Women's Therapy Center: Faculty

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The following roster comprises the current clinical faculty at the Women’s Therapy Center, all of whom are supervisors, teachers or both. All faculty share a commitment to the ideals of relational psychotherapy for women, principles of social justice and respect for diversity.

Jane Ariel, PhD
Mary Bradford, PhD, MFT
Robin Butler, MFT
Margie Cohen, LCSW
Sally Cohen, MFT
Robin Fine, PhD
Debra Gajer, LCSW
Frayda Garfinkle, MFT
Sharon Gregory, MFT
Marianne Gunther-Murphy, MFT
Sharon Haase, MFT
Melissa Holub, PhD
Richelle Jacobs, MFT
Elsa Johnson, DMH
SJ Kahn, MFT
Sarah Kim-Marchant, LCSW
Mary Ann Leff, MFT
Esther Lerman, MFT
VeLora Lilly, PhD, LCSW
Janet Linder, LCSW
Thomasine McFarlin, LCSW
Valory Mitchell, PhD
Elena Moser, LCSW
Karen Naifeh, PhD
Lonnie Prince, LCSW
Maggie Rochlin, LCSW
Meira Salman, MFT
Linda Shapiro, MFT
Lili Shidlovski, MFT
Regina Shields, MFT, PhD
Deena Solwren, LCSW
Nancy Ulmer, LCSW
Catherine Valdez, MS, MFT
Whitney van Nouhuys, MFT, PhD
Catherine Warren, MFT
Sharon Wells, MFT
Lynn Winsten, PhD
Sue Ellen Wise, MFT

Jane Ariel, PhD, is a psychotherapist in private practice, seeing individuals, couples and families. She concentrates on the interface between psychodynamic and systemic theory as well as on the impact of oppressive social practices (concerning gender, race, sexual orientation and others) on psychological realities. She has been associated with WTC since 1990, supervising as well as teaching group process and multiculturalism.

Mary Bradford, PhD, is a clinical psychologist in private practice. She teaches courses on couple therapy, working with sexual and gender identity, relational theory, and feminist treatment of eating disorders. She is especially interested in the art of supervision and mentoring student therapists. She has been both a supervisor and Chair of the Advanced Training Program at WTC.

Robin Butler, MFT, is on the faculty and the Board of Directors at the Women's Therapy Center.

Margie Cohen, LCSW, has been in private practice in Berkeley/Albany since 1985, specializing in adult general practice issues, trauma, and issues of difference and diversity. She supervises and teaches at WTC and is a former Chair of the Advanced Training Program. She is a graduate of WTC’s training program.

Sally Cohen, MFT, is on the faculty at the Women's Therapy Center.

Robin Fine, PhD, is a psychologist in private practice in Albany. Her clinical approach, informed initially by group and family orientations, and then additionally by psychodynamic and trauma theories, can best be defined at this point as relational. Particular areas of interest include relational psychotherapy, supervision/consultation, couple dynamics and treatment, and addiction and recovery. She is also on the faculty at the Women's Therapy Center.

Debra Gajer, LCSW, has a private practice in Berkeley working with individual adults, couples and adolescents. In her work she blends her background in Relational Therapy, Object Relations and Self Psychology. Her special interests include intimacy and sexuality, perinatal loss, dealing with cancer and working relationally in supervision. She is a former chair of the WTC Board of Directors, supervises at The Psychotherapy Institute in Berkeley and offers private practice consultation.

Frayda Garfinkle, MFT, is in private practice in Berkeley, where she works with adults and couples from a relational perspective. Her particular areas of interest are grief and loss, childhood trauma, depression, anxiety, and life transitions. She is also on the faculty at the Women's Therapy Center.

Sharon Gregory, MFT, is on the faculty at the Women's Therapy Center.

Marianne Gunther-Murphy, MFT, Certified Group Psychotherapist, specializes in group therapy and sees couples, adult families, and individuals in her Rockridge practice. She works relationally, integrating psychodynamic, systems, somatic (Hakomi training) and attachment theory. Currently, she is chairperson of the Faculty and Committee of the Group Therapy Training Program at The Psychotherapy Institute. She supervises, teaches and and has worked as a therapist for Stanford University research studies, at Alta Bates’ Partial Hospitalization, and as training director for Parental Stress Services in Oakland. She also is on the faculty at the Women's Therapy Center.

