Speakers for the annual Deepening Clinical Practice Conference include scholars and practitioners from across the country presenting on a wide range of topics.
Keynote Speaker
Nnamdi Pole, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor | Keynote, Deepening Clinical Practice Conference
Nnamdi Pole is a chaired professor of psychology at Smith College and a licensed clinical psychologist. He is also chair of the Smith College Institutional…
Plenary Speaker
Danna Bodenheimer, A.B. '98, M.S.W. '05, DSW, LCSW
Plenary Speaker, Deepening Clinical Practice Conference
Danna Bodenheimer (she/her), founder and director of the Walnut Psychotherapy Center, has worked in the field of mental health for over 15 years. Her expertise…
Morning Speakers
Doris Bertocci, LCSW
The Psychology of Being Adopted: Psychodynamic Treatment of Adopted Persons as an Undeveloped Clinical Specialty
Doris Bertocci, LCSW, is a psychotherapist with decades of clinical experience and a long-standing private practice in Westchester. Her clinical and scholarly…
Christopher Heinrich, M.S.W. '12, LCSW
Centering Lived Experience: Clinical Approaches to Peer Workforce Support
Christopher Heinrich is a clinical social worker and justice reform practitioner with over 15 years of experience integrating clinical practice with program…
Beck Liatt, M.S.W. '19
EducatED: Screening and Treating Eating Disorders for Non-Specialists
Beck Liatt is a clinical social worker and therapist serving clients in New York and New Jersey. They specialize in eating disorders/disordered eating as well…
Linda Mayers, Ph.D.
The Psychology of Being Adopted: Psychodynamic Treatment of Adopted Persons as an Undeveloped Clinical Specialty
Linda Mayers, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist in private practice in New York City who specializes in the psychology of adoption across the lifespan. She is a…
Kate Nicoll, M.S.W. '89, LCSW, RPT
The Importance of Animals in the Somatic and Narrative Lives of Children and Adults with Trauma
Kate Nicoll, LCSW, RPT, a graduate of Elms College and Smith College, is the founder of a statewide nonprofit providing animal-assisted psychotherapy to over 10…
Samantha Mishne, M.S.W. '99
Antiracist Adaptation of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
Samantha Mishne, LISW-S, LICDC-CS, is the director of DBT Adherence at Bellefaire JCB and an adjunct faculty member at Case Western Reserve University’s Jack…
Afternoon Speakers
Annemarie Gockel, M.S.W., Ph.D.
Associate Professor | Practicum Seminar Instructor | Presenter, Deepening Clinical Practice
Annemarie Gockel’s research centers on enhancing clinical intervention, clinical training, individual healing and growth. In her work with clients, Gockel is…
Peggy O'Neill, Ph.D., LCSW
Associate Professor | Presenter, Deepening Clinical Practice
Peggy O’Neill, Ph.D., LICSW, LCSW (she/her) identifies as a white cisgender woman and is a resident faculty member at Smith SSW. O’Neill was a senior lecturer…
Kenneth L. Bourne Jr., M.S.W.
Differentiating Disorder From Adaptive Response in Black Boys and Men
Kenneth L. Bourne Jr. is an award-winning social worker, educator, and advocate dedicated to advancing equity for Black boys and men. Named the 2024 Social…
Sage Breslin, M.S.W., Ph.D.
Reclaiming Leadership: Trauma‐Informed Recovery for Women After Narcissistic Relationships,
Sage Breslin, M.A., Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist, author, and founder of Sage Wisdom Institute, where she specializes in supporting professional women who…
Patricia T. Carter, M.S.W. '96, LICSW
The Taboo of Money: Understanding How Our Internalized Beliefs About Wealth Affect Therapy with Low-income Children and Families
Patty Carter earned her M.S.W. from Smith College in 1996. She began in community mental health as an in-home therapist in Newport News, VA, working with at…
Jean Clarke-Mitchell, M.S.W. '02, Ph.D. '20, LICSW
Caring Across Differences: Cultivating Culturally Responsive Practice
Jean Clarke-Mitchell, Ph.D., LICSW, is a core faculty member in the master of social work (M.S.W.) program at Lesley University and a social work educator…
Maria del Mar Farina de Parada, MBA, M.S.W. '98, Ph.D. '15
Adjunct Professor | Presenter, Deepening Clinical Practice
Maria del Mar Farina earned both her M.S.W. and her doctorate at the Smith College School for Social Work. She is currently an assistant professor in the M.S.W…