Aurélie Athan, MS, is a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology. Her large-scaled empirical study examining positive coping during the transition to motherhood is the culmination of a series of mixed-methods inquiries into the spiritual lives of mothers. She is also a therapist-in-training working in inpatient and outpatient psychiatric settings within New York City public hospitals and community clinics.
Marcy Axness, PhD, is an early development specialist, professor of prenatal development at Santa Barbara Graduate Institute, and popular international speaker on attachment, culture, and child and parent development. Dr. Axness has a private education and counseling practice around issues of pre-conception, adoption and early parenting.
Brent H. Babcock, DC, is sharing with the public his knowledge concerning the vanishing twin. His education is from Brigham Young University, Texas Chiropractic College and is a certified Neuro Emotional Technique practitioner. For the past twenty-five years, he has been a physician, author, volunteer, photographer, researcher, and developer of techniques.
Linda R. Backman, EdD, is a psychologist and regression therapist, and has been in private practice for over 30 years. She conducts past-life and between-lives soul regressions, trains therapists, and lectures across the US and abroad. Dr. Backman is the author of Bringing Your Soul to Light: Healing through Past Lives and the Time Between (Llewellyn, 2009).
Adela Barcia, MS , has been a psychotherapist for thirty-three years. Her specialties include: health psychology, death and dying, pre and perinatal psychology, and preparation for birth and motherhood. Her focus is on creating engaging frameworks for personal transformation. Adela spends a lot of time talking to babies and teaching families to listen.
Korenna Barto, MEd, a doctoral candidate with extensive training in integral theory, existential and eastern philosophies, traditional and experiential psychology. She strives to combine wisdom from Eastern and Western traditions in her work as both a psychotherapist and a certified iRest certified Yoga Nidra instructor.
Paul H. Brenner, MD, PhD, was an obstetrician / gynecologist and surgical oncologist who left his private and academic practice of medicine to counsel individuals with life threatening illness. This led him to become a counseling psychologist. He is presently a psychosocial oncologist at the San Diego Cancer Center and Research Institute. At the research institute, his passion is epigenetics, the environmental forces that may turn genes either on or off. Dr. Brenner has lectured throughout the world and is the author of two books on pregnancy.
Becky Brittain-Hicks, PhD, holds a doctorate in Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology from Santa Barbara Graduate Institute. As The Mothering Coach with 30 years of clinical experience, she supports parents and babies through counseling and education. Becky is the parenting columnist for St. Louis Kids Magazine and a national speaker.
David Chamberlain, PhD, is a psychologist, researcher, editor, teacher, organizational leader and spokesman for the wholeness of the human prenate. His 58 scholarly publications are studied around the world and his book, The Mind of Your Newborn Baby is available in 12 languages. David's landmark research in 1980 demonstrated the reliability of birth memory. David is a past president of APPPAH.
Jill Chasse, PhD, works with individuals, families and organizations to help a mother fully "experience, understand and enjoy the magic of motherhood" by encouraging interaction during pregnancy to increase psychological wellness for both mother and child. Jill has published articles in the US and Canada, teaches online, and currently works as a federal contractor. She lives in the DC metro with her family.
Sally Clark, MFT, is an attachment and adoption triad therapist, has been touched by many stories of courage and love. Sally practices in Berkeley and Mountain View and has written an article called "Prenatal Psychology and the Adoptee Experience." She has taught at CIIS and ITP.
Jeanette Sawyer Cohen, PhD, holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University. As a clinician, she specializes in working with children and families, including parent-infant psychotherapy. Jeanette’s research examines the benefits of mindfulness for both parents and psychotherapists. She is additionally trained as a birth doula.
Robbie Davis-Floyd, PhD, a Senior Research Fellow in Anthropology, University of Texas Austin, is a medical anthropologist. She is a prolific author, international speaker, and researcher on the anthropology of reproduction. Robbie currently serves as Program Chair, Society of Medical Anthropology; Senior Advisor, Council on Anthropology and Reproduction; and Editor, International MotherBaby Childbirth Initiative.
Frances McC. Doughty, MA, with a core interest in intergenerational complex trauma. Her work with mothers and their children in substance-abuse treatment integrates dyadic therapy with science-based best treatment practices such as sensorimotor interventions. She concentrated in pre- and perinatal psychology at Santa Barbara Graduate Institute and attended neuroscience courses at UC Berkeley.
William Emerson, PhD, current President of APPPAH, is also a workshop leader, writer, lecturer, and pioneer in the field of prenatal and perinatal psychology. He is among the first in the world to develop prenatal and perinatal treatment methods for infants and children, and a renowned expert in treatment methods for adults.