Sharon Haase, MFT, is in private practice in Oakland, where she works relationally with couples and individuals. She is particularly interested in working with adults who have been vicariously traumatized by a family members' suffering. She is on the faculty of JFK University as well as the Women's Therapy Center.

Melissa Holub, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist with specialized experience in the treatment of severe psychiatric disturbance, in psychological issues related to life-threatening illnesses, death and dying, and issues for older teens, adults and families relevant to adoption. She is a former Chair of the WTC Board of Directors. She is also affiliated with PACER, the Post Adoption Center for Education and Research, is on the Clinical Faculty of the Wright Institute, and is on the Board of Directors of NCSPP, the Northern California Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology.

Richelle " Ricky" Jacobs, MA, LMFT, has offered a blend of both in-depth and practical psychotherapy for more than thirty years for adult individuals and couples in her clinic near the University of California, Berkeley campus. Her style is relational, reflective and directive. Even after being in the field for so long, Ricky is still deeply engaged with and committed to her work. Each person or couple presents a new set of experiences: there isn't a cookie-cutter model. Once the work begins, collaboration is likely to remain fresh and stimulating, whether clients are with her for only a short time, or whether they decided on a longer treatment plan.

Elsa P. Johnson, DMH, is a licensed clinical psychologist with a private practice specializing in individual and couples work. She is particularly interested in working with multicultural issues, issues of attachment, trauma and loss, and problems stemming from physical health. She is a member of the WTC Board of Directors, WTC supervisor and teaches courses on the cultural context of therapy.

S.J. Kahn, MFT, is in private practice in the San Francisco Bay Area providing psychotherapy primarily to the women’s/lesbian community. Areas of interest include couples therapy, sex and sexual/gender orientation, trauma/dissociation, body image/self -acceptance, and life transitions. She is also affiliated with New Leaf Services in San Francisco. She is a group process leader at WTC.

Sarah Kim-Marchant, LCSW, has been in private practice since 2007. She works with individuals, couples, and families from a relational perspective and serves as a consultant to beginning therapists. Her interests include childhood trauma, parenting issues, foster care and adoption issues, multicultural identity issues, gender issues, and supervision. Please visit her website at www.sarahpist.com.

Mary Ann Leff, MFT, has had a private practice in Berkeley seeing individuals and couples for almost 30 years. She is a consultant and supervisor and is known for her work with sexuality and her interest in the ethics of psychotherapy practice. Trained in the 70’s in sex therapy, she now uses an integrated approach to sex and couples work. She taught graduate students at California State University East Bay, Santa Clara University, California Institute of Integral Studies, New College, and JFK for many years, and now limits her teaching to WTC. She has presented "Feminist Ethics and the Law" as a continuing education class for WTC, and is a member of the Board of Directors and the faculty of WTC. Her other interests include working with grief and loss, life transitions, and is particularly drawn to working with artists. She works from a relational model, combined with humor and a good dose of common sense.

Esther Lerman, MFT, has been in private practice in Oakland since 1986. She works relationally with individual adults and couples on a broad variety of relationship and identity issues. She also uses sandtray as an adjunct. She has previously supervised at the Pacific Center and the Grief Project. She has taught couples therapy to interns at California Pacific Medical Center. She is also on the supervisory staff at the Psychotherapy Institute. She is also on the faculty at the Women's Therapy Center.

Dr. VeLora Lilly, PhD, LCSW, has performed in many capacities over the thirty five years of yer clinical career:

Psychotherapist to children, adolescents and adults. Providing couples' and family therapy services; "INSIGHT" group therapy for women.Supervisor to Psychology Fellows and Social Work Associatess seeking licensure and advanced degrees.Consultant to non-profit agencies and City and County agencies, academic and student organizations.Professor teaching courses in Multiracial Families and Children at UCB; Family Therapy, Child and Adolescent Development at various professional graduate schools.Lecturer and Workshop Presenter at numerous national conferences and community organizations.Coach for clients seeking personal and corporate advancement.
Clinical Director of community agencies, providing staff development, intern programs and oversight of treatment programs.
Dr. Lilly specializes in multicultural experiences, women's issues, family therapy, children and adolescents, abuse and trauma, career and midlife issues. She is bilingual and bicultural and a citizen of the world. She is also on the faculty at the Women's Therapy Center.

Janet Linder, LCSW, has been in private practice in San Francisco and in the East Bay since 1985. She is interested in working with people struggling with issues of childhood trauma and abuse, long-term recovery issues and relational difficulties. Currently, she is also interested in the ways women express gender—both in conventional and non-conventional ways. She is also on the faculty at the Women's Therapy Center.

