Cynthia McNulty, LCSW

Programs Chair

Cynthia just recently returned to Santa Barbara after living in Northern California for several years. Cynthia earned her BA at Westmont College, and her MSW at California State University, Sacramento. She has been working in the field of mental health since 1993, and became licensed in 2002. Her experience includes outpatient therapy, administration, health education, program development, case management, and psychiatric social work with children, teens, and adults. Currently, she is managing a small private practice, and is serving as director of 211/Helpline, a program of Family Service Agency of Santa Barbara. Additionally, she is training to be a volunteer clinician for the Red Cross.

Cynthia describes her style of practice as cooperative, goal-oriented, and educational. She works from a psychodynamic perspective, and specializes in youth and family therapy. Aside from work, Cynthia enjoys spending time with her husband, friends, and family, cooking, traveling, exercising, church activity, and chocolate.

Jamie Rotnofsky, Ph.D

Member-at-Large

Dr. Jamie Rotnofsky is Clinical Psychologist, Consultant and CEO of Ask Dr Jamie. She graduated from Columbia University, New York with two Masters Degrees, a Masters in Organizational Psychology and a Masters in Education in Psychological Counseling. She earned her Doctorate Degree of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology from The Union Institute.

Dr. Jamie is a licensed psychologist, Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, Qualified Medical Evaluator and Certified Psycho dramatist. She presently is an adjunct professor for the masters and doctorate program at Antioch University. She has a private psychotherapy practice and specializes in women’s issues. In addition her practice and consultations include working with the courts which includes Forensics, Psychological Consultations and provision of expert witness testimony. Dr. Rotnofsky is also part of the Medical Staff with Cottage Hospital.

She is the recent past Executive Director for The Glendon Association, Violence & Suicide Prevention Alliance and presently continues her work with Glendon as a Consultant. As former manager for the County of Santa Barbara, she assisted in developing and implementing the new CARES (Crisis & Recovery Emergency Services) program.

Dr. Rotnofsky is dedicated to her community and volunteers with the Santa Barbara Police Department, Crisis and Hostage Negation Team & Restorative Policing as a Psychological Consultant, serves on the Commission for Women.

She was actively involved in providing crisis services and debriefings after 9/11 in New York and has been working with individuals coping with loss and crisis for the past 20 years. Dr Jamie Rotnofsky has been involved in Rehabilitation, Education and Prevention for the past 20 years and hosts a National Teleconference entitled Care Connection providing education and support to caregivers and professional caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease.

Deanne Bell, MA, IMFT

Pre-licensed Rep

Deanne Bell holds an MA in Counselor Education from the University of Montana and a BBA in Finance and International Business.

She was born in Jamaica and continues to be involved in business and social activism there while making Santa Barbara her home. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Depth Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute.

Her passion for psychotherapy began as a tennis player for Jamaica. The frustrations of choking on the court lead her to study sport psychology as a way to get out of her own way. She has studied sport psychology at the master’s level and taught and worked clinically with elite athletes at the University of Montana. More broadly, her theoretical orientation includes solution focused, cognitive behavioral approaches in short-term therapeutic relationships expanding to existential-humanistic and analytic therapy in work with longer-term clients.

In the consultation room and beyond, she advocates for the identification of ways in which cultures and societies can annihilate and fragment the person. Noting that when individuals attempt to repel against this force often a dissonance occurs and more often than not the individual ascribes a pathology to themselves. It is this work, of both seeing one’s self as separate from and simultaneously part of humanity, that Deanne enjoys.

Anna Hunnicutt-Falcon, MA, IMFT

Membership Chair

I am currently finishing up my intern hours- about five hundred more hours to go! I’ve been working with adolescents, specifically at-risk adolescents, for the past seven years, in residential settings and traditional and continuation school settings. I worked at La Cuesta Continuation School for three and a half years and am now working at Santa Ynez High School providing individual and family therapy, personal and mental health counseling and crisis interventions.