Barbara Findeisen, MFT, is the Founder and Director of STAR, a 10-day transformational, residential program. She has been in private practice since 1972. She is past-president of APPPAH and is internationally recognized for her creative and dynamic work in prenatal and perinatal psychology and regressive therapy.
Kelduyn R. Garland, PhD, has been a BodyMind Psychotherapist, consultant and educator, who has specialized in reproductive, prenatal and perinatal bonding and bonding/attachment issues and dynamics for almost four decades.
Julie Gerland, is the Founder and Director of The Holistic Parenting Program: Preconception to Birth and Beyond. She represents OMAEP (World Organization of Prenatal Education Associations) which enjoys special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council at the United Nations.
Marti Glenn, PhD, is founding President of Santa Barbara Graduate Institute, which offers graduate degrees in Clinical Psychology, Somatic Psychology, and Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology. She has been a pioneering psychotherapist and educator for over 25 years integrating somatic principles, attachment, early development, and trauma.
Stanislav Grof, MD, is a psychiatrist with more than five decades of experience in research of non-ordinary states of consciousness. In the past, he was Principal Investigator in a psychedelic research program at the Psychiatric Research Institute in Prague, Czechoslovakia, Chief of Psychiatric Research at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, and Scholar-in-Residence at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California.
Althea Hayton, BSc, is a counselor from England. She is a womb twin survivor who works with other survivors, exploring their inner experience and developing suitable therapeutic interventions. An author of several books, she has edited two publications about womb twin survivors and is about to complete her own volume on the subject.
Rochele HC Hirsch, MS, is a consultant in organization effectiveness with over 30 years in business and over 20 years of personal transformation experience. Using her education (physics and operations research) and systems skills, she developed the Theory of How Come: A Model For Understanding Self-Sabotage, And A System For Transforming It.  
Paula M.S. Ingalls, BA , is a published freelance researcher who has given presentations in many countries, including Russia and Israel. She focuses on prenatal and perinatal psychology, prematurity, neuroscience, and psychotherapy.
Mia Kalef, DC, is a chiropractor, craniosacral therapist, author and founder of Emerging Families, a company devoted to therapy and education regarding the prenatal and perinatal periods.
Marshall Klaus, MD, neonatologist and researcher, explores how parents develop a bond to their infant, the importance of breastfeeding, and the effects of social support for laboring mothers in decreasing labor complications. He is author and co-author of numerous articles and books.
Phyllis Klaus, MFT, LCSW,, practices psychotherapy at the Milton Erickson Institute in Santa Rosa, and in Berkeley, California. She has specialized in the perinatal period for 30 years. She consults nationally and internationally and is co-author of several books.
Pamela J. Klieman, BA, works with children 0-3 and their caregivers in high-risk military families. Her post-graduate training in pre- and perinatal psychology focused on using research on prenatal experience to provide more effective interventions during high-risk pregnancies.
Karin Kushniruk, PhD, RN, has cared for premature and critically-ill newborns in the NICU for over 10 years. Karin is passionate about healthcare professionals’ self-care and the incorporation of pre-and-perinatal psychology and craniosacral therapy into the NICU environment. Currently, she works as a neonatal research nurse in San Francisco.
Gregg LaHood, PhD, psychological anthropologist and independent researcher whose interests include childbirth, perinatal psychology and transpersonal psychology. He currently lives in Byron Bay Australia where he has developed ‘Birth-centered healing’.
Rupert Linder, MD, practicing Obstetrician and Gynecologist in Birkenfeld, Germany. He also practices psychosomatics and psychotherapy and is President of The International Society of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Medicine (ISPPM). In his European office for gynecology, obstetrics, and psychotherapy, he has developed a method that has resulted in significant reductions in the rate of premature births.
Susan Love, PsyD, has life-long experience as an adoptee and an adoptive, foster and biological parent. With 30 years of training, Susan is a certified specialist in adoption, attachment therapy, EMDR, family therapy and parent education.
Patricia Lucas, PhD, recently completed her PhD in clinical psychology from the Santa Barbara Graduate Institute. She has a private psychotherapy practice in Minnesota, where she also lectures on prenatal and perinatal psychology topics. Dr. Lucas also holds a MA in somatic psychology from Naropa University. She is a mother of three children.
Bobbi Jo Lyman, PhD, received her PhD in clinical psychology from The Fielding (Graduate) Institute in 2000. She recently (semi) retired as the Chair of the Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology Department at Santa Barbara Graduate Institute, Santa Barbara, California. She is also the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health and has been in that post for eight years. She has a number of publications and is a frequent presenter and consultant in this area of specialization.
