For more than three decades, Dr. Bruce Perry has been an active teacher, clinician and researcher in children’s mental health and the neurosciences. The principal of the Neurosequential Network and founder of The Child Trauma Academy, his work on the effects of abuse, neglect, and trauma on the developing brain has impacted clinical practice, programs, and policy around the world. He is also a New York Times bestselling author, co-writing 2021’s What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing with Oprah Winfrey.

Dr. Perry did his undergraduate work at Stanford University and Amherst College before attended Northwestern University where he received his MD and PhD. He then went on to complete his residency in general psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine and a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at The University of Chicago. He is an adjunct professor at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in the psychiatry and behavioral sciences departments and at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia.

Dr. Perry’s clinical research over the last 20 years has been focused on integrating emerging principles of developmental neuroscience into clinical practice. This work has resulted in the development of innovative clinical practices and programs working with maltreated and traumatized children, most prominently the Neurosequential Model©, a developmentally sensitive, neurobiology-informed approach to clinical work, education, and caregiving. His experience as a clinician and researcher has led many community and governmental agencies to consult Dr. Perry following high-profile incidents involving traumatized children and youth including the 1993 Branch Davidian siege in Waco, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Columbine school shootings, the September 11th terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina, the FLDS polygamist sect, the earthquake in Haiti, and the Sandy Hook Elementary school shootings among others.

The recipient of numerous professional awards and honors, Dr. Perry is a sought-after public speaker and expert guest. He has presented about child maltreatment, children’s mental health, neurodevelopment, and youth violence at the White House Summit on Violence, the California Assembly, and the US House Committee on Education. He has appeared on 60 Minutes, Today, Good Morning America, Oprah, and Nightline as well as networks from NPR, CNN, and MSNBC to NBC, ABC, and CBS News. Dr. Perry’s work has been featured in documentaries, and print media has highlighted his clinical and research work, including a Pulitzer Prize-winning series in the Chicago Tribune, Time, Newsweek, The Washington Post, the New York Times, Rolling Stone, and many more. He is also the author of the bestselling book The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog and Born for Love: Why Empathy is Essential and Endangered (both written with Maia Szalavitz) along with more than 500 journal articles, book chapters, and scientific proceedings.

Dr. Laurence Heller holds a PhD in psychology and spent more than three decades in private practice, but he is probably best known as the founder of the NeuroAffective Relational Model©. NARM is a specialized psychobiological approach to working with developmental trauma that is detailed in his bestselling book Healing Developmental Trauma: How Early Trauma Affects Self-Regulation, Self-Image and the Capacity for Relationship, currently available in more than 15 languages.

Other titles to Dr. Heller’s credit include The Practical Guide for Healing Developmental Trauma: Using the NeuroAffective Relational Model to Address Adverse Childhood Experiences and Resolve Complex Trauma, which he penned with Brad Kammer, and Crash Course, a book on shock trauma co-written with Diane Poole Heller. He speaks several languages fluently and conducts seminars in the NARM approach throughout the United States and Europe. He and his teachers also present NARM worldwide.

Dr. Heller is currently working on a project led by Christina Bethell, PhD, a professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, to bring a trauma informed understanding to pediatricians and general practitioners throughout the US. Their first article for this project was published in 2021 by Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America and is titled “Social and Relational Health Risks and Common Mental Health Problems Among US Children.” It was co-authored by several professionals working on the project.

Dr. Patrick Carnes has more than 30 years’ experience in the addiction field. In high demand as a speaker, presenter, and interview subject, he continues to be the leading voice in the field of sex addiction. Dr. Carnes’ assessment tools related to sex addiction and trauma offer therapists a proven means to begin the treatment process with clients.

Dr. Carnes is the primary architect of the Gentle Path treatment program, which addresses sexual and multiple addictive disorders. He pioneered the founding of the International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals (IITAP) and Gentle Path Press. From 1996 until 2004, Dr. Carnes was Clinical Director for Sexual Disorder Services at The Meadows. His achievements include a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health (SASH), where they present an annual “Carnes Award” to researchers and clinicians who have made exceptional contributions to the field of sexual health.