I use a mixture of cognitive behavioral, solution-focused and client-centered therapy with the adolescents I work with, and address many different issues such as body image, sexual identity, relationships, family, interpersonal communication, non-conforming ideologies and “alternative” interests and lifestyles. I’ll be finished with and submitting my hours this May or June, and after getting licensed, plan to continue working with adolescents, hopefully in a private practice setting.

I am currently looking for private practice opportunities during the summer, as I’ll be looking to start building my own practice with my current client base while continuing supervision until becoming licensed. I would love to hear from any therapists who are looking to expand their private practice and are willing to supervise me until I get licensed- let’s chat!

Russell Collins, MFT

Past President

Russell received his AB from UC Berkeley and his Masters in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University, Los Angeles. He is a founder and co-director of The Mediation Project at the Family Therapy Institute. His most recent articles include “How Therapists Can Help during Divorce: What the New Research Says,” in the January 2007 The Therapist and “The Mediation Gene” in the ACR Alternative Conflict Resolution Quarterly. Russell has a co-mediation practice with his wife, attorney Laura Collins, in both Santa Barbara and Ventura. He is in his third year as an adjunct faculty member teaching Couples Therapy at Antioch.

Shannon Miles, MFT

Member-At-Large

This year has gone by so quickly! I am excited to remain connected to the board as the relationships I’ve developed with people have been wonderful and it’s great to stay in contact with the therapist community. This year I will continue as a member-at-large as I figure out how to navigate the recent changes in my personal life. With the birth of my first child Colin, I’m learning to balance and integrate this new experience into my professional life.

I’ve lived in Santa Barbara for over 12 years and have worked as a clinician through out this time period with ten years working at Devereux. As I move into post-maternity, I will divide my time between part time work at Devereux and in my private practice. While the work at Devereux has shifted significantly for me over the years, I am fortunate to still to face new and exciting challenges and growth opportunities. In private practice I am energized and rewarded by the families with whom I work. Much of my work addresses family stress, behavior issues in children, marital challenges and women’s eating issues.

I really look forward to staying connected to SB CAMFT and wish everyone a happy and fulfilling New Year!

Jennifer Larsen, MFT

Treasurer

Hello Everyone! It has been a real pleasure to step up my involvement in the Santa Barbara Chapter of CAMFT during the past couple of years. It has been especially nice to interface with other therapists in the community via CAMFT as being in private practice can be a somewhat isolating experience. When Kathleen and Jackie approached me about being 2008’s Treasurer, I was initially flattered and then a bit overwhelmed. What would I know about being Treasurer for SB CAMFT? I hemmed and hawed briefly and then something very interesting happened ~ I remembered that I had once been a Treasurer before and had completely forgotten about that experience! Yes, exactly 10 years ago I was a member of the Woodland Toastmasters group in Santa Barbara and had held the Treasurer position for that organization. O.K., I can do this. No problema.

And so, my fellow SB CAMFTers, I look forward to serving you in this position in the coming year. There will undoubtedly be a learning curve so please bear with me. In the meantime, I wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year!

Beth Weinberg, MFT

Member-At-Large

Beth Weinberg has been working for Family Therapy Institute in Santa Barbara since 2004 and works with individuals, couples and families. She also works at Cottage Residential Center in the field of addiction. Beth earned her Masters in Clinical Psychology from Antioch in 2003 and with training in anger management and chemical dependency.

In 1984 Beth received a Masters in Exercise Physiology from USC and worked in the field until taking time off to raise two daughters. She has been married for 25 years and has lived in Santa Barbara since 1984.

Sue Ford, Psy.D., MFT

CEU Chair

I returned to Santa Barbara awhile ago after living in LA for many years. During my years in LA, I received my MA in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine, a Psy.D from California Graduate Institute and was licensed in 2000. I truly miss those years of immersion in studying and learning, where my interest was always in the analytical classes (a study that I am quite passionate about even now!).

