BRIEF BIOGRAPHIES
G. Jay westbrook, Ms RN CHPN
G. Jay Westbrook, MS RN CHPN is a multiple award-winning clinician, Visiting Faculty Scholar at Harvard Medical School, and a specialist in End-of-Life care & education. He created and was Clinical Director of the first Palliative Care & Bereavement Service in a California community hospital, and created American Society on Aging’s End-of-Life Issues Committee. Westbrook has a Master’s degree in Gerontology from USC, is a Grief Recovery Specialist, and a Certified Hospice Nurse. He is nationally recognized as an expert on the constellation of issues surrounding End-of-Life, and is highly skilled in working with spiritual, emotional, and physical suffering. He lectures & consults nationally on Pain Management, Emotional & Spiritual Suffering, Quality-of-Life at the End-of-Life, Palliative Care, Prison Hospice, Working with Dying Patients & Grieving Families, and the powerful Grief Recovery technique. Westbrook is an informative, entertaining, and inspiring speaker who presents powerfully on the transformative aspects of suffering and on using suffering to awaken compassion.
Cheryl M. Svensson, BA BFA MSG Ph.D Cheryl Svensson has been involved in the field of aging since the 1970s when she landed her first job out of college as a social work assistant in a convalescent hospital. That job motivated her to want to learn as much about aging as possible and she applied to the very first Masters in Gerontology program at USC. After completing her MSG in 1977, she moved to Sweden and entered the doctoral program in psychology with an emphasis on research in aging. Her doctoral thesis examined the components of well-being among older persons.
tricia l. lethcoe, lmft catc IV Tricia Lethcoe, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified Addiction Treatment Counselor, has been counseling since 1999. Tricia brings a holistic, collaborative style having worked with both inpatient and outpatient Behavioral Health, Geropsych, Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual and Transgender populations, Addiction Treatment programs, and with adolescents with co-occurring disorders. Tricia’s experience highlights her work in the Geropsych unit as she worked with senior patients experiencing both addiction and medical problems. Tricia currently maintains a private practice in Agoura Hills and facilitates various support groups at Cancer Support Community in Westlake Village. Tricia currently is part time faculty at California State University of California teaching Psychoeducation & Group Process in Family Counseling to graduate students using lecture and experimental groups to teach students Group Process Leadership skills as well as multi-family groups for families with members diagnosed with severe mental illness.
Sheila Richman, LCSW Sheila Richman, LCSW is a Senior Case Manager at West Hollywood Comprehensive Service Center Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles. She received her Master of Social Work degree from California State University Los Angeles in 2009 with a concentration in Children, Women, Youth and Families. After a two year stint in Public Child Welfare, she decided to explore another avenue: older adults. For the last four years at JFS, she has been an active member of the West Hollywood Hoarding Task Force and has been working with people who hoard. Sheila has presented on the topic of Hoarding nationally at the 2013 American Society on Aging conference. Her work with this population affords an opportunity to pursue her clinical interests as well as engage in concrete task coordination, which she finds highly rewarding.
marina berkman, Lmft
Marina Berkman, LMFT is the Director of the West Hollywood Comprehensive Service Center, Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles. She has been working with seniors for the last 22 years. Her primary area of interest is mental health, psychotherapy and clinical approach to working with older adults. She started working at JFS as a social worker in May 1992. At the same time she was accepted to the graduate school at California State University, Northridge where she got Master Degree in Marriage and Family Counseling. By November 1997 she passed the Board exams and became a licensed psychotherapist. Marina Berkman became the Director of the WHCSC/JFS in January 2005. Over the years at the WHCSC/JFS she made presentations at the National and International conferences on the subjects such as Holocaust survivors; Russian-speaking immigrants; and hoarding behavior.
David I. Sitzer, Ph.d
Dr. David Sitzer is a clinical neuropsychologist specializing in the evaluation, management and rehabilitation of people who have suffered illness or injury that has affected their memory, thinking, attention, personality or daily activities. Dr. Sitzer’s sub-specialties consist of geriatric neuropsychology, including the evaluation and management of Alzheimer’s and other Dementias, Stroke, Head Injury, Multiple Sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease; and the evaluation and treatment of severe mental illness such as Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder.
