Meet the Trainers

All phone numbers are US phone numbers, unless otherwise stated. If calling from outside of the US, please dial 001 first.

Yvonne Agazarian, Ed.D., CGP, DFAGPA, FAPA, is the developer of a theory of living human systems and its systems-centered practice and the founder of the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute. She lives in Philadelphia and teaches and consults internationally. In 1997 she received the Group Psychologist of the Year award from the American Psychological Association ``for her involvement in research, publication, teaching and training. She exemplifies the finest in scholarship in the discipline of psychology she has contributed to expanding our knowledge of the boundaries between clinical and social psychology ... Her considerable body of work illustrates the highest blend of creativity and learning.''

Email: agazarian@aol.com, phone: (215) 561-7428

Rich Armington, LCSW is a licensed social worker with a strong interest in working with diverse populations. He began his practice of psychotherapy at the University of Texas at Austin’s Counseling and Mental Health Center and entered into private practice in Austin in 1989. He works with individuals, groups, couples, and couples' groups. His commitment to including a body orientation in his work found a natural home when he began training in SCT in 1991. A licensed SCT practitioner, he currently leads foundation and intermediate level SCT training groups as well as SCT therapy groups.

Email: armington@gmail.com, phone: (512) 440-8910

Claudia Byram, Ph.D., has worked since 1980 as a clinician and trainer, having taken a doctorate in developmental and clinical psychology (Bryn Mawr College). She began work with Yvonne Agazarian in the early 80s, and has shifted from psychoanalytic training toward systems as Systems-Centered therapy developed. Currently, she is a licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner with a clinical practice in Philadelphia. She leads Systems-Centered training events, as well as communications training and consultation in the SAVI (System for Analyzing Verbal Interaction) model.

Email: claudia.byram@verizon.net, phone: (215) 561-0341

Frances Carter, MSS, LSW, CGP, is a Licensed Social Worker, living and working in the Philadelphia area. She maintains a clinical and consulting practice working with individuals, couples, groups and organizations. Fran is a founding member of Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute, a current Board Member and System Mentor. She continues to be interested in the development of training, curriculum and research and has contributed her time to these work groups within SCTRI. She is a licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner and a senior trainer, leading workshops, ongoing training and consultation groups and intensive training blocks throughout the US and Europe. She is also a principle in SAVI Communications and the SAVI Network where she works with others to develop training in the SAVI approach to communication. She brings to all her work the energy and creativity of her early background as artist.

Email: carter2229@aol.com, phone: (215) 988-9523

Susan Cassano, Ph.D., CGP, has been a practicing psychotherapist for over 30 years. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico in clinical psychology. She has been a licensed psychologist in private practice and a Certified Group Psychotherapist in Austin,Texas since 1976. As a licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner, she serves as senior staff for the Austin Weekend Workshops, co-leads a training group and a supervision group, and consults to mental health organizations.

Email: susancassano@sbcglobal.net, phone: (512) 327-4170

Susan P. Gantt, Ph.D., ABPP, CGP, FAGPA, FAPA, is a psychologist in private practice in Atlanta and Assistant Professor in Psychiatry at Emory University School of Medicine where she coordinates group psychotherapy training. She is the Director of the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute. She is a Diplomat in Group Psychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology and co-author of the books Autobiography of a Theory, SCT in Action and SCT in Clinical Practice with Yvonne Agazarian. In private practice she works as a licensed practitioner in systems-centered group, couples and individual therapy. She consults to organizations, and is a trainer, supervisor and conference director in systems-centered training in the US and Europe.

Email: sgantt@systemscentered.com, phone: (404) 261-5559 x1

Dorothy Gibbons, LCSW, is in private practice in Philadelphia, PA. She works with individuals, groups, and couples. She also works as an organizational consultant to a social service agency in Philadelphia. Ms. Gibbons is the former Director of the Adolescent Sex Offender Unit at the Joseph J. Peters Institute in Philadelphia and has extensive experience working with both victims and offenders of sexual abuse. She is on the Board of Directors of the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute and is a Licensed SCT Practitioner. She has also completed a three-year program in Gestalt Therapy at the Gestalt Training Institute in Philadelphia.

Email: dorothygibbons2@yahoo.com, phone: (267) 307-8428

Ray Haddock, MBChB, M.MedSc, FRCPsych, qualified in medicine in 1982, trained in Psychiatry then in Psychotherapy in Leeds (UK). Member of the Institute of Group Analysis since 1993. Ray leads SCT training groups in London, UK and Stockholm, Sweden and is a staff member on the annual SCT training in York and annual winter workshop in Stockholm. He was appointed Consultant Psychotherapist in Sheffield (UK) in 1993 and became Director of and developed the Specialist Psychotherapy Service until 2000 when he became Associate Medical Director. In 2001 he took on responsibility for developing a Systemic Psychotherapy service. Clinically he uses Systems-Centered Therapy and A Theory of Living Human Systems (Agazarian) in individual and group therapy and in his day-to-day organisational work and leadership.

Email: rayhad@doctors.org.uk, phone: +44 114 271 6894

Robert Hartford, MSW, LICSW, LCSW, CSW, is a licensed psychotherapist in Washington DC, California and New York. He is currently in private practice working with individuals, couples, and groups in both short and long term therapy.He also works with executives in leadership development and coaching and with organizations to develop techniques for identifying and lessening restraining forces to system development.He has advanced post-masters level training with the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute since 1998. In addition to current private practice work, Robert is collaborating with George Washington University Hospital with the Chair of the Department of Clinical Management and Leadership Development. He was the Co-Director of the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute International Conference in Boston, MA. Other experience and positions held include Mental Health Practitioner with the County of Marin, California, a Mental Health consultant to the San Francisco Unified School District where he developed and supervised the intern training program. He received his training at San Francisco General Hospital Ward 7B for lesbian, gay, transgender and HIV, in-patient psychiatric patients and Kaiser Department of Psychiatry. He has worked with the sexual minority populations at the Valley Aids Project, Stop Aids Project, San Francisco, Continuum HIV services, Philadelphia Community Health Alternatives, and the Aids Information Network. He also has experience working in organizational and personnel development. Robert is committed to working with community and to help people make choices that get them closer to living the life they want.

