Advisory Board
Frank Wood, Ph.D.
Frank Wood, Ph.D., is Executive Director of the Society for Clinical Mindfulness & Meditation. He received his Master of Arts in Psychology from Xavier University and received his doctorate in Clinical Psychology (Ph.D.) from the Walden University. He also manages Greater Cincinnati Psychology Associates and is staff Psychologist for Bridgewell Hospital, a geriatric psychiatric hospital located in Cincinnati, Ohio. He has facilitated a number of trainings focused on the application and use of mindfulness for The Breathing Association for their work with relapse prevention for a smoking cessation program. He has also facilitated stress management training for schools in Ohio and will facilitate a training for the Kentucky Counselors Convention in October this year where he will facilitate “Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction for Schools”
Dr. Wood is a licensed psychologist in the state of Ohio (#6482). He is also a member of Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD), Attention Deficit Disorder Association, Association for Contextual Behavioral Science, the Ohio Psychological Association as well as the American Psychological Association.
Dr. Wood is also the parent of seven children, the husband of one wife and certified with Critical Incident Stress Debriefing.
Dennis Tirch, Ph.D.
Dr. Tirch serves as the Director of Clinical Services at the American Institute for Cognitive Therapy, an internationally known Cognitive Therapy training facility and clinical practice. He has co-authored several journal articles and book chapters concerning mindfulness training and CBT principles, and has presented research in the USA and Europe, at conferences of the International Association for Cognitive Psychotherapy and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy.
As an educator, Dr. Tirch serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor and Clinical Supervisor at Albert Einstein Medical School, an instructor to psychiatric residents at New York Medical College, and regularly conducts mindfulness and CBT training seminars for healthcare professionals in New York. Dr. Tirch is a Co-Director of the CBT training initiative for the Beijing Suicide Research and Prevention Center, where he has lectured.
His internship and post-doctoral residency took place at the Veterans’ Affairs Medical Center in Bedford, MA., where he served as the Assistant Director of the Bedford Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Center, co-authored articles based on research supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, and developed the “Continual Awareness” mindfulness-meditation based group therapy for trauma survivors. Dr. Tirch is currently engaged in an active research program examining the relationships among psychological flexibility, mindfulness, and emotion regulation. He received his PhD from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Dr. Tirch is a NY State licensed psychologist, Certified Cognitive Therapist and Fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. http://www.newyorkcognitivetherapy.com/
In addition to his training in Western psychology, Dr. Tirch has had extensive experience in Eastern meditative and philosophical disciplines over the past 25 years. This training includes work in Japanese Zen and Vajryana Buddhism, Tibetan Kagyu Buddhism, and Central Asian meditative disciplines.
Andrew Bein, Ph.D.
Andrew W. Bein, Ph.D., LCSW, has 23 years of experience as a clinician, consultant trainer, and researcher. His professional experience includes work in child welfare, public school / special education, youth programs, multi-service center, substance abuse, and private practice settings. Dr. Bein has served highly diverse communities and populations and has conducted over 80 national, state, and local presentations on a range of human service topics. He has been a Zen Student for ten years. He is a Full Professor with the Division of Social Work at California State University, Sacramento, and is author of The Zen of Helping: Spiritual Principles for Mindful and Open-Hearted Practice. His website is http://www.andrewbein.com/.
Brian Denton, Psy.D.
Dr. Denton is a licensed psychologist at Berea Children’s Home and Family Services (BCHFS) in Cleveland, Ohio, where he works as a core assessment supervisor for BCHFS’s predoctoral internship program. He also facilitates an adolescent anger management group and conducts psychological assessments for children and adolescents. He received a master’s degree in Clinical and Counseling Psychology (M.A.) from Cleveland State University, and his doctorate in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.) from the School of Professional Psychology at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. He is lead author of the chapter “Clinical Uses of Mindfulness” in Innovations in Clinical Practice.
Dr. Denton currently holds a black belt in the martial art of Ninjutsu under the direction of Stephen K. Hayes. Additionally, he has involved himself extensively in the study of Eastern philosophy traditions and has traveled to various monastic establishments around the world, including those within the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, the Soto Zen traditions, and the Zen tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh.
