Training Presenters

Deborah Como-Kepler, PsyD, LCPC, LADC, CCS is a psychotherapist with a private practice in Brunswick Maine with over 30 years of experience.  She is a part time faculty member of the University of Southern Maine and on the faculty of The China America Psychoanalytic Alliance. She developed and implemented a service learning program taking college students, faculty and community members to China to work in orphanages through The University of Southern Maine. Over the 30 years of her experience she has worked with a diversity of clients in a variety of settings including supervising, conducting therapy sessions and teaching in China.

Debra Ouimette, Th.D., LADC, CASAC, SAP is a licensed Substance Abuse Therapist in both Maine, and New York that works with federally mandated clientele. She is also a Christian Counselor and Ordained Minister. Debra is employed as an educator at the Addictions Care Center of Albany for continuing education and with the Soldier On program of Massachusetts for providing continuing education to professional staff for issues relating to veterans. She has worked at clinical setting in both Maine and NY since 1990. She was the administrator of a youth substance abuse program at St. Peter’s hospital in New York prior to moving to Maine in 2004, when she became a Sweetser affiliate.

Don Burke, LCPC, LADC, CCS. Don worked at Day One from 1991 through August 2019, and was Director of Outpatient services during much of his time at the agency. Since September of 2019 Don has been working as a clinician and clinical supervisor in private practice in Portland.  Prior to coming to Maine in 1987 Don worked for 10 years as a Youth Division Counselor and program manager for the New York State Division for Youth in Rochester, New York

Don has a master’s degree in counseling from the State University of New York at Brockport and completed certificate program in family therapy at the Family Institute of Maine, and an additional certificate program in Contextual Therapy from the Institute for Contextual Therapy in Philadelphia.

Dustin Spencer-L’Heureux, LMSW-cc, is a clinical social worker currently providing short term treatment to clients at Pediatric Associates of Lewiston, Maine. Dustin is a queer identified cis-male who has worked extensively with the LGBTQ+ community throughout his educational path and within his personal life.

Erin Pontbriand, LCPC-cc, CADC

Erin obtained her graduate degree from the University of Southern Maine in 2016 and immediately opened her own practice in Biddeford. Her main focus is trauma informed care and impulse control to include violent behaviors and substance misuse. Erin completed her internship with Violence No More and continues to work with the men's program.

When not working she spends her time with her partner, son, and their three rescue dogs.

Grace Brace, LCSW

Grace is a licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than 25 years of experience in the social work field. She has significant experience with youth and families who have experienced complex trauma. Grace enjoys supporting families and youth to explore and find options and solutions for the challenges that they are experiencing.
Grace has worked with children, individuals, couples and families. She has experience with adoption and foster care; and has worked with families within agencies, clinical settings and within their homes. Grace obtained her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Connecticut and is a Registered Play Therapist, a Certified Trauma Consultant and a Certified Trainer for TLC.

Jamie Leavitt, LCSW

Jamie has been a proud and passionate clinical social worker for over 20 years. She has experience in a variety of settings such as residential, school based, child welfare, and health care. Jamie has also been in private practice for 8 years and has used animal assisted therapy with her Goldendoodle-Ollie.

Jeanne Croy, LCSW, CCS

Jeanne (she/her) has over 20 years of experience in mental health, working with children, adolescents and adults in the fields of mental health, substance abuse, child welfare, and forensic interviewing and evaluations. She was awarded two fellowships at the Yale School of Medicine as a Psychiatric Social Work Fellow and Zigler Fellow and is a former faculty member at the Yale Child Study Center. She has specialized training in a range of therapeutic modalities, including evidence-based treatment for anxiety, depression, trauma, and other concerns. She is currently in private practice in Springvale, Maine.