Dr. Carnes is also the author of Out of the Shadows: Understanding Sexual Addiction, Contrary to Love: Helping the Sexual Addict, The Betrayal Bond: Breaking Free of Exploitive Relationships, Open Hearts, Facing the Shadow, In the Shadows of the Net, and The Clinical Management of Sex Addiction, Recovery Zone, and A Gentle Path Through the Twelve Principles. Dr. Carnes’ article, “18.4 Sexual Addiction,” appears in Kaplan & Sadock’s Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry.

Dr. Bessel van der Kolk is one of the world’s foremost authorities on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other related disorders. He has researched the psychobiology of trauma, traumatic memory, the effectiveness of EMDR, and the effects of trauma on human development. A professor of psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine and past president of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Dr. van der Kolk has taught at universities and hospitals across the United States and globally. He has also written extensively on the impact of trauma on development, borderline personalities, self-mutilation, cognitive development in traumatized children and adults, and the psychobiology of trauma. His books include Psychological Trauma, Traumatic Stress, and The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma.

Dr. Tian Dayton is the director of The New York Psychodrama Training Institute where she runs training groups in psychodrama, sociometry, and experiential group therapy. Caron Treatment Centers’ director of program development for eight years, she held that same position at Breathe for four years and was a professor at NYU for eight years, teaching psychodrama.

Dr. Dayton currently sits on the Scientific Advisory Board for the National Association for Children of Alcoholics (NACoA), she is also a fellow of the American Society of Psychodrama, Sociometry, and Group Psychotherapy (ASGPP), and she is the winner of their Scholar’s Award and the President’s Award. Dr. Dayton has served as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Psychodrama, Sociometry, and Group Psychotherapy for more than a decade and as an executive editor for eight years, and she sits on the professional standards committee. She is also the winner of The Mona Mansell Award and The Ackermann Black Award for her contributions to the field of addiction.

Dr. Dayton has been a guest expert on NBC, CNN, MSNBC, Montel, Rikki Lake, John Walsh, and Geraldo. She is the author of 15 books including Neuropsychodrama in the Treatment of Relational Trauma, The ACoA Trauma Syndrome: How Childhood Trauma Impacts Adult Relationships, Emotional Sobriety: From Relationship Trauma to Resilience and Balance, Trauma and Addiction: Ending the Cycle of Pain Through Emotional Literacy, Heartwounds: The Impact of Unresolved Trauma and Grief on Relationships, Forgiving and Moving On, The Living Stage: A Step by Step Guide to Psychodrama and Experiential Therapy, and The Magic of Forgiveness. You can also read blog posts by Dr. Dayton on The Huffington Post and Thrive Global. She is also a certified Montessori teacher.

Dr. Stefanie Carnes is the president of the International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals (IITAP), a training institute and professional organization for addiction professionals. At The Meadows, she works with sexually addicted clients and their families and is the clinical architect for Willow House, a treatment program for women struggling with sex, love, and intimacy disorders.

A licensed marriage and family therapist and an AAMFT-approved supervisor, Dr. Carnes’ area of expertise includes working with patients and families struggling with multiple addictions such as sexual addiction, eating disorders, and chemical dependency. She is also a certified sex addiction therapist and supervisor, specializing in therapy for couples and families struggling with sexual addiction. Dr. Carnes presents regularly at conferences at both the state and national levels. She is also a noted author with book credits that include Mending a Shattered Heart: A Guide for Partners of Sex Addicts, Facing Heartbreak: Steps to Recovery for Partners of Sex Addicts, and Facing Addiction: Starting Recovery from Alcohol and Drugs.

Jenni Schaefer graduated summa cum laude from Texas A&M University with a degree in biochemistry, and she knows firsthand the devastating consequences of an eating disorder. Since recovering from her own eating disorder, she has carried her message of self-acceptance and triumph over adversity to the public.

Jenni is the author of several books including Life Without Ed: How One Woman Declared Independence from Her Eating Disorder and How You Can Too, and she has contributed to anthologies like the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. A sought-after speaker on addiction and food disorders, relationships, depression, and career, Schaefer has appeared on Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, the TODAY show and Entertainment Tonight, as well as in print coverage by Cosmopolitan and The New York Times. She is also a blogger for The Huffington Post, and her work has appeared in Publisher’s Weekly, The Chicago Tribune, Glamour, Shape, The Washington Times, Woman’s World, Seventeen, and more.