My training has included work as a critical care nurse, a psychiatric nurse, and a therapist. Currently, I work as a critical care nurse, have a private practice in my home, and I volunteer in a group home for the homeless. It is clear to me that whether we are homeless, we are ill, or we are in better circumstances, we each have a lot to say be it verbally or otherwise. I am passionate about listening to what needs to be said, and I’m a work in progress in this area. I’m grateful to be able to participate in CAMFT where these kinds of conversations can be had.

Jackie Kurta, MFT

Co-President and Disaster Preparedness Chair

I am very honored to have the opportunity to serve as Co-President for another year. This has been a very exciting and productive year for SB-CAMFT. A great deal of effort was put in to strengthen the infrastructure of the organization and improve the services that SB-CAMFT can offer its own members.

During 2008, I would like to be able step back a bit from the internal needs of the organization and take a different approach. My goals for the year will be to begin to help structure the organization’s outreach into the community. Now that we have our “house” in order, it feels like the right time to open the front door and invite people inside. SB-CAMFT is here to serve the community, to offer individuals and families information and resources that can benefit them and impact their lives. My hope for next year is that SB-CAMFT will be able to offer some public forums so that we can continue to educate our community about our services and introduce them to the tremendous talent contained within our membership.

Kathleen Barry, MFT

Co-President, and Newsletter Chair

I have a private practice in Montecito and specialize in working with women and couples who are at the crossroads of life changing events. Through the years and use of various modalities, I have had the privilege of supporting clients from the ages of 10 to 85 as they recover from cancer (I am a survivor!), divorce, grief (pet loss, death of parents, siblings) and relationship challenges.

During 2008 I will be very busy writing my dissertation for a Ph.D. in depth psychology from Pacifica. It took most of 2007 for me to finally get clear on where I was heading with my research. Little did I know that the research study was in my own backyard at La Casa de Maria. My study will be about the former Immaculate Heart Sisters who raised their voices in opposition to the patriarchy of the Catholic Church and by so doing, wrestled a space in which to create alternative structures. The call of my dissertation study ultimately focuses on women’s engagement of dominating cultural, social and political structures and reflects both a personal and professional interest in the fortitude of women activists for social change. There are many brave women who in the face of extreme adversity have had the wherewithal to cultivate creative responses to domination with often wide-reaching effects.

The history of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart’s struggle with the dominating structures of the Catholic Church is just one of the many examples of a creative response made by women. It is my hope that their story can provide valuable insights to women in the future who make similar decisions to stand up and speak out about and against dominating power structures that silence, marginalize and oppress. I am very excited to begin my research and to have Dr. Mary Watkins as my dissertation advisor.

Jonathan Shafer, IMFT

Vice-President and Technology Chair

Jonathan Shafer is entering his second term as Vice-President and Technology Chair of the Santa Barbara chapter of CAMFT. Jonathan is a registered MFT Intern and is close to finishing his hours of supervised work required for licensure. He has been working in private practice for several years, and has trained and presented to many groups of mental health professionals on the topics of Internet Addiction, Gaming Addiction, and Internet Sex Addiction. Jonathan is a devoted husband and the father of twins who will be leaving for college next fall. In addition to his practice, Jonathan is a web developer as well as a freelance writer and photographer. His work can be found in Blue Edge, a local Action Sports magazine.

Eva Van Prooyen, MFT

Member-At-Large

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Eva Van Prooyen has served on the SB-CAMFT Board in a variety of positions in the past and joins us this year as a Member-at-Large. She maintains a general private practice in Santa Barbara consisting primarily of psychotherapy for adults, adolescents and couples, and sub-specializes in the treatment of co-dependency, addiction, anxiety, and depression. Eva has taught classes in dual diagnosis and Motivational Interviewing at Santa Barbara City College and wrote the dual diagnosis psychoeducation treatment plan for Recovery Road Medical Center.

“I see my role as Member at Large as a chance to represent the interests of the general membership and assist the board on issues and projects - particularly those related to marketing and public awareness to further the goals of this organization,” says Eva, adding, “I’m thrilled with the professional image our newly redesigned website puts forth, and I look forward finding new ways to promote our work as therapists to help point people in the right direction to get the help they need.”