Patricia E. Patton, Ph.D, LMFT is a clinical psychologist (PSY 13266) and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (MFC 27419). She was instrumental in the development of the Gerry Grossman Seminars BBS exam prep courses for LCSW candidates, and continues to teach those courses.

Patti consistently receives rave reviews from her students, and can be counted on to deliver practical material in a stimulating, engaging fashion.

Jorid Nygard, MA, MFT has been preparing therapists for their MFT licensing exams since 1991. Through the many years of helping develop course materials and teaching courses for the MFT Written and WCV exams, Jorid has developed a comprehensive mastery of all the subject areas involved in passing the exams.

Her high level of energy and wonderful sense of humor make her a popular teacher. Many exam candidates experience the exam preparation process as an overwhelming and daunting challenge and greatly appreciate her command and overview of the many subjects involved, finding her teaching style and structure extremely beneficial.

Jorid has been a practicing psychotherapist since 1988 and has specialized in the areas of abuse, chronic illness and addiction. She runs therapy groups for therapists and others who are survivors of childhood abuse. She combines a contemporary psychodynamic approach with an experiential style.

Chuck Moshontz, MA, MFT is a licensed marriage and family therapist with a diverse private practice specializing in men's issues, couples counseling, and working with parents and children.

In addition to his private practice and teaching at Gerry Grossman Seminars, Chuck is an adjunct faculty member at Antioch University. He supervises interns at the Antioch Counseling Center and at Southern California Counseling Center, where he is also a faculty member in the clinical training program and the community counselor certification program. Chuck's first career, in television and radio broadcasting, helped him to develop skills in language and oral presentation which come in handy preparing GGS students to pass their licensing exams.

Suzanne Mell, MA, MFT has been teaching courses and providing one-to-one tuturing for Gerry Grossman mostly in the Sacramento area, since September 1999. She received her Masters degree from National University - Sacramento in 1995 and passed her licensing exams in January 1999. Her area of expertise is working with children, adolescents and their families, but over the years she has worked with many different ages and stages.

Suzanne has worked for Amador County Mental Health as a child clinician and as their Children's System of Care Coordinator, and has also provided clinical supervision for MFT and CSW Interns. Currently she is in private practice in the Amador & Sacramento County areas and is a contract clinician at Rite of Passage - Sierra Ridge group home.

Rocio Hernandez, MA, MFT, or "Cio" is an instructor for the Gerry Grossman Seminars, Northern California Division. She currently facilitates Written Clinical Vignette classes in Emeryville, in an effort to help students prepare for their WCV exams. She also teaches our Continuing Education workshops on HIV/AIDS and Domestic Violence with an emphasis on interactive learning.

Cio is an Adolescent Mental Health Practitioner for Marin County Health and Human Services, where she specializes in Spanish speaking survivors of sexual abuse, teen pregnancy and issues of reproductive health. She is involved in many community building efforts in Marin County and has a small private practice in San Rafael. She is also on the Institutional Review Board for Kaiser Foundation Research Institute.

At home, Cio enjoys volunteering for her son's pre-school, taking long nature walks and spending time with her family.

Anne Wilford, MA, MFT received her Masters degree from John F. Kennedy University and has been an instructor with GGS for nine years. She joined Gerry's instructors after passing both the written and the orals on her first attempt. Gerry's program was vital in this achievement. She teaches all aspects of the WCV program including the 22-hour course and specializes in tutoring. This combines many facets of Anne's former 35-year career as a performing artist that culminated in the off-Broadway show "Left-overs, the Ups and Downs of a Compulsive Eater."
Anne's preparation classes teach stress management techniques and focus on the "authenticity" of each individual. She especially enjoys the challenge of problem solving with students to find their own style.

Anne's clinical experience includes working with adolescent psychiatric in-patient programs and adult, dual diagnosis day treatment. For the last ten years, she has had a private practice in Berkeley working with individuals in long-term, in-depth therapy and transformational couples work. She has over 30 years of teaching experience and truly enjoys the balance of teaching the prep courses and practicing in-depth psychotherapy. She also feels that a sense of humor is imperative to this challenge of the exam process.

Andrew Teton, MA, MFT commuted from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles to study with Gerry Grossman for both his written and orals exams. After passing both exams on the first attempt, Andrew started offering Gerry Grossman classes for both the written and oral exams in Santa Barbara where he has found interns in the Central Coast area extremely receptive to having locally based licensing classes.

