington, Kentucky. She graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2006 with a doctorate in Clinical-Community Psychology.

Bryan Carter, Ph.D., is a Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Service Chief of the Pediatric Consultation-Liaison Service to Norton Children’s Hospital, Division Associate Co-Chief, and Director of Training for the Postdoctoral Fellowship in Pediatric Psychology. He received his Ph.D. in Clinical Child Psychology from the University of Virginia, predoctoral residency at Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center in San Antonio, and postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric psychology at the University of Oklahoma School of Medicine. He is the 2014 recipient of the Carolyn D. Schroeder Clinical Practice Award given by American Psychological Association Division 54 (Society of Pediatric Psychology) for nationally recognized excellence, innovation and leadership in the clinical practice of pediatric psychology and was co-founder of the Consultation-Liaison Special Interest Group for Division 54. He is the developer of the manualized treatment intervention, Children’s Health & Illness Recovery Program (CHIRP; Oxford University Press in the Treatments That Work Series, 2020), for adolescents and their families coping with the challenges of chronic illness, and co-editor with Kris Kullgren, Ph.D., of the Clinician Handbook of Psychological Consultation in Pediatric Medical Settings (Springer, 2020).

 

Brian Casey, MD, is a Kentucky native who attended the University of Louisville for both College and Medical school. He completed his residency in Psychiatry at The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. He is now on faculty at the University of Louisville where he practices adult outpatient psychiatry. 

Rosie Davis, Ph.D., ABPP, APA President, Featured Presenter, is a professor of counseling psychology at the University of Memphis. A former member of APA’s Board of Directors, Davis has held many leadership roles within the organization, including on the governing Council of Representatives, the Finance Committee, the APA Foundation Board, the Board of Professional Affairs and the Board of Educational Affairs. Davis’ scholarship has focused on the power of inclusion, multicultural vocational psychology, ethics and living well in a diverse society. She has served on the editorial boards of several journals, including currently on the Journal of Career Assessment. She is the author of numerous articles and book chapters on career counseling and has co-edited two books. She is a co-founder of APA’s National Multicultural Conference and Summit, which takes place every two years. The focus of Davis’ presidency is to address the problem of deep poverty and increasing the public’s understanding of Psychological Science. Davis’ professional awards include the APA Award for Distinguished Contributions to Institutional Practice, Janet E. Helms Award for Mentoring and Scholarship, the Authur S. Holman Lifetime Achievement Award, the APA Society for the Psychological Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues mentoring award, the Tennessee Psychological Association Len Handler Award for Distinguished Research Psychologist and two APA Presidential Citations.

 

Julia Neal Delaney is the statewide director of Quality Assurance for the Department of Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities.

 

Jean Deters, Psy.D., offers forensic, clinical and consultation services in psycho-legal areas primarily addressing the intersect of family court, mental health, and the law. She has qualified as an expert witness in general and forensic psychology, practicing primarily in Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio. Her skills are executed through roles of litigation consultant, expert witness, custody evaluator, parenting coordinator, therapeutic co-mediator, therapist and coach. She is also a certified family specialist in the collaborative law process. Recently, Dr. Deters was appointed to the Kentucky Board of Psychology Examiners by Governor Bevin. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Kentucky Psychological Association, New Day Ranch and the Academy of Northern Kentucky Collaborative Professionals. She is currently steering a group of multidisciplinary professionals toward the installment of a Kentucky Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliatory Courts as a means of emphasizing practice standards in court-related psychological services. Dr. Deters has worked closely with Northern Kentucky family courts in program development including co-authoring local rules operationalizing KRS 26A.140 which provides courtroom accommodations to child witnesses and victims. She is the author of Bubbleworks, a trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral program for child witnesses in adult criminal proceedings. Dr. Deters co-facilitates a trauma-informed therapeutic mediation program for pro se litigants in family court and trains judges, attorneys and law students to better advocate for the need of court-involved children. 

 

Joe Dickhaus, M.S., is a Licensed Psychological Practitioner who has worked in community mental health for over ten years.  He is currently employed as a Clinic Director with Pathways, Inc., overseeing an outpatient office and providing psychotherapy to consumers who experience a variety of mental health conditions.   Joe received his Master of Science in Clinical Psychology from Eastern Kentucky University in 2009. He is currently in his first term as a member of the Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychologists, and was elected as the Board’s Vice Chair.