Tomas Martinez, ph.d
Dr. Tomas Martinez was born in the San Gabriel Valley. He earned his Ph.D. in 1979, in the field of Community/Clinical Psychology, from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Since then, Dr. Maritnez has served as Professor of Psychology with the Graduate School of Education and Psychology in the Marriage and Family Therapist program, and Seaver College at Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA. Dr. Martinez is responsible for developing the first crisis services program in the San Fernando Valley in 1982 targeted to the Latino community, Manos De Esperanza, as part of the San Fernando Community Mental Health Centers Inc. Dr. Martinez was also a consulting psychologist, and past Executive Director to El Centro de Amistad Inc., a non-profit, Community-based organization servicing the poor for 30 years where he recently retired. Currently, Dr. Martinez provides consultation with the Los Angeles County DMH UREP, WET, and the developing disparities program development effort. Dr. Martinez is a core faculty member of “Aliento”, a Spanish-speaking cultural competent based MFT training program at the Pepperdine Irvine campus.
Haydeh fakhrabadi, Psy.d
Dr. Haydeh Fakhrabadi is a licensed Clinical Psychologist; she received her M.A. in Clinical Health Psychology in 2001 and graduated from Pepperdine University with Doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology in 2006, her dissertation topic was “The Use of Religious Coping by Parents and Caregivers of Children with Cancer.” Dr. Fakhrabadi has been employed by Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health since 2008; she joined the Older Adult System of Care Administration in January of 2011. She works with Older Adult Prevention and Early Intervention Anti-Stigma and Discrimination and Suicide Prevention teams providing education to older adults, their support systems, and caregivers. She also provides mental health training to Farsi speaking older adults in the community. Dr. Fakhrabadi has been involved with Co-location and Mental Health Act (MHSA) housing projects.
Maureen Feldman, MA
Maureen Feldman, MA has been working with the aging population for many years through her work in both the non-profit and for profit sectors. She has conducted research on aging and technology and the use of cross-generational mentorships to assist in the sharing of information and adapt to the growing technological, participatory environment we live in. As an advocate for seniors, Maureen teaches Positive Aging and has developed a new course especially to address these issues entitled ‘Stay Connected; Communicating in the 21st Century’ designed for those over 50. Believing the generation gap is only widening creating a digital divide between the generations, she has written, directed and produced two training videos: Growing Up In The i Generation, and Intergenerational Communications which introduce the importance of cross generational mentorships to stakeholders of all generations employing a multigenerational workforce.
Melissa sandler, msw
Melissa Sandler, MSW brings over 15 years of experience with older adults in a variety of settings -- from working with senior volunteers, chronically , physically, or mentally ill older adults by providing care management and hospice care in the home. Melissa graduated Phi Beta Kappa with honors from U.C. Berkeley with a Bachelor in Social Welfare and earned her Master in Social Work from the University of Michigan. During her graduate internship with the Institute of Retired Professionals, Melissa met Bertha, a 93-year-old retired lawyer and an active volunteer. She fell in love with older adults ever since. When she is not working with seniors and their families, Melissa enjoys reading, cooking and being kept busy by her husband and two young children.
Travis “Dahari” Kronenberg
Travis “Dahari” Kronenberg, started practicing at Dahn Yoga & Tai Chi in 2007. He received Healer School training in Sedona, AZ in 2007. He completed an internship and received his Master In Training in 2011, teaching/managing centers while taking a holistic, energy/brain based approach to health and wellness. Travis was an assistant manager in a center in Glendale, AZ for almost 2 ½ years. He came to California a year ago, and managed the Oceanside and Escondido centers in San Diego, CA for a few months before settling in to Pasadena, CA. As a practice, he utilizes eastern methodologies, including tapping, stretching, vibration, breathing, and meditation, to circulate energy and balance the chakras. Travis has been an Initial Awakening workshop trainer, and Shimsung Workshop coordinator. He currently is the Regional trainer for DahnMuDo (healing martial art).