RCCP Co-Directors

Martha J. Holden, M.S., is a Senior Extension Associate with the BCTR, principal investigator and Director of the RCCP. Ms. Holden provides technical assistance and training to residential child caring agencies, schools, juvenile justice programs, and child welfare organizations throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and Israel. She is the author of Children and Residential Experiences (CARE): Creating Conditions for Change, a program model for residential care organizations and the lead developer of the TCI System. Ms. Holden has published in the Children’s and Youth Services Review, Child Abuse and Neglect: An International Journal, Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Problems, Residential Treatment for Children & Youth, and The Journal of Child And Youth Care Work. She has co-authored chapters in the books, Therapeutic residential care for children and youth: Developing evidence-based international practice; For Your Own Safety: Examining the Safety of High-risk Interventions for Children and Young People; International Perspectives on Inclusive Education, Volume 2, Trans-forming Troubled Lives: Strategies and Interventions with Children and Young People with Social, Emotional, and Behavioural Difficulties; Understanding Abusive Families: An ecological approach to theory and practice. Previously Ms. Holden served as an administrator overseeing the day-to-day operations of a residential treatment agency for adolescents, including its education resources.

Andrea Turnbull, L.M.H.C., is an Extension Associate with the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translation Research and Co-Director of the Residential Child Care Project (RCCP) alongside Martha Holden.  Ms. Turnbull has served as the program manager of Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) for the past decade. With over 30 years of experience working with children and staff in out of home care settings, Ms. Turnbull provides training and technical assistance in a variety of residential, juvenile justice, foster, school and community programs across the United States, Canada, UK, Ireland, and Australia. She works closely with the RCCP team to support organizations with TCI implementation and fidelity. Ms. Turnbull is co-author of the Therapeutic Crisis Intervention curriculum, Edition 7, and Therapeutic Crisis Intervention for Schools, Edition 2. Previously, Ms. Turnbull served as Clinical Director and Training Director at a residential treatment center for children and adolescents.

Zachary Barry, M.S.W., (Zac) is an Extension Associate at the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research (BCTR) at Cornell University. A dedicated social worker, Zac has been serving children and families since 2012, focusing on a trauma-informed and human rights-based approach to the child welfare system.  In his role with the Residential Child Care Project, Zac facilitates trainings for the Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) and Children and Residential Experiences (CARE) models across the United States, Canada, and Australia. In addition, Zac provides technical assistance to individuals and organizations, helping them implement and sustain the TCI model to align with best practice principles and achieve positive outcomes. He also oversees the TCI Professional Certification Program, ensuring high standards and professional excellence across Professionally Certified TCI Trainers.

Cynthia Butler (Cindy), has joined the RCCP team as a full-time Extension Associate. Cindy has spent her career working with adolescents, equipping them to be successful adults. After graduating from college, and an 18-month stint in Chile, she worked as a Spanish & French teacher in a variety of school settings in different states as her husband moved for the military. Cindy decided she wanted to focus on the mental health of adolescents without homework and grades getting in the way. She worked as a behavior health associate on the adolescent wing of an in-patient behavioral health hospital as well as trained verbal de-escalation techniques to new employees. Before coming to Cornell, Cindy worked at a group home that was a specialized setting for youth who had been victims of human trafficking and a shelter for unaccompanied minors. She was part of the learning and development team teaching TCI and other onboarding trainings. Cindy is passionate about helping people learn and retain information. When she’s not traveling, she enjoys spending time with her 2 adult children and walking her dogs.

Richard Heresniak (Rich) has worked in school and residential care settings since 1985 in a variety of capacities including direct care, school support services, supervisor, and staff training/development coordinator. Richard was the first professionally certified TCI trainer and was a consultant with the RCCP from 2003 until 2018, when he was hired as a full time faculty. He provides training and technical assistance in TCI, TCIS, and CARE. His work with the project also includes curriculum design and development, as well as providing written contributions to project communications.