Richard Edelson, Ph.D. earned his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign in 1975.  He then completed a clinical internship at the VA Medical Center in Portland, Oregon, where he trained under the supervision of Muriel Lezak, Ph.D., among others.  Following that experience, Dr. Edelson moved to Louisville, where he functioned as a Medical Psychologist at the Louisville VA, starting the hospital's first Psychology Consult Service.  In 1980, he left the VA and went into private practice, establishing Edelson & Associates, one of Kentucky’s largest neuropsychology groups.  Dr. Edelson is a Diplomate with the American Board of Professional Neuropsychology, having passed his Board examinations in 1991.  At this point in his career, he specializes in Forensic Neuropsychology, working with attorneys and insurance companies to identify brain injuries, causation, severity, and prognosis.

 

Joseph Edwards, Psy.D., PLLC has over 24 years of clinical experience in working with children and adolescents, both having done hundreds of psychological evaluations and as an outpatient therapist. Prior to private practice, Dr. Edwards worked for 4 years in community mental health (in both inpatient and outpatient settings) and 4 years as an outpatient clinician at the Bingham Child Guidance Center in the Department of Child Psychiatry at the University of Louisville. After his post-doctoral fellowship in Clinical Child/Pediatric Health Psychology at the U of L School of Medicine. Dr. Edwards served as the Coordinator of the Psychological Assessment Services at Bingham for 7 years.

 

Rif El-Mallakah, MD, earned his medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago and Peoria, Illinois. He completed an internship in internal medicine, two years of a residency in neurology, and a residency in psychiatry at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington, Connecticut. He was a Senior Staff Research Fellow in the Neuropsychiatry Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health in Washington, District of Columbia. He currently heads the Mood Disorders Research Program at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. The highlights of his work include development of a widely used animal model for mania; development of a novel cellular model to study molecular mechanisms of bipolar illness; identification of a new hormone (ouabain-like factor) that may be involved in the pathogenesis of bipolar illness; description of a biological mechanism of ethanol that mimics the therapeutic actions of lithium in bipolar patients (biological evidence for the self medication hypothesis); and identification of adverse consequences of antidepressant use in both bipolar illness and unipolar depression (antidepressant-associated chronic irritable dysphoria [ACID}, and tardive dysphoria, respectively). Additionally, Dr. El-Mallakh is involved in teaching at the University of Louisville, for medical and nursing students, psychiatric residents, and masters and doctoral students. He has received multiple local and national teaching awards.

 

Valerie Fallon, Psy.D., completed her Psy.D. at Spaulding University in 2011. She has worked in various settings including community mental health and private practice and has experience working with clients through the lifespan. Dr. Fallon is currently a full-time psychologist at Meridian Behavioral Health where she works with a wide variety of clients, including LGBTQ+ clients and their families.

 

Allison From-Tapp, Psy.D., is a licensed psychologist with a diverse background in clinical work and supervision. She has been supervising for approximately 20 years. She has supervised LPAs under KBEP, LPCAs under the Board of Professional Counselors, and psychology practicum students. Presently Dr. From-Tapp is the Director of Counseling and Psychological Services at Spalding University. There she provides practicum training and supervision for doctoral students through the Counseling Center. Through CaPS she supervises a post-doctoral fellow and several practicum students. Dr. From-Tapp also maintains a small private practice where she sees adult clients, provides supervision, and performs consultations with individuals, groups, and other universities. She has served on the KPA Board and the Executive Committee of KPA in numerous roles spanning 15 years.

 

Amy Greenamyer, Ph.D. completed her PhD in Counseling Psychology at the University of Louisville in 2003. Her career background is diverse, beginning with her internship at the Lexington V.A. Hospital. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Greenamyer now proudly owns Compass Counseling & Psychology Services, which currently employs 13 clinicians, 3 admins, 3 doctoral students and 2 therapy dogs.
Dr. Greenamyer’s areas of specialty continue to center on individual therapy and assessment with special focus on women’s issues, fertility & pregnancy-related adjustment, anxiety, depression, ADHD and learning disabilities. She currently collaborates with a number of fertility clinics around the country performing evaluations for people involved with the egg/sperm donation and/or gestational surrogacy processes, and is a member of The American Academy for Reproductive Medicine. 

