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TWI Webinar Speakers' Bios

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Elizabeth Dexter Mazza, PhD

Elizabeth Dexter Mazza, PhD

Dr. Elizabeth Dexter-Mazza is a certified DBT therapist and co-author of the DBT STEPS-A social emotional learning curriculum for middle and high school students. She received her doctoral degree from the School of Professional Psychology at Pacific University in 2004, and completed her predoctoral internship at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center’s Adolescent Depression and Suicide Program. Dr. Dexter-Mazza completed her postdoctoral fellowship under the direction of Dr. Marsha Linehan at the Behavioral Research and Therapy Clinics (BRTC) at the University of Washington. While at the BRTC, she was the Clinical Director and a research therapist for Dr. Linehan’s research studies, which provided both individual DBT and DBT group skills training. She has published several book chapters and peer reviewed articles on DBT, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), and graduate school training in how to manage suicidal clients. Dr. Dexter-Mazza is a licensed psychologist and maintains a private practice in Seattle, providing comprehensive DBT and skills based coaching and support to family members and friends of individuals with BPD.
 
Dr. Dexter-Mazza provides individual therapy to adolescents, young adults, adults and parent coaching. She has been providing DBT since 2000 and is considered an expert in training mental health professionals around the world in DBT. She also provides consultation on the implementation of DBT and DBT STEPS-A to clinicians and schools.

Devorah Heitner, PhD

Devorah Heitner, PhD

Dr. Devorah Heitner is the author of Growing Up in Public: Coming of Age in a Digital World and Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in Their Digital World. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The Atlantic. She has a Ph.D. in Media/Technology & Society from Northwestern University and has taught at DePaul and Northwestern. She is delighted to be raising her own teenager and she lives with her family in Chicagoland. You can follow her on Twitter @Devorahheitner and on Instagram @devorahheitnerphd.

Ross Greene, PhD

Ross Greene, PhD

Dr. Ross Greene is the New York Times bestselling author of the influential books The Explosive Child, Lost at School, Raising Human Beings, and Lost & Found.
He is the originator of the innovative, evidence-based approach called Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS) described in these books. The CPS model provides a compassionate, accurate understanding of kids with concerning behaviors and a non-punitive, non-adversarial approach for reducing those behaviors, solving problems, enhancing skills, improving communication, and repairing relationships. Dr. Greene also developed and executive produced the award-winning feature-length documentary The Kids We Lose, a film about the counterproductive, often inhumane ways in which kids with concerning behaviors are treated -- treatment that often pushes them into the pipeline to prison -- and the difficulties and frustrations often faced by their parents, educators, and other caregivers (learn more at www.thekidswelose.com).

Dr. Greene was on the faculty at Harvard Medical School for over 20 years, and is now founding director of the non-profit Lives in the Balance (www.livesinthebalance.org), which provides free, web-based resources on the CPS approach and advocates on behalf of kids with social, emotional, and behavioral challenges and their caregivers. He is also adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology at Virginia Tech and adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Science at the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia.

Dr. Greene and his colleagues consult extensively to families, schools, and treatment facilities, and lecture widely throughout the world. He has been featured in a wide range of media, including The Oprah Show, Good Morning America, The Morning Show, National Public Radio, The Atlantic, Mother Jones magazine, and various professional journals. He lives in Freeport, Maine.

Barry M. Prizant, PhD, CCC-SLP

Barry M. Prizant, PhD, CCC-SLP

Barry M. Prizant, PhD, CCC-SLP, is among the world’s leading authorities on autism, and is recognized as an innovator of respectful, person- and family-centered approaches for individuals with autism and neurodevelopmental disabilities. With close to fifty years of experience as a scholar, researcher, and international consultant, he is an adjunct professor of communication disorders at the University of Rhode Island, a certified speech-language pathologist and director of Childhood Communication Services, a private practice. Barry is coauthor of The SCERTS Model: A Comprehensive Educational Approach, now being implemented in more than a dozen countries. He has published four books, more than 130 articles and chapters and has received many awards, including the Honors of the American-Speech-Language-Hearing Association (their highest recognition), the Princeton University Eden Foundation career award in autism and the "Divine Neurotypical Award" of GRASP, the world's largest autistic self-advocacy organization. He has been a two time featured presenter at the United Nations on World Autism Awareness Day. Barry lives in Cranston, Rhode Island, with his wife, Dr. Elaine Meyer, a clinical psychologist and nurse, and Associate Professor in the Harvard Medical School. Barry is a performing percussionist and has a specific interest in the impact of the arts on enhancing quality of life for individuals with disabilities and their families. He sits on the boards of two inclusive theatre companies co-founded by and including autistic actors.

Yom HaShoah Community Commemoration

Yom HaShoah Community Commemoration

This Sunday, May 5, come together with your Miami community to pay tribute to the 6 million Jewish men, women and children who were murdered during the Holocaust and honor the strength and courage of the Survivors.

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Don’t Miss The 86th Annual Meeting

Don’t Miss The 86th Annual Meeting

During this important event, taking place at the Jungle Island Ballroom, Federation will install our 2024-2025 Board of Directors, Trustees, Leadership Council and Council of Jewish Organizations, including incoming Chair of the Board Lily Serviansky and incoming General Campaign Chair Mojdeh Khaghan Daniel.

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Federation Helps Kibbutz Or HaNer

Federation Helps Kibbutz Or HaNer

As communities across Israel struggle to recover from Hamas’ brutal terrorist attacks of October 7, the Greater Miami Jewish Federation is partnering with one affected kibbutz to provide vital financial and emotional support.

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The Last Ones: Holocaust Survivors Share Their Stories

The Last Ones: Holocaust Survivors Share Their Stories

The Last Ones, a multidimensional project incorporating video, podcasts, books and more, received a Federation grant to further its mission of creating a link between the last living Holocaust Survivors and younger generations

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