Thomasine McFarlin, LCSW, is on the faculty at the Women's Therapy Center.

Valory Mitchell, PhD, is on the faculty at the Women's Therapy Center.

Elena Moser, LCSW, has a private psychotherapy practice in Berkeley where she sees individuals and couples. She is interested in teaching beginning psychotherapists how to trust and make use of themselves in their clinical work. One of her current interests is non-conventional expressions of gender in girls and women, including butch-femme roles in lesbians. She is also the clinical director for the Women's Therapy Center.

Karen Naifeh, PhD, is a psychologist in private practice in San Francisco and Berkeley. She also has a background in psychophysiology, and is an analyst member of the C.G. Jung Institute. Her special interest is somatic manifestations of trauma. She is on the faculty at the Women's Therapy Center.

Lonnie Prince, LCSW, is on the faculty at the Women's Therapy Center.

Maggie Rochlin, LCSW, has been in private practice for over 25 years. She works relationally with individual women of all identities, and lesbian couples. Her areas of specialty include: issues of identity (ethnic, racial, lgbt); attachment, loss and grief; childhood abuse and trauma; illness; and aging. She has been supervising at WTC for 10 years, as well as providing consultation for therapists in the community. She has also worked for many years as a psychotherapist for low income women living with cancer through the Women's Cancer Resource Center. She is also on the faculty at the Women's Therapy Center.

Meira Salman, MFT, is on the faculty at the Women's Therapy Center.

Linda J. Shapiro, MFT has been in private practice since 1977. She works with adult individuals and couples from a relational perspective and serves as a consultant to beginning therapists. Her interests include life transitions, childhood sexual abuse, gender and issues of difference. She both supervises at WTC and serves as the Membership Committee Chair. She is also on the faculty of the Psychotherapy Institute in Berkeley.

Lili Shidlovski , MFT, is on the faculty at the Women's Therapy Center.

Regina Shields, MFT, PhD, is on the faculty at the Women's Therapy Center.

Deena Solwren , LCSW, is on the faculty at the Women's Therapy Center.

Nancy Ulmer, LCSW, is on the faculty at the Women's Therapy Center.

Catherine Valdez, MS, MFT. It is my pleasure to be on the faculty of
the Women's Therapy Center, where I supervise intern therapists. I am in private practice in Oakland where I provide therapy for individual adults and couples. My approach is based in psychodynamic theory applied in an interpersonal approach. I also supervise therapists in training at the Psychotherapy Institute in Berkeley as well as to MFT interns at Horizon Services in Hayward. My specialty is working with relationships of all kinds. I've been in practice 19 years.

Whitney Van Nouhuys, PhD, MFT, is in private practice in Menlo Park and Berkeley. She supervises at WTC and at The Psychotherapy Institute. She is Academic Dean and on the core faculty of The Sanville Insitute (formerly California Insitute for Clinical Social Work). She works with individuals and couples, and especially enjoys working with parents. Self-psychology and family systems are the theories that most influence her work.

Catherine Warren, MFT, has been in private practice since 1988, treating individuals and couples. She has been supervising since 1994. Her areas of interest are transitions, learning difficulties in adults and couples dynamics. She has taught workshops on transitions, ADD in adults and enjoys teaching about the use of self in Relational Therapy. She also is on the faculty at the Women's Therapy Center.

Sharon Wells, MFT, is on the faculty at the Women's Therapy Center.

Lynn Winsten , PhD, has been working in helping individuals with issues of abuse for 25 years. She has a private practice at the Berkeley/Albany border. She has taught and supervised at The Wright Institute, Cal State Hayward, and the Institute on Aging. Most recently she has taken up more formal study of the art of supervision in the Supervision Study Program at The Psychotherapy Institute and is available for consultation as well as individual treatment. She is also on the faculty at the Women's Therapy Center.

Sue Ellen Wise, MA, MFT, is in private practice in Berkeley. She is the former chair of the MA in Counseling Psychology program with a specialization in Holistic Studies at the Campbell Campus of JFK University. Sue Ellen provides psychotherapy for individuals and couples who are seeking to improve their lives and their relationships, particularly during life transitions. She is a current student in the Supervision Study Program at TPI in Berkeley. Sue Ellen supervises interns at the Women's Therapy Center, the Wright Institute and in her private practice. She enjoys consulting and teaching.