Seth Grossman, Psy.D., Featured Presenter, is a licensed psychologist practicing in the greater Ft. Lauderdale, FL area, as well as the lead psychologist for the Millon Personality Group. He is the primary co-author of the MCMI-IV, and the Wiley "Assessment Essentials" series volume, "Essentials of MCMI-IV Assessment", as well as co-author for several other Millon inventories, including the MBMD. He is also a former clinical faculty member of the Florida International University College of Medicine. Dr. Grossman's practice is focused on collaborative/therapeutic assessment, men's health issues, and recovery from various forms of toxic relationships. As a speaker, Dr. Grossman has presented on Millon Inventories and the relationship between personality and pathology both domestically and abroad for the past 15 years.

 

George 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.

Wayne Harper, Ed.D., is a licensed Psychologist with doctoral specialty training in Health and Rehabilitation Psychology and in Geriatric Psychology. He received his Doctoral Degree from the University of Louisville and did his Internship training at the Vanderbilt University Medical School. He has been elected to two Academic Honors Societies and is a member of the American Psychological Association and the Kentucky Psychological Association. Wayne returned to private practice as a solo-practitioner in his “retirement practice” in 2014 after an 8-year tour of duty as the Executive Director for a local not-for-profit counseling center. Prior to that, he was Clinical VP for a large Managed Behavioral Health Organization, and prior to that, was in private practice for several years. Over the years, Dr. Harper has also been the chief consulting psychologist for a number of nursing homes in the area. With over 10,000 hours of licensed counseling sessions and hundreds of psychological/neuropsychological evaluations conducted to date, Wayne sees teens, adults, couples, and families in therapy. He conducts evaluations and testing services for adolescents, adults and the elderly for emotional problems, ADHD, and Dementia. Areas of practice specialty include teen and adult attentional disorders and couples and marital relationships. Since returning to private practice Wayne also sits on the Credentialing Committee for a local Managed Healthcare Organization.

Heather Holland is currently a Branch Manager for the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Department for Aging and Independent Living, Division of State Guardianship.  She has been with the Division of State Guardianship for 10 years.  She oversees and provides administrative, quality and technical support to the Southwestern Guardianship Regions.  Prior to, she spent thirteen years at the Social Service Director of Western State Nursing Facility, a state-operated geri-psychiatric long term care facility.  She is active with several area committees and leadership councils, both personally and professionally.  Heather is a native of Benton, KY, and a 1995 graduate of  Murray State University.

Jamie Hopkins, Ph.D., is a staff psychologist at the University of Kentucky Counseling Center, with a cross-appointment to the UK College of Medicine. She has lived and worked in Kentucky for the past 12 and a half years. Dr. Hopkins has been involved with the State Board of Psychology for 5 years, ASPPB for 4 years, and KCCRT for 7 years.

Katy Hopkins, Ph.D., HSPP, is a pediatric psychologist with Norton Children’s Medical Associates where she treats children in integrated primary care settings. She earned her PhD and completed her postdoctoral training at the University of Louisville. She completed her internship in child and family psychology at the Southern Arizona Psychology Internship Consortium in Tucson, AZ. Prior to joining Norton Medical Group, she was an assistant clinical professor of counseling psychology at the University of Louisville, where she served as the director of two community-based behavioral health training clinics in West Louisville, known as the Cardinal Success Program, serving individuals and families across the lifespan.

 

Suzanne James, Psy.D., is a Licensed Psychologist providing clinical services in the Greater Cincinnati area. She specializes in working with children, adolescents and families by providing individual and family therapy, neuropsychological, psychological, and educational assessment, parent coaching, and school consultation. Her primary clinical interests include understanding the unique potential in gifted and twice-exceptional children and adults, individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Nonverbal Learning Disorder and other learning disorders, individuals with Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, and individuals with depression and anxiety.

Stephen Johnson, MD, Ph.D., is a pediatrician and child psychologist who works at Norton Children's Medical Associates- Springhurst office. He attended Duke University for college and earned his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (where he met his wife, Lori, who is also a psychologist currently working at the Louisville VA). Steve completed his clinical child psychology internship at the University of Louisville's Bingham Clinic and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in pediatric psychology at Norton Children's Hospital. He spent the next several years as a school-based psychologist and mental health consultant for Louisville area schools. However, after recognizing the need for earlier intervention to more effectively prevent the development of child psychopathology, Steve returned to school, and completed medical school at the University of Louisville followed by a pediatric residency at Norton Children's Hospital. He currently works with children and families from birth to 18, addressing the medical, developmental and emotional/behavioral needs for the children and teens at his practice.

