Kristīne Maže, MA, MEd, is a certified Theraplay® Practitioner, certified family psychotherapist, and certified supervisor, working in her private practice in Latvia. She received her MA in Family Ministry from Gordon – Conwell Theological Seminary, taught at the Latvian Baptist Seminary. She was a school teacher for 7 years before enrolling in the Systemic Family Psychotherapy training in Latvia and is certified there as a Psychotherapist. She received her Theraplay training in Latvia while extensively translating and supporting Theraplay trainings in Latvia since 2010. She has received her Masters in Pedagogy and qualification of Supervisor from Riga Stradiņš University and is a certified supervisor. Kristine and her husband have four children and are actively involved in their church. She can be reached at [email protected].
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Glenda Z. Villamarín, MA, LCP is from Ecuador (South America). She has a Phase II, trainer, certification for NMT (Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics), and Neurosequential Model in Reflection & Supervision Training from the Child Trauma Academy. She is certified in the Infant-Parent Mental Health Program (IPMHP) at the University of Massachusetts –Boston (2018 – 2019). She is a Certified Theraplay Therapist, Supervisor, and Trainer. She has a Master’s in Cultural Studies from the Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar UASB-Ecuador. She has researched Attachment and Culture with her thesis, “Consideraciones culturales sobre la práctica de la psicología: el caso de la Teoría del Apego,” 2017. She is a Certified EMDR Therapy therapist, approved consultant, Facilitator, and Full Trainer of the Iberoamerican Team and the EMDR Institute. She graduated from Universidad Católica del Ecuador – PUCE. She is the current director of “Serendipitá Ecuador.” She is a certified Brainspotting therapist, consultant, and trainer of the Brainspotting® Inc. She conducts training in Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico, Chile, and El Salvador and is a senior trainer for Latin America. She is a Therapeutic Psychodramatist certified by APSE (Asociación de Psicodrama y Sociometría del Ecuador), member of the Faculty (trainer in psychodrama) and former President of APSE. She works with children, adolescents and their families with various difficulties including: autism spectrum, adoption, ADHD, abuse, trauma, personality disorders and violence. Glenda was co-coordinator of the III Ibero-American Congress of EMDR and Psychotrauma. Glenda has conducted EMDR Therapy trainings in Ecuador, Colombia, Chile and was the trainer in charge of Bolivia from 2014-2016. Since 2006, he has taught courses in the Postgraduate programs in Health and Environmental Studies, Education and the Andean Program of Human Rights of the Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar – Ecuador.
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Alejandra Is originally from Chile, where she completed her Master’s degree in Clinical and Educational Psychology at Pontifical Catholic University in 2005. She has worked in Chile since then as a child clinical psychologist with a specialty in early childhood. From 2013 to 2016 she lived in Miami, Florida; where she studied the Early Childhood Education program at the University of Miami and worked as a teacher assistant.
She is a Certified Theraplay Practitioner and a Supervisor-in-Training under the supervision of Nicole Charney.
Since 2005 Alejandra has worked as a child therapist – at a school as a counselor and in private practice supporting parents and families with Theraplay. She has worked with both individuals and groups. She has provided courses and workshops for psychologists, teachers, parents and other professionals working with children. She is also part of an investigation group called Cuidemos a Nuestros Niños studying the pandemic impact on Chilean children’s mental health. Alejandra can be reached at [email protected].
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Katherine Vincent Lamb (she/her) is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Theraplay Practitioner with a degree in Art Therapy and Counseling. Prior to returning to school to pursue clinical training, Katherine worked for over a decade in residential and community-based programs for children and youth, providing case management services and later co-directing an after-school program in a Chicago public elementary school. Katherine is certified in the ARC trauma treatment framework and has experience working with children who have experienced personal and communal traumatic events. She supports children and adolescents navigating issues of identity and self-esteem, adjusting to parental divorce or separation, and developing skills in self-expression and regulation. In her therapeutic work, Katherine combines her understanding of art therapy, play-based approaches and sensory regulation techniques to support clients’ growth. In addition to offering caregiver-child therapy and individual art therapy for children and adolescents, Katherine provides support for parents and caregivers as they identify parenting approaches that align with their own strengths, values and goals.
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Sivan is a is a Certified Theraplay® Practitioner, Trainer, and Supervisor.
She is a licensed educational psychologist in Israel with more than 12 years of experience.
Sivan spent a few years in Evanston, IL, where she trained in Theraplay and studied it deeply.
Starting in 2018, Sivan returned to her home country, Israel, and became the Theraplay country leader there. She began to create a Theraplay community by doing trainings, presenting at conferences, and giving short workshops.
Besides Theraplay, she also teaches therapists at “Bar Ilan” university and at “Mifrasim” Institute.
Sivan has a private clinic focusing on young children, using mainly Theraplay as well as Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) and combining some mindfulness.
Sivan loves Theraplay and also uses it with her four daughters!
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Charles Pasternak “Chuck” (he/him/his) is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) who earned his Master’s degree in Counseling from Southern Methodist University. He is licensed to practice counseling in Illinois and Texas. Chuck has experience working with children and adults of all ages providing individual, couple, group, and family counseling services in various settings. He completed his internship at a university clinic and an inpatient hospital servicing a diverse population. There he provided case management, individual, couple, and group counseling services for clients who presented with mood disorders, substance abuse issues, Schizophrenia, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and relationship challenges. During this time, he also conducted a supervised child custody evaluation with Collin County family court in Texas. After he completed his internship, Chuck worked in a community mental health setting providing case management, crisis intervention, and family psychoeducation services for individuals with severe mental illnesses in Dallas, Texas. During this time, he received training in Child-Centered Play Therapy and co-presented a workshop on adapting Emotionally Focused Therapy for lesbian couples at the Texas Association of Marriage and Family Therapy annual conference. After Chuck relocated to Chicago, he worked at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine on a study that provided Behavioral Activation and Behavioral Therapy services for individuals with depression. At Northwestern University, he was asked to co-teach a seminar on how to implement these evidence-based treatments for a class of
psychiatrists. In Chicago, he has also worked at a pediatric outpatient clinic providing play therapy, parenting support, and case management services addressing issues with emotion regulation, depression, anxiety, trauma, anger management, relationship challenges, adoption, and symptoms of ADHD and Autism. Currently, Chuck utilizes techniques and interventions from Theraplay, Child-Centered Play Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and other modalities working with children and adults of all ages. He is also trained to implement Cognitive Processing Therapy for adults with PTSD. He has a passion for working with children in adoptive/foster care families. He is also devoted to serving the LGBTQ community, and he has particular interest in working with gay men experiencing challenges with relationships, family of origin issues, career concerns, and low self-esteem. He is a Certified Child-Centered Play Therapist, Certified Autplay Therapist, and Foundational Theraplay Practitioner. Chuck can be reached at [email protected].
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Phyllis Strauss is a Clinical Psychologist, Hypnotherapist, EMDR Consultant and Theraplay Therapist. She has been living and practicing psychology in the public and private arena in Israel since 1986 and has been part of the Theraplay community since 2001. She holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology from Yeshiva University from 1992. She has been involved with Dafna Lender in Theraplay trainings in Israel from 2008.
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