RC Faculty Trainers

Steve Brown, Psy.D., is the Director of the Traumatic Stress Institute of Klingberg Family Centers, (370 Linwood St. New Britain, CT 06052; 413-218-3293); steveb@klingberg.com) and Coordinator of the Risking Connection Training Program.  He specializes in work with at-risk youth, especially children and teens with sexual behavior problems.  He is also a sexuality educator/trainer and author of Streetwise to Sex-Wise: Sexuality Education for High Risk Youth,  a sexuality education curricula used nationally by agencies and schools serving high risk youth.  He is former current Chair of the Board of Directors of Stop It Now!, a national  sexual abuse prevention organization.

Patricia Wilcox, LCSW (Klingberg Family Centers; 370 Linwood St. New Britain, CT 06052; 860-832-5507; patw@klingberg.org) is the Vice President of Strategic Development at Klingberg Family Centers in New Britain, Connecticut. Her career in child and family treatment has included the state child welfare system, the Superior Court, private practice and Newington Children’s Hospital Day Treatment. At Klingberg she has been a clinician and the Clinical Director before obtaining her current position in 2005. She specializes in treatment of traumatized children and their families and has presented extensively on this topic. She is the creator of the Restorative Approach, a trauma and relationship based approach to congregate care treatment of children.  She has presented at NASW, the International Conference on Violence, Abuse, and Trauma. The American Association of Children’s Residential Centers, the Alliance for Children and Families, The Child Welfare League of America, and the Black Administrators on Child Welfare.

Laurie Anne Pearlman PhD. is a clinical psychologist and independent trauma consultant based in Massachusetts. She is a member of the complex trauma task force of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies; a fellow of the Trauma Division of the American Psychological Association; senior psychological consultant for the Headington Institute; past president of the Trauma Research, Education, and Training, Institute; and co-founder and former co-director of the Traumatic Stress Institute/Center for Adult & Adolescent Psychotherapy. She has received awards for her clinical and scientific contributions from the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) and the Connecticut Psychological Association; for her work in media and trauma from ISTSS; and for contributions to professional practice from the American Psychological Association Trauma Division. She is currently collaborating on a book for therapists and counselors about treating traumatic bereavement. Since 1999, she has been collaborating with Professor Ervin Staub on promoting trauma recovery and preventing violence in east Africa.

Dr. Karen Saakvitne (Sock-quit-knee) is a clinical psychologist and former clinical director of the Traumatic Stress Institute in South Windsor CT where, with Laurie Anne Pearlman, she wrote the two original books on Vicarious Traumatization (Trauma and the Therapist, and Transforming the Pain).  She is the lead author of Risking Connection and the author of the teaching manual for that curriculum (Relational Teaching, Experiential Learning), and of a parenting resource handbook written for survivor parents and available online, Support for Survivor Parents:. With Laurie Anne Pearlman, she is the recipient of the APA Division of  Trauma Psychology 2008 award for Outstanding Contributions to the Clinical Practice of Trauma Psychology.   She is president of the Trauma Research, Education, and Training Institute (TREATI) and has a private practice of psychotherapy and clinical consultation in Northampton,  MA.

Robert Davis, PsyD. is Director of the Brain Analysis and Neurodevelopment Center in Amherst, MA and Director of the Perkins Neurotherapy Center. Dr. Davis has served for 10 years as the Director of Clinical Services at Devereux as well as the Chief Psychologist of Devereux’s APPIC-approved Predoctoral Clinical Training Program.  As an RC  Faculty Trainer, he has trained multidisciplinary staff from congregate care settings throughout the country.  Dr. Davis is trained in EMDR and DBT, is a past recipient of a National Center for Child Abuse and Neglect (NCCAN) Research Grant and adjunct faculty member at Antioch University New England.  Dr. Davis has trained at the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Boston and completed post-doctoral fellowships in both trauma and behavioral medicine at Harvard Medical School.

T’Kai G. Howard, LCSW is the Director of the Outpatient Clinic at Klingberg Family Centers and former Coordinator of the Nia Sage House, a therapeutic group home operated by Klingberg in Wethersfield, Connecticut. She received her social work degree from the Whitney M. Young, Jr. School of Social Work at Clark Atlanta University.   Prior to working at Klingberg, T’Kai’s work with children and families has included the state child welfare system, probation, outpatient child guidance and residential treatment. 