Email: robert@roberthartford.com, phone: (202) 412-0253

Holly Johnson, M.Ed., ADTR, LCMHC became a Licensed Systems Centered® Practitioner in 2007. She holds a Masters Degree in Counseling Education/Dance Movement Therapy from Antioch University, and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts. She is a Registered Dance Therapist. She has thirty years of clinical experience which includes private practice, twenty years on staff in community mental health facilities, including West Central Behavioral Health Dartmouth Hitchcock. She was a creative arts therapist and addictions counselor for three years at The Spring Center in Brattleboro VT., a women’s trauma treatment center. In addition to her private practice she provides creative arts groups for the developmentally disabled at Pathways, Co-leader for the New England Systems-Centered® Training Group, and provides consultation and trainings to agencies.

Email: hollyjo@valley.net, phone: (603) 543-3118 x3042

Nina Klebanoff,ED.M, LCSW, CGP, Licensed SCT practitioner, has been a psychotherapist for twenty nine years. Nina works in Manhattan and works with individuals, groups, couples and couples groups. In addition she leads an ongoing SCT training group. Nina also does organizational consulting and ongoing staff development and individual consultations for psychotherapists and OD professionals. Nina specializes in working with creative artists and therapists. She has taught group psychotherapy as an adjunct faculty at NYU School of Social Work and is particularly interested in training and consultation groups. She has newly re-joined the SCTRI Board in the role as Treasurer and is developing workshops for therapists in dealing with financial issues that have to do with maintaining a practice as well as the issues that directly impact the therapeutic relationship.

Email: nkleb@mac.com, phone: (212) 315-1675

Susan Arnold Lange, Ph.D., licensed Psychologist and System-Centered Practitioner, provides systems-centered training, consultation and clinical services. Throughout her 25 years of facilitating change, relationship, career and spiritual development have been the areas of consistent focus. Consulting with health care delivery systems, faith-based communities, and yoga studios for employee and volunteer development, she has designed and presented communications workshops on topics including effective listening, conflict management, and career strategies. Studying and training with Dr. Agazarian since 1991, she integrates systems thinking to these areas as she works in both Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston, Texas.

Email: slangephd@att.net, phone: (817) 745-4612

Joy Luther, MSSW, LCSW, is a Clinical Social Worker with over thirty years of experience working with individuals, families, couples and groups. Formerly Outpatient Coordinator for a mid sized community mental health center in Central Texas, Joy now runs a private practice in Austin, Texas where she provides psychotherapy and consultation and short-term psycho-educational groups. Since 2002, she has been a co-trainer of a weekly foundation level SCT group in Austin, Texas. Joy is an active member of SCTRI, and is a licensed SCT Practitioner. She currently serves on the Steering Group, the Board of Directors, the Board of SCTRI-Austin and has been On-site Coordinator for two Conferences. She particularly enjoys developing creative ideas.

Email: joyluthersoffice@gmail.com, phone: (512) 343-9609

Richard M. O'Neill, Ph.D., FAClinP, CGP is Associate Professor and Director of SCT Training at SUNY Upstate Medical University. He is a former President of the New York State Psychological Association (NYSPA). His successful NYSPA presidential initiative -- affiliating with a national labor union to deal with managed care – was featured on the front-page of the New York Times. He has 240+ television appearances and a weekly radio segment on psychology, and a 1976 Student Academy Award for the documentary What The Notes Say. As Research Director Emeritas and a licensed member of the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute, his work focuses now on SCT consulting, training, and research with systems from individuals and partners to therapy and work groups.

Email: oneillr@upstate.edu, phone: (315) 464-3120

Heather B. Twomey, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist practicing in North Carolina. She serves as program coordinator for adult inpatient services at Dorothea Dix Hospital where she provides a broad range of psychological services in addition to supervising pre-doctoral psychology interns and conducting group psychotherapy training. She qualified for her Systems-Centered Practitioner license in 2007. In private practice she works as a licensed SCT practitioner in systems-centered group and individual therapy.

Email: heather.twomey@gmail.com, phone: (919) 862-4922

Steven Weinstein, MA, LMFT, CGP, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Licensed Systems-Centered Therapist and Certified Group Therapist. He has been in private practice working with individuals, couples and groups for the past 25 years. For the past 14 years he has been in intensive training with Dr.Yvonne Agazarian and has taught at Lesley College, Mass School for Professional Psychology, Interface, Kripalu Yoga Center and the Kantor Family Institute. Currently he is co-leading an ongoing SCT training group in Boston and is in the process of organizing Boston as a training center. He brings a deep passion and dedication to his work with people.

Email: sweinst949@aol.com, phone: (781) 488-3613

No profile is available for Sven-Erik Viskari

Email: sven-erik.viskari@telia.com

Erika Ekedal is a certified psychologist in Sweden, and has worked as consultant and counselor for more than fifteen years, the last five in private practice. Her work includes developing individuals, groups and organizations, assessing and selecting executives, doing coaching, crises interventions and counseling. She qualified for her Systems-Centered Practitioner license in 2007.

Email: erika.ekedal@humannature.se, phone: +46 8 795 4350