Philadelphia Area Group Psychotherapy Society

is pleased to be joining the Board as a member at large. Brian has returned to Philadelphia after a 32 year hiatus and looks forward to being part of the Philadelphia group work community. He has been in private practice since leaving his position at Cooper Hospital in 1990. Brian runs a number of Interpersonal Process Groups, as well as works with individuals with a wide range of presenting difficulties. Group therapy societies have always been his professional home, and he is pleased to have landed back in Philadelphia as a member of PAGPS. Feel free to contact Brian if you have any questions about membership in PAGPS.

joined the PAGPS Board of Directors in January, 2021. She is an African American, licensed clinical social worker who has been practice for over 30 years working primarily with adults. She is the Director of Intercultural Counselling, LLC, a private practice located in the western suburbs of Philadelphia where she provides individual and group psychotherapy and psychoanalysis to adults. Her therapeutic approach is relational with attention given to the impact of systemic and personal racism and oppression. She serves as faculty at Bryn Mawr College’s Graduate School of Social Service and Social Research, the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society (EGPS) and at the Institute for Relational Psychoanalysis of Philadelphia (IRPP). Ms. Harris is also the Founding Director of Intercultural Network, LLC, which provides trauma-informed, diversity and inclusion assessments and training to organizations.

Currently, she runs a weekly group for female-identified persons who have experienced all forms of trauma and is currently recruiting for a multicultural process group with plans for a BIPOC process training group for therapists in spring 2023.

has trained, participated in, and helped facilitate experiential group processes and has witnessed the exponential amount of growth, hope and learning that occurs when a group of people come together with the intention of connecting with self and others. As a social worker, Gwenn has earned her master's degree from Bryn Mawr in 2023 and has learned that humans develop emotionally and socially in the context of relationships. This is one of the reasons she became certified as a Professional Life Coach in 2014 and started her own business; she loves supporting people to transcend their personal stories and see themselves as part of a larger framework where there is more purpose and permission to offer their gifts and show up authentically.

is a clinical psychologist, licensed professional counselor, and the technology coordinator for PAGPS. He received his first master's from La Salle University, earned his doctoral degree in clinical psychology at Widener University, and is currently completing a second doctorate in human sexuality at Widener. Professionally, he specializes in providing mental healthcare for people who identify as transgender/non-binary/gender expansive and their loved ones; additionally, Jacob maintains sex positive, kink positive, and poly-aware practice as the postdoctoral fellow at Therapy Center of Philadelphia. Jacob applies a feminist, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-based lens to his work with both individuals and groups. His current research focuses on creating a therapeutic program using role-playing games (RPGs) for LGBTQIA+ individuals in group therapy.

is a Psychotherapist and Career Counselor working in private practice at Walk Your Path LLC. With experience in helping clients realize confidence in their relationships and career goals using an eclectic mix of Gestalt and Mindfulness based techniques. He currently leads a men's group and has led career transition support groups and professional networking groups. He also incorporates eco-therapy in the Wissahickon park. He recieved his BS at the University of Maine, MS at Arcadia University and MA at Naropa University where he was also trained as a certified mindfulness instructor.

is a licensed clinical Health Psychologist and is Board Certified in Biofeedback. She is also certified in Holistic Stress Management and a group therapist. Dr. Rene has worked extensively in integrated behavioral health care as well as community mental health systems, school-based clinics, primary care and military settings. She served as Chief Behavioral Health Officer for a large FQHC in San Diego, CA where she implemented the organization’s integrated behavioral health program across many primary care clinics including dental clinics and county based specialty mental health programs. Dr. Rene is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior and the Enterprise Director of Primary Care Integrated Behavioral Health at Jefferson Health/Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals. She oversees the organization’s efforts to integrate behavioral health services across its over 60 primary care clinics across Southeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey.

has been in clinical practice for more than 25 years. She is a past president of PAGPS and is in private practice seeing individuals and couples and running groups. She has run groups for graduate students and taught group psychotherapy courses at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Drexel University and Philadelphia University. She has also facilitated groups in her past positions at The Belmont Center’s Eating Disorders Program, The Renfrew Center, and in consultation at Fox Chase Cancer Center. She has presented on varied subjects, including; couples therapy; family conversations about cancer; and the experience of “typical” siblings of developmentally disabled people.

is a clinical social worker in practice for over 35 years. Working primarily with children and youth, he is currently conducting two ongoing, co-ed psychotherapy groups for high school aged adolescents within his private practice in Bryn Mawr. He also divides his time between the Benchmark School in Media, PA, a private school for children with language based learning disabilities, where he has been a supervisor since 1987, and Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, where he is an adjunct faculty member teaching five courses annually. Tom is a Fellow of the American Group Psychotherapy Association and is national co-chair of the Child and Adolescent Special Interest Group. He has been on the Board of PAGPS since 2005.