Tony Madrid, PhD, Director of River Counselors, and Founder of Asthma Busters, an organization that provides non-pharmacological treatment for Pediatric Asthma. As a psychologist for 35 years, he has authored numerous articles on the subject of repairing bonding failures.
Elisabeth Manning, BA, Certified Spirit Coach and a teacher in training at the Foundation for Spiritual Development in San Rafael, CA. She is the founder of Conscious Conception, empowering women and couples to intentionally co-create a family by becoming fertile in all areas of their lives and preparing for a mindful parenting path.
Stephen M. Maret, PhD , professor of psychology for the past 17 years in New Jersey and New York. He has lived and worked in Africa, the Caribbean and Asia. He has lectured internationally on Frank Lake, and has also written and edited books on Frank Lake's prenatal theory.
Benig Mauger, BA, Jungian psychotherapist, birth teacher, writer and speaker whose early life propelled her into seeking the deeper meaning of how we come into the world. As well as maintaining a private practice in Ireland, Benig travels internationally to teach, lecture and run workshops.
Wendy Anne McCarty, PhD, leader/educator/practitioner specializing in optimizing human potential at beginning of life and restoring wholeness of SELF at any age by transforming compromised patterns from our earliest experiences.
Marilyn Fayre Milos, RN, Founder and Executive Director of NOCIRC (National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers) working tirelessly to end non-therapeutic circumcision for nearly 30 years.
Deborah Peters, DC, focus on mother baby healthcare with special emphasis on newborns, infants, and toddlers. She has developed and teaches a method for gentle manipulative therapies derived primarily from the cranial methods.
Peggy Phillips, MEd, PhD candidate in prenatal and perinatal psychology at the Santa Barbara Graduate Institute. Her dissertation research is a study of first-time pregnant women who hold the belief that their prenate is conscious and aware and looking at the effect this has on their relationship.
Raylene M. Phillips, MD, completed her pediatric residency and neonatology fellowship at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital in Loma Linda, CA. Dr. Phillips is also an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant.
Christof Plothe, DO, attended the Universität Mainz Germany, Osteopathic College: University of Wales, specialization in pediatric osteopathy. He has worked in Great Britain, Ireland, Spain, and is the author and coauthor of several books, and journal articles.
Lisa Rafel, president of Resonant Sounds, LLC, which creates music to promote well-being for adults, parents, children and newborns. An international conference presenter, she teaches transformative tools for self-healing using indigenous traditions, energy and sound.
Gina Ray, PhD Candidate, has made pre and perinatal psychology the focus of her studies for 15 years. This presentation will be drawing from her dissertation written upon current research in intrauterine development. Gina is a psychological assistant currently working in private practice with Dr. Lotte Marcus in Monterey, CA.
Gerhard Schroth, MD, founder and director of the Psychsomatic Education Institute. He has worked as a psychotherapist, psychoanalyst, group analyst, systemic therapist, and body psychotherapist.
David S. Surrenda, PhD, founder, Dean and curriculum director for the Graduate School of Holistic Studies at John F. Kennedy University for nine years. He has conducted organizational consultation and coaching with education and health systems for 35 years and worked extensively with national health systems to support innovation.
Debby Takikawa, DC, director and producer of documentary films. Her most recent production is a free film called Reducing Infant Mortality. She lives on an organic farm with her husband and extended family and writes books about parenting.
Marisa Toriggino has been studying and teaching yoga since 1987. She is a certified and nationally registered yoga teacher and has taught over 1000 prenatal yoga students per year for the past decade.
Thomas R. Verny, M.D., D.Psych., DHL, FRCPC, psychiatrist, writer and academic presently on the faculty of Santa Barbara Graduate Institute. founded APPPAH and served as its president for eight years. In 1986 he launched the Association's Journal, which he edited from its inception until 1990.
Cassandra Vieten, PhD, Director of Research at the Institute of Noetic Sciences, Associate Scientist at California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute, and coinvestigator on the University of California, San Francisco's MOMS Study. Her research focuses on spiritual engagement and health, and mindfulness-based approaches to health and well-being.
Janae B. Weinhold, PhD, former Adjunct Professor at CU-Colorado Springs, coauthor of 7 books on developmental trauma, a consultant and trainer in children's mental health, a United Nations consultant and co-director of CICRCL. Since 1994 she has been training American and Ukrainian psychologists in Development Process Work.
Claire L. Winstone, PhD , trained with Drs. Emerson, Castellino and Lillas before earning her doctorate in prenatal/perinatal psychology. A therapist and educator for 25 years, she focuses increasingly on profound prenatal and birth trauma in young children.


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