Amin Lilley is a TCI instructor and CARE consultant for the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research at Cornell University.  He has worked for Astor Services for Children and Families since 2007. In 2009, he became a TCI trainer. During his time at Astor, Amin has held several positions including:  Direct Care Professional, Therapeutic Support Counselor, and Direct Care Manager.  He has served in numerous supervisory roles at Astor as well.  Currently, Amin is the Manager of Training and Staff Development. In this capacity, he builds and oversees many of the trainings, including: TCI, CARE, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Family-Driven Care, Supervisory Skills, and Self-Care.  He also assists Astor with recruitment and staff retention, as well as performance improvement initiatives. In his years at Astor, Amin has worked alongside clinicians, educators, governing bodies, administrators, families, school programs, and foster care programs.  In addition to being the co-chair for Astor’s Diversity Counsel, he is also a member of the Ulster County Anti-Racism Committee. Helping leaders with performance improvement and organizational culture shifting is his passion.

Kirra Pope, B.F.A., is an Extension Associate with the BCTR with the Residential Child Care Project. She has dedicated her life’s work to helping children and young people process and heal from trauma. Kirra’s Bachelor's Degree is in Fine Arts from DePaul University where she majored in Theatre Studies and minored in Psychology and Women and Gender Studies. Kirra’s career spans over 18 years working with the youth and adolescents in schools as a behavior specialist, and in residential facilities as a youth advocate, unit supervisor, and training coordinator. Her research interests include teaching trauma informed care techniques to foster families and single mothers.

Matt Rivera, B.A., is a dedicated field instructor, bringing his expertise to the forefront at the Residential Child Care Project (RCCP). He holds a B.A. in History from SUNY Cortland. Matt's journey into the field of childcare started with him working part-time in a residential childcare facility while pursuing his passion for history education at school. While gaining experience in the field, it was revealed that Matt possessed an innate ability to connect with at-risk youth which instilled a sense of purpose in him. With an impressive seven-year tenure in residential childcare, Matt has held various roles, including program management and Campus TCI instructor, demonstrating his adaptability and commitment to the field's multifaceted demands. Additionally, Matt has contributed significantly to the educational landscape, spending over four years as a teaching assistant at the George Jr Union Free School District within the residential school system. Matt's hallmark lies in his exceptional aptitude for relationship building and adept program management. His dedication to empowering and supporting vulnerable youth underscores every aspect of his work, embodying a blend of empathy, resilience, and strategic insight that elevates both the programs he oversees and the lives he touches. 

Mary Ruberti, L.M.S.W., is an Extension Associate with the BCTR. Mary has worked in child welfare and residential treatment for over 25 years in various roles including direct care worker, supervisor, social worker, training coordinator, and quality assurance manager. She has been affiliated with the RCCP since 1993. She provides training and technical assistance to agencies implementing Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) and Children and Residential Experiences (CARE) in the USA, Canada, Australia, Bermuda, and South Korea. 

Richard Stoddard (Rich) has been in the children’s residential services field in Connecticut since 1998. Rich’s first residential experience was working as a direct care staff helping to reunify children, from birth to twelve, with their families. He then moved into various supervisory positions such as Program Supervisor and Program Director in group homes for adolescent youth. Rich became a TCI trainer and CARE Educator in 2012. These roles have been a major influence in his career as he has focused on creating conditions for positive change to help youth thrive. Rich enjoys spending time with his wife and two children and coaching youth softball with his teenage daughter. 

Adam Tufillaro is an Extension Support Specialist with the RCCP. Adam comes to the team with 25 years’ experience working with youth. Adam began his career with youth in high school at an afterschool program, and as a camp counselor in the summer. He graduated from SUNY Cortland in 1998 with a BS degree in Economics and shortly after realized working with youth was his true passion. Adam started working at the Villa of Hope in 1999 as a Recreational Therapist. In 2005 he became the Program Manager at a community residence for teenagers with mental health issues. It was in this role that he first understood the power of utilizing all 6 domains in the TCI system. In 2015 he became a TCI instructor and shortly after began a role as the Training and Staff Development Manager. In that role Adam trained and coached staff/programs in implementing TCI along with other trauma-informed practices.

Deborah E. Sellers, Ph.D., Director of Research and Evaluation for RCCP, is a sociologist with master’s level preparation in biostatistics. Debbie coordinates research and evaluation activities as well as data collection and reporting activities required in the implementation of TCI and CARE. She has expertise in program and research administration, research and evaluation design, the design and implementation of survey research, and the analysis of quantitative data as well as data collection and processing. Debbie has managed multi-year, multi-site, multi-component studies for 25 years and has published in journals such as the American Journal of Public Health, Preventive Medicine, Health Education and Behavior, Patient Education and Counseling, Social Science and Medicine, and Prevention Science.

