Dr. Robert Benavides Jr., Ed.D. has over 30 years experience in private practice, consultation and education in the mental health field. He received his Doctorate in Counseling psychology from the University of San Francisco, his Master of Arts in Humanistic psychology from Sonoma State University and his Bachelor of Arts in psychology from California State University at Los Angeles.

He has designed and implemented integrated behavioral health programs for two Federally Qualified Health Centers as well as a Wilderness experience program for adolescents in residential treatment. He is certified in Critical Incident Stress Debriefing, Hypnosis and is a Substance Abuse Professional. He is an Approved Consultant in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.

Richard Garber, M.A., LMFT is a California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. He specializes in the assessment and treatment of PTSD. He works full-time at the Veterans Administration in Oakland where he provides psychotherapy to war zone veterans and veterans who have experienced sexual trauma. In addition to his work at the VA, he has a part-time private practice in Castro Valley, CA where he focuses on working with clients whose lives have been impacted by trauma, anxiety, stress and loss.

Richard received his Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology degree from the University of Santa Monica, and his Bachelor of Science degree from New York University. He has been providing psychotherapy services for over 15 years and has been licensed for over nine years. Richard is an EMDRIA Certified EMDR Clinician and an EMDRIA Approved Consultant. Richard provides private practice psychotherapy and consultation services in Castro Valley, CA.

Wendy Sue Horn, LCSW is a California licensed clinical social worker in private practice at San Francisco Counseling Group. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Child Development and Psychology and her Master’s Degree in Social Work from San Jose State University and has been treating trauma in children, adolescents and adults since 2005. Prior to entering private practice, Wendy Sue worked as a clinician in outpatient substance abuse, child protective services, and intensive inpatient settings for minors and as a lecturer at San Jose State University’s Psychology department.

Wendy Sue specializes in treating trauma and anxiety. Other areas of expertise include child and family therapy, perinatal mood and anxiety, parenting, and substance abuse. Wendy Sue is an EMDRIA Certified Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing clinician and an EMDRIA Consultant in Training. She also holds certification as a perinatal mood and anxiety specialist through Postpartum Support International and a parent educator through Happiest Baby. Wendy Sue currently offers psychotherapy, training, and consultation services in San Francisco.

Dena Robertson, MA, LMFT is in private practice near Sacramento in Folsom, CA. She is an EMDRIA Approved Consultant and an EMDRIA Certified Clinician. Her practice is built on years of clinical experience, consultation, and specialty training.

Dena received her Master's degree in Psychology from Brandman University. She specializes in trauma and recovery from abuse, neglect, major life events, and grief. Dena welcomes people of all cultures, spiritual beliefs, gender identity and sexual orientation.

Christine Sells, Ph.D., is a private practice therapist in Newport Beach, CA. She earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology from St. John’s University in New York, and her Master’s and Advanced Bachelor’s Degrees in Psychology from Occidental College in Los Angeles. She brings over two decades of licensed practice as a psychologist to the community and has worked as an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology and Director of Clinical Training at Argosy University.

She has served as an expert witness performing forensic evaluations for the Los Angeles and Orange County Superior Court systems and has led sex offender group therapy via the Orange County Probation Department. She maintains an ongoing volunteer relationship with WomenShelter of Long Beach as a psychologist serving their domestic violence survivors. In her private practice, she specializes in the EMDR treatment of trauma-related issues impacting children, adolescents and adults, and she also has a passion in training future EMDR therapists via group and individual consultation services. She is a Certified EMDR Therapist and an EMDRIA Approved Consultant.

Merle James Yost, LMFT is a consultant/author/therapist in Santa Barbara, CA. He earned his M.A. in Counseling Psychology with a Transpersonal Specialization at John F. Kennedy University in Pleasant Hill, CA. He brings close to three decades of experience in working with clients. Merle is a graduate of the Gestalt Institute of San Francisco in 1991. He is an EMDRIA Approved Consultant, trained by Francine Shapiro, the founder of EMDR, in 1993.

Merle gives workshops on males sexually abused as children and on energetic boundaries. He is the author of six books and most recently published: Facing the Truth of Your Life. He has worked with Dr. Leeds for many years and continues to be an advocate for sexual abuse survivors and for EMDR therapy.

The SonomaPTI training model is now being licensed to select, highly qualified EMDR International Association Approved Consultants. These EMDRIA approved providers of basic training meet EMDRIA standards and are separate business. They use the same training format as our original Northern California program.

They schedule four two-day weekends about four weeks apart with consultation sessions included. They use the same participant manual and the same presentation slides. Please use the contact us form if you have questions about licensing the SonomaPTI program for use in your area. Please use the links below to learn about these training programs and schedules.