Marji Vitali, Psy.D. is the Clinical Director of the Bridge Family Center where she has worked since 2005.  She has over 12 years of experience working with at-risk youth and families.  She holds a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology and is currently licensed as a psychologist in the state of CT.  Her work experience includes a focus on trauma treatment in outpatient clinics as well as four years as a program director of a therapeutic group home for girls involved in the juvenile justice system.  She is an adjunct faculty member at the Graduate Institute of Professional Psychology at the University of Hartford.

Pamela Deiter-Sands, Ph.D, co-founded Adult and Adolescent Psychological Services in Glastonbury, CT in 1998. Her clinical work is focused on both general psychological concerns and trauma-specific issues. She provides professional consultations and supervision to colleagues, and conducts psychological evaluations and assessments specializing in trauma and forensic matters. She completed her Doctorate at the University of Rhode Island in 1994, and became a Post-Doctoral Fellow, and later, Staff Psychologist at the Traumatic Stress Institute in South Windsor, CT. She has published articles and chapters, most recently in the area of trauma and self-injury, and has presented in many professional settings. Pam is very pleased to be a Risking Connection Trainer, and enjoys working with other providers to deepen our shared understanding of trauma.

Elizabeth Vermilyea is an independent consultant specializing in traumatic stress consultation, training and program development. Previously, Elizabeth served as the training director and trauma specialist at The Sidran Institute. Prior to joining the Sidran staff in 1999, Ms. Vermilyea had worked in the Sheppard Pratt Health System, Trauma Disorders Service Line in Baltimore, MD and the Master’s & Johnson Sexual Trauma Program in New Orleans, LA.Elizabeth has created and delivered traumatic stress education programs and consultation to audiences including: child and adult mental health, public and private school systems, sexual assault and domestic violence settings, providers working with the homeless, corrections, developmental disabilities agencies, crime victim’s assistance agencies, and substance abuse programs across the US and in Canada. Ms. Vermilyea is the author of Growing Beyond Survival: A Self-Help Tool Kit for Managing Symptoms of Traumatic Stress. She is also one of the authors of Risking Connection in Faith Communities. Ms. Vermilyea has served as faculty for the University of Maryland Trauma Certificate Program and is an Illuminations Facilitator. She consults on trauma related matters with school-based mental health programs, faith-based trauma support programs and other service providers seeking to increase their knowledge and expertise in the support of trauma victims and survivors.

Marissa Lammlin, LCSW is the Program Coordinator for Residential Services at Klingberg Family Centers and former psychotherapist on the Adolescent Girls Unit at Klingberg. She received her social work degree from the University Of Connecticut School Of Social Work. In addition to her work in the residential program Marissa has been a part of a grant for the past three years with the New Britain Police Department to strengthen the relationship between police officers and the youth we serve.

Jordanna L’Esperance – Chouinard, Psy.D. received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Antioch New England Graduate School. She is a licensed psychologist and health care provider in Massachusetts as well as a licensed school psychologist. Dr. L‘Esperance-Chouinard has worked with children, adolescents and families in a variety of settings including schools, residential care and outpatient clinics. She has specialized in working with children and adolescents who have experienced complex trauma and who have engaged in abuse-reactive behaviors. She uses a strength-based, collaborative model when working with clients and families. Dr. L‘Esperance-Chouinard has extensive experience with psychological testing, individual and group therapy and staff consultation and training.

Kristi Glotzbach, LCSW is the Director of Residential Programs at Maryhurst, Inc. in Louisville, Kentucky where she has worked since 1995.  She has over 15 years experience working with the highest need children and families at Maryhurst. Prior to her current position, Kristi worked as a clinical therapist and admissions manager.  She received her Bachelor’s  Degree in Psychology from Purdue University and her Master’s in the Science of Social Work at University of Louisville.  Kristi’s primary focus has been on working with adolescent females who have experienced extreme trauma resulting in multiple disrupted placements and little success in achieving permanency.  She recently helped create a specialized program at Maryhurst to help stabilize this population, increase continuity of care, and help these youth work towards permanency.