Joshua C. Felver, Ph.D. A.B.P.P., (he/him) is Extension Associate faculty of the College of Human Ecology’s Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research at Cornell University and a member of the research team in the RCCP. He is a licensed psychologist with specialist board certification from the American Board of Professional Psychology. He took his PhD in School Psychology from the University of Oregon and completed his clinical training in pediatric psychology at Harvard Medical School (pre-doctoral internship) and in child clinical psychology at Alpert Medical School of Brown University (postdoctoral fellowship). His programmatic research involves developing, implementing, and exploring biomechanisms of mindfulness-based programs in school and community settings to address health disparities in diverse and at-risk populations. He has written more than 40 peer-reviewed publications and is the co-author of the book Mindfulness in the Classroom (New Harbinger Publications).

Joan Gregorski, is a Statistician on the RCCP research team. Her work involves data cleaning and analysis related to multiple projects; primarily related to TCI. Joan joined the RCCP in December 2022 following a decades long career as an engineer, statistician and project manager at two Fortune 500 companies. Joan holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Master’s Degrees in Engineering (University of Washington, Seattle, WA) and Quality & Applied Statistics (Rochester Institute of Technology).  

Charles Izzo, Ph.D., is a Senior Research Associate at the BCTR and a member of the research team in the RCCP. His background is in Clinical and Community Psychology with a specialty in the design and evaluation of community-based services for children and families. His work has focused on applying social science research methods to measure and improve the quality of youth care services and on translating social and neuroscience research to better inform program design. He has conducted large-scale evaluations of the CARE program model, studies on youth's care experiences while living in group homes, and is now co-developing and evaluating an NIH Funded staff-development workshop for care providers.  He has published in journals such as Prevention Science, Children and Family Services Review, The American Journal of Community Psychology, and the Journal of Prevention and Intervention in the Community.

Lisa McCabe, Ph.D., is a Research Associate at the BCTR. Her research uses mixed methods to explore issues related to high-quality implementation and sustainment of programs in child welfare and educational settings. Lisa also contributes to the development of tools and strategies, including fidelity assessments and practitioner surveys, designed to support both the implementation process as well as the broader field of implementation science. Lisa has published in scholarly journals such as Evaluation and Program Planning, Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Child and Youth Care Forum, Infant Mental Health Journal, and Educational Policy. Her work has also been disseminated through outlets designed to bridge the research to practice gap including practitioner focused journals (e.g., Zero to Three) and research/policy briefs (e.g., QuickTRIP).

Michael Nunno, D.S.W., is a Senior Extension Associate, Emeritus with the BCTR. He has expertise in social policy, regulation, and legislation related to child welfare issues and specific expertise in the identification, prevention, and etiology of child abuse and neglect in residential care. More recently, Dr. Nunno has been working with therapeutic and residential child-care organizations to measure the impact of the RCCP's TCI system and CARE program model on critical incidents.  He has edited a Child Welfare League of America book For our own safety: Examining the safety of high-risk interventions for children and young people, and published in Children and Youth Services Review, Prevention Science, Child & Youth Care Forum, Residential Treatment for Children and Youth, Child Welfare, American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, and Child Abuse & Neglect: An International Journal.  He is currently examiningthe role of fear in interpersonal and organizational relationships within children’s therapeutic residential care facilities.

Elliott G. Smith, Ph.D., is a developmental psychologist with methodological expertise in experimental psychology and statistical analysis and content specialization in child maltreatment and child welfare. He is a Research Associate at the BCTR where he serves as statistician and CARE data specialist for the RCCP. In his research, Elliott evaluates the evidence for the effectiveness of the CARE program model. His implementation efforts center around providing quantitative data back to practice professionals in ways that is approachable, motivating, and actionable. His published research has appeared in numerous journals, including Child Welfare, Developmental Psychology, Journal of the American Medical Association, Pediatrics, and Prevention Science.