Andrew is noted for his sense of humor and has served as the "comedy break" entertainer at several local CAMFT functions. He received his Masters in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University, Santa Barbara, and has also participated in the Hakomi Body Inclusive Therapy training.

Samantha Deming, MA, MFT has been part of the Gerry Grossman instructional staff since January 2000. Samantha is an asset to the seminar because she has had many years of teaching experience prior to her teaching for the seminar. Students find her easy to follow because she very organized in her presentation. She is also very animated and brings a lot of her natural humor into the classroom.

In addition to teaching for Gerry Grossman Seminars, Samantha maintains a full-time private practice split between Santa Clarita and Encino. Her specialities include couples, anxiety, depression, trauma, E.M.D.R., grief, survivors after suicide, and the treatment of twins.

Kristen Ewers, MA, MFT has been teaching and providing individual tutoring for Gerry Grossman Seminars since 2003. She completed her Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy at Western Seminary in 2001 and obtained her license in 2003.

Kristen is the director of the Sacramento area Meier Clinics Day Treatment Program as well as the Marriage Intensive Program. She enjoys working with adolescents, families and couples in crisis.

Mary Catherine Snyder, MA, MFT, has her Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Texas in Austin, Texas. She received her Masters Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, California. She additionally did post-graduate studies in art therapy at Phillips Graduate Institute in Encino, CA.

Mary Catherine is the Clinical Director of a non-profit outpatient substance abuse agency in Hollywood, CA. She supervises interns and manages the Proposition 36 court mandated substance abuse program. The agency has a diverse population of clients including dual diagnosis, HIV, homelessness, drug and alcohol dependence, and a wide range of mental illness. In addition she has a small private practice. She began working with Gerry Grossman Seminars in 2005 after taking the GGS classes and passing her Board exams. She enjoys all aspects of working with the students during the exam process.

Renee Duffey, Psy.D., MFT has been teaching with Gerry Grossman Seminars since 1995. She enjoys helping people learn to think critically and utilize their own learning style while preparing for the exams.

Renee has master’s degrees in Communications, Applied Spirituality and Counseling Psychology and completed a Doctor of Psychology from the Graduate Theological Foundation with an emphasis on Clinical Family Therapy. She is the Director of Guidance in a private high school and a lecturer in the Counseling Psychology and Gerontology program at Notre Dame de Namur University. Her private practice in Burlingame specializes in the integration of psychology and spirituality and she frequently consults with churches and schools regarding issues of abuse and crisis management.

Melanie Haro, MA, MFT is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Certified Expressive Arts Therapist. As an intern, Melanie counseled at-risk youth and their families both in drug treatment and at a nonpublic school. After obtaining her license (thanks to GGS), Melanie turned her focus to utilizing the expressive arts for the purpose of facilitating healthy relationships among parents and children.

Melanie created "Belly Bonding," a series of workshops that encourage the development of early attachment between a mother and her unborn baby. This unique specialty combines her passion for the arts with her training and experience as a therapist.

Sharon Law, MA, MFT has been part of the Gerry Grossman Seminars’ crew since July 2004. She earned her Bachelor of Social Sciences Degree in Social Work from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and worked as a Social Worker in Hong Kong for 4 years before coming to the U.S. in 1997 to pursue her graduate study in Marriage and Family Therapy.

Sharon is a licensed therapist, has extensive training in Structural Family Therapy and is currently in advanced training with the Pacific Gestalt Institute in Los Angeles. She has written mock clinical vignettes and uses her own experience in passing the WCV exam to offer specific test taking strategies to GGS students. Sharon has extensive outpatient clinical experience working with clients having a wide range of mental illnesses; she has also delivered school-based counseling to students at elementary and high schools from LAUSD. She also has supervised MFT Interns while coordinating an intensive intervention program for high risk children and youth of different ethnicities. Sharon’s Asian background and acculturation experience in coming to the US help her to have sensitivity to diversity issues. She is also a world traveler who has traveled to more than twenty countries.

Pam Sirota, Psy.D., MFT has a private practice in West Los Angeles and Encino specializing in social skills groups, family issues, children and adolescents, grief support, and parenting. Her extensive experience as a special education teacher and pre-school director makes her an ideal instructor. She has been working as a private GGS tutor since becoming licensed in 2005. Pam has received her doctorate as a Clinical Psychologist.

