Cedar is a consultant and teacher on ethics issues. She has been designing, developing, and teaching this approach since 1994. Her background includes 20 years as a psychotherapist and 15 years as a teacher. She is the author of books and articles on ethics, counseling with elders, women and independence, and psychotherapy and spirituality. Cedar is also a Hakomi Experiential Psychology Trainer, a member of the Naropa University Adjunct Faculty and maintains a private psychotherapy and ethics consulting practice in Boulder/Denver, and teaches both Right Use of Power Ethics and Hakomi nationally and internationally. More about Cedar and her contact info can be found at RightUseofPower.com or her GoodTherapy.org Profile

A Different Side of Treatment

Mary Ellen Barnes, Ph.D. 
Dr. Barnes holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Southern California. She is the former Executive Director and President of the Board of Directors of the Harbor Free Clinic and Director of Nonprofit Training at the South Bay Volunteer Center. In addition to her work at Y.E.S., Dr. Barnes is a Management and Training Advisor for the California League of Women Voters, an organization in which she has been a participating member for over fifteen years. Active in the Palos Verdes Peninsula League of Women Voters as a candidate forum moderator and former president, she is a popular speaker and facilitator at community events. Dr. Barnes has been honored for her community work by the city and county of Los Angeles, the California State Senate, the California Assembly and the U.S. House of Representatives. In her current position as Y.E.S., Inc.'s founding partner and president, Dr. Barnes brings her years of management and community experience to Y.E.S, as well as her work in interventions with drug and alcohol dependent families. She is a California Registered Addiction Specialist with a particular interest in the plight of alcohol dependent women and the families of alcoholics. More about Mary Ellen and her contact info can be found at non12step.com or her GoodTherapy.org Therapist Profile.

The Human Being of Therapy

Greg Madison, Ph.D. 

Integrating Spirituality and Psychotherapy

John Rhead, Ph.D.

Born in Utah and raised in Colorado, I was a psychologist by the time I was 10.  It took a few more years to get degrees to prove this to others, and in getting these degrees I found myself drawn toward psychotherapy.  I have also been a spiritual and philosophical seeker for as long as I can remember, initially in an attempt to understand and ameliorate my own suffering, and later out of pure fascination as well as a desire to find for myself, and to help others find, more joy and meaning in life. In this column, I shares my experiences and insights related to "Integrating Spirituality and Psychotherapy."  More about me and my contact info can be found at www.johnrhead.com or my GoodTherapy.org Profile.

Relating to Self and Others

Dennis Thoennes, Ph.D., ABPP 

Dennis is a licensed psychologist recognized by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) as a Specialist in Clinical Psychology.  He has been in practice for nearly 30 years and finds his deepest passion and intuition in helping people to mend relationships; both relationships with one self and with others. Denny brings compassion and curiosity to his work and views people as “marvelous learners” who go to great length to survive and thrive. He helps people to know themselves, to heal their wounds, and to discover alternative pathways to self-acceptance, healthy relationships, and freedom.  More about Denny and his contact info can be found at www.redmondtherapy.com or his GoodTherapy.org Therapist Profile.

A Different Side of Treatment

Edward Wilson, Ph.D., MAC 

Dr. Wilson holds a Master of Arts in Human Development from St. Mary's University of Minnesota and a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Greenwich University, Norfolk, Australia. After over twenty years in rural Alaska where he worked as a political organizer, teacher, commercial fisherman, and therapist, he moved to California where he created the school inside the state's most acute adolescent psychiatric hospital. That work led to he and Dr. Barnes meeting and creating Y.E.S., Inc. Dr. Wilson has been an Alaska Certified Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor since 1989 and a Nationally Certified Master Abuse Counselor since 1996. He is a California Registered Addiction Specialist. A long recovered alcoholic and now moderate drinker, Dr. Wilson has worked with clients seeking alternatives to 12-Step programs in Minnesota, Alaska, and California since 1981. His research, experience, and studies have helped to form many of the basic methods Y.E.S. uses. More about Ed and his contact info can be found at non12step.com or his GoodTherapy.org Therapist Profile.

Collaboration & Nonpathology in Psychotherapy 

Noah is Co-Executive & Clinical Director of GoodTherapy.org and practices collaborative and non-pathologizing psychotherapy in Anchorage, Alaska.  Noah's concern about the tendency within the field of mental health to view people as deficient & fundamentally flawed led him to counter the “deficient model” and to promote healthy psychotherapy through GoodTherapy.org. He shares his views on Non-pathologizing psychotherapy in his regular column.  More about Noah and his contact info can be found at www.feelingbettercenter.com or his GoodTherapy.org Profile.