Yvonne (Eevie) Smith, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the School of Social Work at Syracuse University. She earned her AM and PhD in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago, where her training included both experimental and ethnographic methods. Eevie’s ethnographic studies of youth care workers have addressed clinical decision-making, the development of expertise, and the many challenges of maintaining an ethical, effective workforce in therapeutic residential care. Her work is published in Social Service Review, Child Abuse & Neglect, Culture, Medicine & Psychiatry, and others.  She is a collaborator on the DIWS project. 

Kris Carlison (kmc16@cornell. edu): Handles financial, systems management, and administrative operations for the RCCP. She is responsible for New York State (NYS), National, International, and non-sponsored accounts; NYS and Federal proposal and budget creation (NYS, NIJ, DOE, SAMHSA (USDHHS), modification, and submission including reporting. She ensures reporting compliance to all funding sources, and provides supervision of support staff and oversight of positions’ responsibilities. Kris handles data systems and evaluation management for TCI and CARE.

Katelyn Decker (kmd279@ cornell.edu): Coordinating shipment and packing training materials for NYS, National and On-site classes; orders training box materials, mats, cd’s, and flash drives; scanning of class information into database; fills out and sends professional development certificates; sends out weekly Status of Training emails to instructors/staff. Participant List corrections and revisions. Invoice and process all workbook/certificate orders and replacement material orders. Maintain information about agency restraint policies/behavior audits.

Kristie Lockwood, B.S. (kap9@cornell.edu): Is responsible for packing and unpacking of evaluation/ test boxes for NYS, national, international and on-site classes; conference and event planning; updating and modifying the database for research and evaluation projects; handling TCI Fidelity surveys; preparing reports (packing, maintaining, scanning, etc.); and processing TCIS Syracuse City School district NIJ grant-surveys.

Brittany McCown (beb72@cornell.edu): Create and track all POs for RCCP.  Process consultant and casual employee payments. Review and approve hotel contracts for accuracy. Receives and deposits payments for on-site trainings and open TCI trainings and CARE. Conduct account reconciliation and monitor bills and payments for accuracy to accounts. Conference and event planning as well as social media/Facebook posting. Responsible for web site monitoring and updating as needed. Supervision of one office staff and oversight of that position's responsibilities.

Alissa Medero (ab358@cornell. edu): Coordinates and schedules on-sites and National TCI classes, including instructors, locations, and other details. Alissa serves as the initial on-site contact and provides information regarding TCI programs. Coordinates and schedules date requests with hotels for annual trainings for national and NYS events, as well as works with the sales offices and catering representatives for each hotel.

Debbie Mojica (dmh20@cornell.edu): Handles registrations for all National and NYS TCI training including initial invoicing; Sends reference guide packets to all National, NYS, and on-site participants; Manage NYS (STARS) TCI Class Registrations after verifying eligibility.

Trudy Radcliffe, B.A. (tr55@cornell.edu): Is responsible for CARE project logistics, including trainings and online and paper surveys (packing, maintaining, scanning, etc.), certifications (assisting with grading and test creation), management of agency information and status with CARE project, invoicing and deposits of contract payments, ordering CARE training materials, and CARE agency report creation. 

Dana Roberts (dr658@cornell.edu): Receive & process all travel reimbursements for all project staff including NYS, National and International travel.  Receive and conduct hotel bill audits of the invoices for accuracy and process for payment.  Invoicing for RCCP training registrations (both individual and contractual) and generate quarterly reports from database – follow up with individuals/agencies as needed at 30/60/90-day intervals.

Eugene Saville, B.S. (eas20@cornell.edu): Handle administrative, contractual, and policy, and changes/issues for the project. Plan for delivery of new training courses.  Create online, in-service, and/or blended learning environments, activities, and RCCP training course content, including revisions of current programs. Provide general computer and RCCP database support and guidance to RCCP staff and faculty; develop new interactive learning capacities. Provide program support for data management and instructional support.

Holly Smith, A.A.S. (hs226@cornell.edu): Is responsible for TCI certifications, including conditionals, class grading, and test creation and modification (including STARS); certification renewals and expirations; NYS, national, and international quarterly reports, professional certification-sending letters and maintaining information; certification rules; and maintaining Agency Injury Reporting, an on-line reporting and notification system, when an injury has been reported.