Steven Kniffley, Psy.D., is the Associate Director for the Center for Behavioral Health and an Assistant Professor in Spalding University’s School of Professional Psychology. Dr. Kniffley, also serves as the coordinator for the Collective Care Center, the only racial trauma clinic in Kentucky. Additionally, Dr. Kniffley is a racial trauma consultant for the city of Louisville. Dr. Kniffley's area of expertise is research and clinical work with Black males. Specifically, his work focuses on understanding and developing culturally appropriate interventions for Black male psychopathology as well as barriers to academic success for this population. Dr. Kniffley has written numerous books, book chapters, and articles on Black male mental health, Black males and the criminal justice system, and academic achievement.
Lisa Koehl, Ph.D., received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Kentucky. She completed a pre-doctoral internship in neuropsychology at Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System and a two-year neuropsychology postdoctoral fellowship at UK College of Medicine. She is now a practicing neuropsychologist and assistant professor at UK's Department of Neurology. She is experienced in neurocognitive assessments of diverse patients including those with neurodegenerative conditions, traumatic brain injuries, stroke, epilepsy, movement disorders, and other neurological diagnoses. Areas of clinical expertise include pre-surgical deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease and atypical aging differential diagnostics. She has research experience in the areas of Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, assessment validation, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, neurotoxicity, and traumatic brain injury.
  Kimberly LaFollette, Psy.D., is a psychologist, professor, and certified mental health integrative medicine provider. She is passionate about helping clients and students become their most healthy, authentic selves. Dr. LaFollette is a graduate of Spalding University. She is currently employed at Indiana University Southeast as the Director of the Masters in Mental Health Counseling program. She also owns a private practice, Holistic Mental Health, where she uses holistic treatments to improve the lives of her clients.
Warren Lambert, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of counseling and human development at Lindsey Wilson College and is a licensed clinical psychologist practicing at Meridian Behavioral health. He completed his PhD in Clinical Psychology from Fielding Graduate University in 2011 and specializes in psychotherapy with LGBTQ people. Dr. Lambert is a past-president of the Kentucky Counseling Association's LGBT division, is the chairperson of the multicultural division of the Kentucky Psychological Foundation and serves on the board of directors for the Louisville Youth Group.
 

Jacquelyn Love, Psy.D., is a licensed psychologist (Indiana and Kentucky) who currently serves as a Grief Counselor with Hosparus Health. She earned her Psy.D. from the University of Indianapolis in 2012. She has had the privilege of working with grieving families over the past 13 years in Indiana, Kentucky, and Oregon. She has experience working with children and families in a variety of contexts including pediatric hospitals, outpatient mental health, residential treatment programs, and day treatment programs. She is passionate about empowering families to grieve and engage with end-of-life experiences in ways that are meaningful and important to them. She also provides presentations and trainings for medical teams and professional care providers on supporting families during chronic and life-limiting illnesses.

 

Katie McBride, Ph.D., graduated with a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Miami University in 1998, and has cultivated a number of areas of clinical specialty with adults and children that include complex PTSD, dissociative disorders, anxiety, and mood disorders, as well as divorce consultation work (e.g., working in team with parents, attorneys, and judges to develop and support sustainable plans in higher-conflict divorce). She has been passionate about applying innovative, emerging, and evidence-based treatment approaches to highly complex clinical problems. She has completed training across a range of therapy modalities that integrate mindfulness and somatic-emotional processing approaches to access the deep brain and body. Dr. McBride began serving on KPA Board of Directors as Jefferson County Regional Representative in 2014 and was subsequently elected to the 3-year presidential cycle. At the start of 2019, she enthusiastically accepted the opportunity to continue her involvement with KPA as the new DPA. She has enjoyed discovering the concrete impact of KPA’s political activity and relationship building on protecting educational standards and professional identity of psychology in Kentucky. A continued mission is to bridge communication across social and professional spheres to promote a broader sense of who psychologists are and what they can bring to almost any conversation.Dr. McBride lives in Louisville, still enjoying hanging out and laughing often with her husband and 2 teenage kids. She was pleased to complete a 200-hour yoga teacher training in 2017 with her favorite instructor and continues to love the humbling, steady practice and philosophy that yoga brings to daily life.

 

Elizabeth McKune, Ph.D., is the current Chair of the Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology. She also works as the Vice President of Health Integration at Passport Health Plan. She previously served as President and Director of Professional Affairs for the Kentucky Psychological Association. Dr. McKune was the 2014 KPA Psychologist of the Year.