Stella Marrie, Psy.D.
Stella Marrie, Psy.D., is a Professor of Liberal Studies at the Union Institute and University. She is chair of the Bachelor of Arts concentration in Psychology and Human Development and teaches interdisciplinary studies in the areas of psychology, religion and spirituality. Her primary interests are in Buddhist psychology and the integration of contemplative practices in psychotherapy and clinical training. She is a Zen Buddhist student and practitioner in the Soto Zen tradition.
Dr. Marrie received her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Argosy University in 1998. She is a licensed psychologist in Vermont, where she has been in private practice for 10 years, offering individual and couples therapy and clinical supervision.
Ronald A. Alexander, Ph.D.
Ronald A. Alexander, PhD, is a leading Somatic Mind-Body psychotherapist in private practice in Santa Monica, CA, teacher of meditation, executive and leadership coach, communication and creativity consultant to the entertainment industry. He is a seminar leader and conducts training’s for professionals nationally and internationally in Somatic Mind-Body Healing Therapies, Ericksonian Hypnosis, Meditation and Psychotherapy. He personally trained with Milton Erickson, Ernest Rossi, and Steven Gilligan in Ericksonian Hypnotherapy as well as with Daniel P. Brown of the Harvard Medical Cambridge Hospital professional training’s seminars in hypnosis and hypno-analysis. He was trained and certified by both the Los Angeles Gestalt Therapy Institute as well as with Erving and Miriam Polster Ph.D. of the Gestalt Training Center of La Jolla. He was trained and supervised in psychoanalytic Self-Psychology, Relational and Object Relations Therapies. He is an associate member of the American Psychological Association and a clinical member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.
Dr. Alexander was formerly Chairman of the Psychology Department and Director of Clinical Training at Ryokan College, is a member of the adjunct Graduate Faculty in Psychology at Pepperdine University and Pacifica Graduate Institute, Santa Barbara, Cottonwood Treatment Centers London, England and is a long time workshop leader at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur. He is the originator of the OpenMind Training®, a Mind-Body healing system that integrates the wisdom teachings of the East and Western psychotherapeutic methods. He has been practicing, studying, and teaching, meditation, holistic psychology and Mind-Body healing methods since 1970.
He has traveled extensively in Nepal, Bali, Thailand, Sri Lanka and India, living and studying the Mind-Body healing process. He was ordained as a lay Zen Buddhist, his yoga and meditation studies include Tibetan Buddhism, Vipassana, Zen, Vedic (non dual), Kundalini, as well as Hatha and Ashtanga yoga.
Dr. Alexander conducts ongoing groups and seminars and is available for individual consultation in these areas. He consults and teaches Mindful Zen and the Art of Leadership (East-West approach to leadership training) for small family-owned businesses, and the television, music and film industries as well as privately coaches organizations, executives and entrepreneurs. His new book, Wise Mind, Open Mind: Finding Purpose and Meaning in Times of Crisis, Loss & Change is available from New Harbinger Publications. For more information about Dr. Alexander, visit www.ronaldalexander.com.
Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D.
Steven C. Hayes is Nevada Foundation Professor at the Department of Psychology at the University of Nevada. An author of 32 books and over 400 scientific articles, he has shown in his research how language and thought leads to human suffering, and has developed “Acceptance and Commitment Therapy” a powerful therapy method that is useful in a wide variety of areas. His popular book “Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life” was featured in Time Magazine among several other major media outlets and for a time was the number one best selling self-help book in the United States. Dr. Hayes has been President of several scientific societies and has received several national awards, such as the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy.
Susan L. Woods, MSW, LCSW
Ms. Woods is extensively trained in the clinical application of mindfulness-based approaches and has been teaching mindfulness since 1997. She teaches Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) groups. Susan Woods, MSW, LCSW, is a mindfulness-based psychotherapist in private practice. She works with individuals, couples, families and groups and is particularly interested in working with depression, anxiety and stress related conditions. Ms. Woods has a master’s degree in clinical social work from Columbia University and holds an advanced level post-graduate certificate in clinical social work from New York University. Her professional training includes psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral and various body centered psychotherapies. She has been in practice since 1989 and has worked in a variety of clinical settings.