Jessica L. Griffin, Psy.D. is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), where she has been a faculty member since 2006.  Dr. Griffin is an internationally known relationship expert, sought after public speaker, and national expert in Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), trauma, and relationships. She has trained and provided consultation for thousands of clinicians and therapists across the United States and has led wide-scale TF-CBT dissemination efforts and pilot projects, informed by implementation science and focused on multiple settings and populations (e.g., in-home therapy, court-involved youth, transition-age youth). With funding from SAMHSA/NCTSN in 2012, as Principal Investigator and Executive Director, she developed the UMMS Child Trauma Training Center, with a focus on training, treatment, and resolving access issues youth who have experienced trauma. Within this initiative, Dr. Griffin created and piloted a highly innovative centralized referral system, LINK-KID, targeted at decreasing wait-times for youth and families to trauma-focused evidence-based treatments.  Due to LINK-KID’s early successes, she and her team expanded LINK-KID to what is now a statewide capacity, serving trauma victims throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. To date, under her direction, the center has trained over 100,000 professionals in trauma-informed care and trauma-responsive practices and successfully referred over 5000 youth into evidence-based treatment models. In 2020, Dr. Griffin was awarded a multi-year, multi-million dollar grant to develop the national Resilience through Relationships Center, housed at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School. In 2021, Dr. Griffin became the Executive Director of Lifeline For Kids within the division of Lifeline For Families in the Department of Psychiatry.

 Dr. Griffin is a clinical and forensic psychologist with a specialty in trauma and relationships.  She has extensive expertise in childhood maltreatment, attachment and relationships, psychological evaluation, and divorce and custody matters. She presents regularly at local, national and international level on topics related to childhood trauma, relationships, TF-CBT, and forensic evaluation of children and families and has published journal articles and book chapters on a variety of topics related to trauma and relationships.  She is a co-author of a book by the American Academy of Pediatrics, Childhood Trauma and Resilience, A Practical Guide, a go-to resource on childhood trauma for pediatrics. Recently, Dr. Griffin also authored a book for couples, Relationship Rx: Prescriptions for Lasting Love and Deeper Connection (Rowan and Littlefield Press, for release in February 2023) which addresses common problems plaguing couples with evidence-based, science-backed techniques and exercises to solve them. Dr. Griffin has received numerous awards for her work and has been featured on NPR, BBC, US News and World Report, Fox News, the Insider, Sirius XM Doctor Radio, People Magazine, Readers’ Digest, iHeartRadio, the New York Post, MedScape, the Daily Mail, and other news and media outlets.  Dr. Griffin has appeared on numerous television programs, serving as an expert and consultant on several television docuseries about relationships, marriage and divorce on A&E’s Lifetime Television network, including several seasons on the hit show, Married At First Sight and related spinoffs.  She has a private consulting and coaching business and is the CEO of LoveBuilder, a relationship company, which provides educational online courses to couples, singles, and parents.

Websites and Social Media Handles:

 Lifeline for Kids webpage: www.umassmed.edu/lifelineforkids

Media page: www.drjessica.com

 Twitter: @TheDrJessica

Instagram: @dr.jessicagriffin

Facebook: Dr. Jessica Griffin

Jessica Wozniak, PsyD is a clinical psychologist and the Clinical Research and Development Manager at Baystate Medical Center’s Department of Psychiatry in Springfield, MA, and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School-Baystate (UMMS). In her role she oversees community-based projects, clinical research, and training including oversight of all projects funded by SAMHSA/NCTSN. She is the Director of the Child Advocacy Training and Support Center, a national training and consultation center for Children’s Advocacy Centers.  Additionally, Dr. Wozniak oversaw the development of the One Mission Project which provides coordinated services to child trafficking victims. She is also a leader of the Hampden County Coalition to Identify and Prevent the Sexual Exploitation of Children. Dr. Wozniak is a nationally recognized trainer in Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, the most rigorously tested treatment for trauma in children. Additionally, she conducts trainings for community organizations as well as presenting at national and international conferences on topics related to trauma informed practices, vicarious trauma, trauma-informed multidisciplinary teams and sexual exploitation of children.