Jennifer Appleby, M.S.W., has worked as both a clinician and as an administrator for the past 14 years as part of Spurwink services day and residential programming. During this time, she also provided CARE training, and served on various agency wide committees serving the clinical needs of children and families, as well as the training and coaching of staff. During her tenure at Spurwink, Jen was also instrumental in creating arts and recreation programming, securing grants to provide materials; renovating a space; and training staff on the use of games, arts and activities as meaningful therapeutic interventions. Jen has moved into private practice where she continues to serve children and their families.

Tracey Ashton, Tracey brings over 25 years of experience in NSW's Education and Human Services sectors and is committed to promoting Aboriginal self-determination in all areas of social policy. Commencing her career as a teacher on the south coast of NSW, Tracey has worked in leadership roles in child protection and out-of-home care in the government and non-government sectors. She worked as an independent reviewer on the Family is Culture Review into Aboriginal children in out-of-home care, chaired by Professor Megan Davis, from 2016 until 2019. Tracey is a passionate advocate and ally for all children, parents, and families impacted by the child protection system, and actively promotes the role of family and community in children’s lives. She co-founded Shoalhaven Illawarra Families Together (SHIFT) in NSW in 2022. 

Linda Avitan, M.S.W., has worked in Israel with youth at risk for over thirty years, including residential and foster care. She began working with TCI in 2006 and has instructed TCI/S in Israel and in the United States. Serving on the Israel TCI Steering Committee, she has coordinated the program and been involved in policy making and innovations such as trainer peer-group supervision. Linda is certified in Marital and Family Therapy and Mediation, as well as in Parental Consultation for Children with AD/HD, which she utilizes in her private practice.

Craig Bailey, B.S., has worked with youth in residential care and school settings since 1996. He has served youth and families through Hillside Children’s Center, Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES, and Crestwood Children’s Center. Craig is currently a Manager in Organization Development and Learning with Hillside, located in Rochester, NY. He is a primary TCI Trainer and CARE Educator for new employees and helps coordinate the implementation of the TCI system and CARE program model throughout all of the service affiliates of Hillside. Craig has worked as a consultant with the RCCP since 2007 and facilitates TCI Train-the-Trainer and TCI Trainer Updates in the United States and internationally.

Shlomit Branski, M.S.W, has been working with residential care of youth at risk in Israel over 20 years, for the last 10 years, she has been managing the social workers, psychologists, and therapists team. She conducts training groups of staff members at residential care facilities and counseling social workers at various institutes. She studied TCI in 2004 and since then has instructed TCI trainings and serves in the Israeli TCI steering committee as the liaison between the committee and the institutes that use TCI. She joined the TCI Instructor team in 2016.

Lisa Brockhuizen has been a dedicated school psychologist with Wayne Finger Lakes BOCES since January 1991. Throughout her career, she has focused on supporting children and families, primarily through the Social Skills Development program. Her passion lies in helping youth thrive emotionally and academically, utilizing strategies grounded in a trauma-informed framework emphasizing crisis prevention and management. In 2017, Lisa transitioned to a role as a staff developer, where she continues to support BOCES sites and the wider WFL region through Therapeutic Crisis Intervention for Schools (TCIS) training. Her mission is to empower educators to create safe and supportive classroom spaces that foster growth and development so that all children can learn.  In 2021, Lisa earned her Professional Certification as a TCIS (Therapeutic Crisis Intervention for Schools) trainer and joined the Residential Child Care Project (RCCP) as a TCIS Instructor. She is committed to assisting school districts with implementing TCIS and mentoring other TCIS trainers.  

Debra Bunce, Ph.D., is a child clinical psychologist and works at one of Boston Child Study Center's (BCSC) satellite sites in Portland Maine. BCSC is a group therapy practice. Debra provides individual, family, and group therapy. Debra also consults with agencies using the Attachment, Self-Regulation, and Competency (ARC) model to support their clinical practice. Debra began her career as a childcare worker in residential treatment in 1992. She shifted to graduate school and earned her PhD in Child Clinical Psychology in 1999.  Debra then worked for 20 years at Spurwink Services, a large non-profit human services agency serving youth, adults, and families in Portland Maine. She initially was providing psychological testing, individual and family therapy, and clinician training. In 2011, she moved into the Director of Clinical Practices role. Within that role, she provided clinical support, guidance, and training to Spurwink’s children’s residential programs and schools all located within a couple hours of Portland. Debra also oversaw the development and implementation of Spurwink’s clinical model, which is grounded in CARE principles and practices. Debra has been a CARE educator since 2012 and was very pleased to join RCCP’s consultant team in 2017, providing education and technical assistance to new CARE agencies.