 

Nate Mitchell, Ph.D. serves as Associate Professor at Spalding University, where he directs the Health Psychology Emphasis Area in the clinical psychology doctoral program. He trains doctoral students to conduct high quality/empirically supported psychological assessments and psychotherapy. Further, Dr. Mitchell has a part-time private practice focused on the cognitive-behavioral treatment of anxiety, OCD, OCD related disorders (e.g., trichotillomania, skin picking, BFRB, hoarding), chronic illness, and ADHD. Finally, he specializes in the psychological assessment of ADHD and specific learning disorders.

 

Hatim Omar, MD, FAAP, is Professor of Pediatrics, and Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Kentucky in Lexington and served as founder and chief of the Division of Adolescent Medicine and Young Parent Program until December 2018. Dr. Omar obtained his medical training at the Medical Academy, Sofia, Bulgaria, completed a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology from Second United City Hospital, Sofia, Bulgaria and Pediatrics from West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia and received postgraduate training in Adolescent Medicine at West Virginia University and Physiology at New York Medical College in Valhalla, New York. Dr. Omar is board certified in the areas of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. He is the founder & Chairman of the Stop Youth Suicide Campaign. He served as a member of the Executive committee of the Section on Adolescent Health of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Board of directors of the North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. Dr. Omar has published extensively in all areas of care for adolescents in various peer-reviewed scientific journals, books, and many media outlets. He is on the editorial board of the Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, International Journal of Adolescent Medicine & Health, Child Health & Human Development and 4 other peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Omar has served as an ambassador for the wellbeing of adolescents worldwide and is highly regarded for his tireless volunteer work on behalf of adolescents. Dr. Omar is the recipient of: Founders of Adolescent Health Award: Community Leadership from the American Academy of Pediatrics: Section on Adolescent Health 2007; Special Achievement Award for bringing awareness to adolescent depression & suicide, American Academy of Pediatrics 2007;The Don Cantley Community Service award, Kentucky Pediatric Society 2007; SAAMY (Sexual Assault Awareness Month Award) for services to sexual abuse victims, presented by KY Association of Sexual Assault Programs 2007; Ohio Valley Society for Adolescent Medicine Award for dedication to adolescent health (for the Stop Youth Suicide Campaign) 2006; Commonwealth of Kentucky Governor's Award for Community Service and Volunteerism 2000; The William Lions Award, UK; Chairman’s Research Award, Chairman’s Teaching Award and the Miracle Maker Award in different years. 

Erica Pristas, Ph.D., has been a member of the Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology since 2016. She currently works in private practice with children and adolescents with anxiety, depression, ADHD, autism, and other mental health concerns. She has worked in community mental health and residential settings, providing individual, group, and family therapy, as well as psychological evaluations for intellectual/adaptive functioning, diagnostic personality assessments, and diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.

 

Victoria Ragsdell, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice. Her focus is work with intellectually talented people with secondary problems including ADHD, depression, anxiety, autism and general coping problems.  Additionally, Victoria has created curriculum and teaches class to adolescents, young adults and parents focused on mood and impulse control as well as social skills acquisition.  

 

Susan Redmond-Vaught, Ph.D., has 30 years of practice in the fields of Clinical Psychology and Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities, with 11 of those years in the State of Kentucky. She is currently the Director of Psychology at Western State Hospital and the director of the APA-approved Western Kentucky Psychology Internship Consortium. Dr. Redmond-Vaught provides frequent community training on mental health, developmental and intellectual disabilities, and the roles and capacities of the state hospitals and nursing facilities.

  Beth Robinson-Kinney serves as the Senior Attorney of the Personal Safety Unit at the Legal Aid Society. Beth handles a litigation caseload, representing survivors of violence in court regularly. In addition, Beth leads the concerted efforts of the firm's Personal Safety Unit in providing legal services to survivors of violence in fifteen Kentucky counties.
  Broderick Sawyer, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist at a group practice, providing treatment for race-based stress and trauma, personality disorders, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorders, depression, trauma, and eating disorders. Dr. Sawyer obtained his PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Louisville. Dr. Sawyer’s specialty is race-based stress and trauma, and teaching mindfulness/compassion-based meditation. Dr. Sawyer often provides lectures on a variety of treatment-oriented and race-based topics to a variety of mental health professionals, activists, and academic audiences. He also collaborates with community organizers to find creative solutions to social justice, with a particular focus on the use of mindfulness meditation to strengthen resilience against oppressive stress.
  Sheila Schuster, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist who has previously served as KPA’s Federal Advocacy Coordinator and Legislative Liaison, and remains an active member in KPA. Dr. Schuster also represents a number of mental health and health care 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. 

