Our Speakers
Stephenie Teague, M.S. LSW
Stephenie is an Illinois native but spent most of her life in California, where most of her work focused on substance use disorders, mental health, and behavior disorders. She has an extensive history of developing curriculum and programs for adolescents and adults with co-occurring substance use, mental health, and behavior disorders.
Currently, Stephenie is Executive Director at Gateway Foundation Carbondale. She serves as a member of the Williamson County Drug Court, advocating for substance use treatment for clients through judicially supervised, therapeutic court, that ensures accountability and recovery. Early on, Stephenie pursued her Illinois Certified Alcohol and Drug Certification, California Community Care Licensing credential, and Instructor Trainer for Health and Safety Institute. She is also a board-certified International Problem Gambling Counselor and Co-Occurring Disorder Professional. She has extensive training with NAMI, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and Applied Behavior Analysis.
Her passion is to strengthen individuals, families, and communities by offering the opportunity and skills for a better life.
Clifton Mitchell, PhD
Clifton Mitchell Ph.D. is an international clinical trainer and keynote speaker who has a love for teaching and over 30 years of training experience. He delivers practical information in a uniquely entertaining, fast-paced style that is filled with humor and illuminating examples. In his latest book, Priming: Programming the Mind for Habit Change and Success, he teaches a scientifically-based system for partnering with the subconscious to eliminate bad habits and create success-advancing behaviors. He also demonstrates how to use priming to radically intensify therapeutic communications and improve outcomes.
For over 20 years, he has studied and presented seminars on methods for dealing with resistance in therapy. In his book, Effective Techniques for Dealing with Highly Resistant Clients, he presents cutting-edge approaches for managing psychological resistance. He has also trained thousands of mental health professionals in the management of difficult, perplexing legal and ethical issues and his latest training is in an entertaining, dynamic game show format.
He is a contributing author in therapy books and published in numerous professional journals including the Psychotherapy Networker, Psychotherapy in Australia, Journal of Personality Assessment, Perceptual and Motor Skills, Psychology and Education, Journal of Psychological Type, The Professional School Counselor, Sober World, Counselor, Vistas, and The Advocate. His research includes investigations of therapeutic resistance, legal and ethical issues, subliminal message tapes, stress and coping, PMS, and personality types. His ideas and writings have also been published in Men’s Health Today and Barron’s Financial Weekly. Dr. Mitchell is currently a Professor Emeritus at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN, where he was awarded Teacher of the Year in 2002. For more information please visit www.cliftonmitchell.com.
Christine Courtois, PhD, ABPP
Christine A. Courtois, Ph.D., ABPP continues to edit and write books on trauma responses and treatment. She has co-authored Posttraumatic Stress Disorder with Dr. Julian Ford and others; with Dr. Ford, she has co-authored a book on the treatment of complex trauma and co-edited two books on complex trauma in adults and children/adolescents. The revised tenth-anniversary revision of their 2009 book on treating complex trauma was released by Guilford Press in 2020. She is also a co-editor of Sexual Boundary Violations in Psychotherapy: Facing Indiscretions, Transgressions, and Misconduct and Spiritually Oriented Psychotherapy for Trauma, and author of the well-received consumer book It’s Not You, It’s What Happened to You (available from Amazon). Dr. Courtois chaired the American Psychological Association Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of PTSD in Adults (2017). She is past president of APA Division 56 (Trauma Psychology) and has served two terms on the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) Board of Directors. She has received the APA Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology as a Professional Practice, the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Sarah Haley Award for Clinical Excellence, and most recently the American Board of Professional Psychology, 2016 Distinguished Service Award to the Profession of Psychology and the American Psychological Association Division 56 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Donald Altman, M.A. LPC
Donald Altman, M.A., LPC is a psychotherapist, former monk, and and award-winning author of over 15 books on mindfulness and spirituality. An international speaker and trainer, he has trained over 10,000 mental health clinicians, nurses, doctors and others how to use mindfulness interventions for depression, anxiety, trauma, pain and stress-related conditions.
Pat Love, EdD
Pat Love, Doctor of Education and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, known for her warmth, humor and research-based wisdom has been a clinical practitioner for 40 years. Her blog posts, YouTube clips, books, trainings, workshops and online courses have made her a popular go-to relationship consultant. Her work has been featured on television through repeat appearances on Oprah, The Today Show and CNN; in cyberspace; and popular magazines–but she’s also a distinguished professor, licensed marriage and family therapist and long-standing clinical member and approved supervisor in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists. She was the first Master Trainer in Imago Relationships International and now Faculty Emeritus.
Dr. Love co-founded the Austin Family Institute, providing therapy, consultation, supervision, training and public education. She has authored/co-authored eight books; four workbooks; several online/video courses, including her new release, Wake Up in a New Marriage: Science Skills and Stories to Transform Your Relationship from Ordinary to Extraordinary, and numerous professional articles. She was most recently honored by being inducted into her alma mater West Virginia University’s College of Education and Human Services Hall of Fame. Her work has literally taken her around the world to help people understand and improve their relationships.
Popular books by Pat:
The Five Forces Destroying Your Relationship You Probably Never Heard Of
You’re Tearing Us Apart: Twenty Ways We Wreck Our Relationships and Strategies to Repair Them, co-authored with Eva Berlander and Kathleen McFadden
Never Be Lonely Again: The Way Out of Emptiness, Isolation and a Life Unfulfilled—co-authored with Jon Carlson
How to Improve Your Marriage Without Talking About It: Creating Love Beyond Words—co-authored with Steven Stosny
How to Ruin a Perfectly Good Relationship—co-authored with Sunny Shulkin
The Truth About Love
Hot Monogamy: Essential Steps to More Passionate, Intimate Lovemaking—co-authored with Jo Robinson
The Emotional Incest Syndrome
Pat received her doctor of education in counselor education from West Virginia University. Joined the faculty of Texas A & M University in Commerce, TX; went on to establish the Austin Family Institute in Austin, TX; served as President of the International Association for Marriage and Family Counseling; continues to work as a relationship consultant, trainer, author, and workshop presenter.
Todd Pressman, PhD
Todd Evan Pressman, Ph.D. has been a licensed clinical psychologist for the past 35 years. An award-winning speaker and frequent radio, television and podcast guest, he has presented throughout the United States and in 6 countries. His many publications include four books, dozens of articles and 6 audio learning programs. He is the founder and director of Logos Wellness Center and Pressman and Associates Life Counseling Center, dedicated to helping people design lives of meaning, purpose and fulfillment. His studies under some of the world’s leaders in the Consciousness movement, as well as the personal grooming he received from a father whose teachers were students of Sigmund Freud, prepared the way for the discovery of the holistic principles he espouses. His work with Olympic athletes and high performing CEOs has further honed his understanding of the secrets of excellence and the path to fulfillment.