Nicole Messuri, MA, MFT is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She came to the field of clinical psychology after a career in education as an elementary school teacher and as an educational therapist. Nicole has worked in various outpatient clinical settings where she has had the opportunity to work with diverse populations who have presented with a wide range of clinical conditions.

Currently, Nicole is building her private practice while she continues her work as a supervisor for Focus Psychological and Educational Services’ school and home-based programs providing behavioral services for children with Autism and other related disorders. Nicole’s teaching experience with children has imbued her with a warm, patient, and organized style of presentation. As a person who has recently passed her exams on her first try, she enjoys sharing her study and test-taking skills, as well as, tips on how to survive the exam process!

Kelly Laney, MS, MFT is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist currently working on building a private practice while continuing to work at the Cal-Safe School Program for pregnant and parenting teens. While an intern, she gained experience with a wide range of populations including at risk youth, domestic violence and couples. She has facilitated anger management, substance recovery and process groups. Kelly has also worked as a Biofeedback technician and continues to do research on the topic.

Adriane Beck, MS, MFT received her master’s degree in Counseling from California State University, Fullerton. Using Gerry Grossman study materials and courses, Adriane passed both the written and clinical vignette MFT licensing exams on her first attempt. She is now teaching Gerry Grossman courses and provides tutoring services for those licensing candidates in the Orange County area.

In the past, Adriane has worked in the school system, providing therapy for elementary aged children. Adriane is currently working, and has worked for the past four years, with families who have experienced domestic violence and abuse at a local agency. As a licensed therapist Adriane is pursuing a practice that will integrate a holistic approach to psychotherapeutic healing.

Kristen Hudson, MA, MFT, received her Masters degree in Counseling Psychology from Loyola Marymount University. She passed both her written and clinical vignette exams on her first attempt, with the help of Gerry Grossman Seminars courses, as well as her own organizational skills and attention to detail. Kristen began working for Gerry Grossman Seminars shortly after earning her license in 2008, where she provides research, writing, and editing for continuing education courses and other study materials. She also teaches seminars helping students prepare for the MFT and LCSW written exams.

Before earning her MFT license, Kristen worked for ten years in the weight-loss industry, helping people by providing an understanding of the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral aspects of weight management and eating-disordered behavior. As an instructor for Gerry Grossman Seminars, Kristen especially enjoys teaching the legal and ethical aspects of clinical practice as they relate to exam preparation.

Amanda Rowan, MSW, LCSW earned her BA in Psychology and Biology from Dartmouth College and her MSW from UCLA. Working in the field of social services for more than ten years, she has experience with a wide range of populations including families with young children, pregnant and homeless adolescents, the elderly, women in prison, and individuals affected by HIV/AIDS.

Amanda is particularly passionate about home-based therapy. She is currently working as a bilingual home-based therapist at Saint John’s Child and Family Development Center where she provides individual, dyadic, couples and family therapy to high risk families with children age 0-5. Amanda’s teaching experience includes working for Kaplan Test Prep where she taught for the SAT, MCAT, and the DAT. As an undergraduate, she created the “Studying for the Sciences” curriculum for the Academic Skills Center where she also worked as a tutor for biology courses. Amanda believes that Gerry Grossman Seminars offer the best preparation for the LCSW exams and she is excited to help other MSWs gain the skills, knowledge, and confidence needed to pass.

Ann Taylor MSW, LCSW received her BA in Psychology and Minor in Studio Art from UC Davis and her MSW from CSU Stanislaus. Ann passed both of her licensing exams on the first attempt, with the help of Gerry Grossman Seminars. She has worked as a therapist for at risk children and their families for the last five years. Ann has some private practice work. She also works with families in hospice care where she does crises intervention and life reviews. Ann is experienced in supervising MSW interns and other paraprofessionals.

Ann's teaching experience includes writing and presenting the curriculum "Learning Disabilities, ADHD & Social Skills." She has presented at a number of seminars and trainings regarding issues related to working with learning disabled children and adults. Ann is excited to work with Gerry Grossman Seminars as she believes that they will not only help people prepare for licensing exams, but they will help enhance clinical skills.