Neva-Marie Polley Scott, JD, is the Executive Director of the Legal Aid Society, a non-profit law firm that serves fifteen Kentucky counties. Neva's legal practice has included extensive work in the area of domestic violence, both at the individual client level and with respect to policy and processes in the provision of legal services to survivors of domestic violence by legal services agencies.

 

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 multi-disciplinary practice specializing in forensic 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 Integrated Behavioral Health Scholars Program; University of the Cumberlands in the Master of Justice Administration (MJA) program; and The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in the Master of Science in Psychopharmacology (MSCP) program. Dr. Shelton is Past President of the Kentucky Psychological Association and current Chair of the National Register for Health Service Psychologists and is also the Director of Continuing Education for Div. 55 of the American Psychological Association. 
Tony Sheppard, Psy.D., is a licensed psychologist and certified group psychotherapist with more than 20 years of experience with children, adolescents, and young adults. His clinical practice, Groupworks, specializes in using group psychotherapy to treat young people suffering from a number of psychiatric issues including self-harm and suicide. Dr. Sheppard is the author of a training curriculum in group psychotherapy. His clinical approach draws from Interpersonal Neurobiology, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Solution Focused Brief Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Positive Psychology. He has trained clinicians, educators, nurses, physicians, and others across the country in the treatment of self-harm and suicide. Dr. Sheppard brings creativity, humor, and engagement to all of his workshops.
 

Alex Siegel, JD, Ph.D., is an attorney and clinical psychologist. Three different Pennsylvania Governors (Ridge, Schweiker, and Rendell) appointed Dr. Siegel to the Pennsylvania State Board of Psychology. He served on the Board for 13 years, 6 of which as Chair of the State Board. Dr. Siegel was elected to the Board of Directors of the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB). He was also elected President of ASPPB in 2008. Currently, Dr. Siegel is the Director of Professional Affairs (DPA) for ASPPB. In his role as DPA, he serves as a liaison between ASPPB and state and national psychological associations. He provides training to new members of psychology licensing boards in the U.S. and the colleges of psychology in Canada. He was staff to the APA/ASPPB/The TRUST joint task force on telepsychology and to the ASPPB task force on regulations for inter-jurisdictional telepsychological practice. He is a member of the PSYPACT task force. He is also a member of ASPPB Supervision Guidelines task force and Chair of the Model Act and Regulations Committee (MARC). In addition, Dr. Siegel consults with state governments, attorneys, courts and maintains a small clinical and forensic practice.

 

Lisa Steelsmith, Psy.D., is a graduate of Spalding University's School of Professional Psychology. She completed her post-doctoral internship at Greenline Wellness, a private practice, and her pre-doctoral internship at The Brook Hospital, an inpatient psychiatric facility, both in Louisville, KY. She has received certification from ASRM in Basic Infertility and Advanced Psychotherapy Interventions for Infertility. She is also trained in basic clinical hypnotherapy from the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. Dr. Steelsmith specializes in the treatment of women across the reproductive spectrum - from diagnosis of infertility and perinatal mood disorders to pregnancy loss and psychological/emotional sequela of hysterectomy and menopause. She is a native of Louisville and met her husband while attending Speed School at the University of Louisville. In her free time, she enjoys practicing meditation and Pilates, hanging out with her four-legged children, reading, and horror/sci-fi movie bingeing.

Tracey Taylor, JD, serves as the Managing Attorney of Volunteer Services and Community Engagement at the Legal Aid Society. Tracey has extensive litigation experience in representing survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. In her current managerial role at the Legal Aid Society she mentors and supervises attorneys who handle a variety of legal matters related to assisting survivors of violence.

David Trimble, JD, is a 1982 graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Law. David spent the next thirty-four (34) years as a first-chair litigator of civil matters, including medical malpractice, products liability, and employment discrimination trials.  In 2012 to 2016, David was named to the Best Lawyers in America for Litigation.  David chose to enter the public sector in 2016 when he joined the Bevin Administration as General Counsel for the Department of Charitable Gaming.  In early 2017 he was asked to become General Counsel for the Department of Professional Licensing, an agency overseeing some 24 professional and occupational licensing Boards.  In that position, David is also Board Counsel for the Psychology, Respiratory Care, Podiatry, Chiropractors, and Embalmers and Funeral Directors Boards, as well as Chair of the informal “cross-pollination” group of Kentucky board counsel.