David Carter, B.Ed. Hons., studied at Froebel College and Trinity College Dublin before teaching in the inner city of Dublin.In 1989 he then took up a teaching post in a special school dealing with young people of the ages 10 -16 years with SEBD (Severe Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties).  David spent 35 years working in this school setting, teaching, supervising, and providing programmes for and working with at-risk youth, young people with Severe Emotional Behavioural Difficulties and with their families. In 1998 he moved into a management position as Principal/Director of St Paul’s Youth Encounter Project, Finglas, Dublin 11 and is still there at present. An associate trainer of TCI since 2001, he worked on the implementation of TCI and adapting it to the school setting and provided training to new and existing staff since that time. David became certified as a Professional TCI trainer in 2014 and director of BEST Consultancy (Behavioural Educational Support and Training) which specialises in delivery of training and consultancy for organisations that provide care or education to children and young people who have difficulty in managing their behaviour in acceptable ways. David has also given presentations and training on managing challenging behaviour and collaborative problem solving at several care and educational settings within mainstream and special schools at both primary and secondary levels. In 2024 David was so keen to promote TCI that he co-wrote and published a book “A Guide to a Multi Domain Model of Living and Education” which promotes TCIS and collaborative problem solving within school settings and which also serves as a catalyst for meaningful dialogue and incremental change in education. In 2024 David’s passion for TCI led him to begin the process of training to instructor level and participate at a more involved and higher level with Cornell University in training others to train in TCI/S and deliver this approach to all who work with young people.

Stacey Charchuk, B.A. (Criminology); CYCW(cert), works at Oak Hill Ranch, a campus based residential program for adolescents near Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. She began at Oak Hill in 1996 serving within the role of a Child and Youth Care Worker, Supervisor, and presently as the Executive Assistant Director. Stacey has been an associate Therapeutic Crisis Intervention trainer since 2007 and acquired her professional trainer status in the Fall of 2015. Stacey joined the RCCP team as a Casual Instructor in 2016. She has also been a CARE Educator (Children And Residential Experiences) at Oak Hill Ranch since 2010.

Claire Coleman, M.S. Counseling, BSc in Psychology & Human Movement, Starting their journey working with young people in 2013 as a counsellor in a high school, Claire discovered their passion for supporting young people to thrive and, after working as a counsellor at sleep away camps for at risk youth, moved into outreach casework roles working across a number of organisations and settings before landing in a house manager role for an out-of-home care provider. It was here that they were first exposed to TCI and were put forward to become a TCI Trainer. Having witnessed the significant impact TCI can have on the well-being of children, young people, their carers, and organisations, Claire has transitioned her focus from providing direct care to young people to empowering those who deliver it. She now dedicates herself to supporting direct care workers and their team leaders to develop the skills needed to therapeutically manage crises whilst overseeing the Sydney region as a Program Manager at her home organisation. Claire is also a CARE educator.

Yeshaya Corrick, B.E.D., has 17 years of professional experience in various therapeutic settings as a childcare worker and coordinator. He is one of the leading team which brought the TCI system to Israel in 2003 and is a member of the national steering committee for TCI. He currently works as a supervisor, mentoring and training educational staff and families, mainly in schools and facilities, which specialize in emotional and behavioral disorders.

Kelly Dempsey, M.S., has been a consultant with the Residential Child Care Project (RCCP) since 2013, providing training and technical assistance to residential child caring agencies, schools and child welfare organizations implementing the Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) and CARE: Creating Conditions for Change models throughout the United States and internationally. In her work with the RCCP, Kelly draws on over 20 years of experience serving children and families across residential care, school and community settings in a variety of roles including direct care worker, therapeutic foster parent, residential supervisor, training coordinator, and K-12 district Day Treatment administrator. She has been certified as a TCI trainer since 2007, became a CARE educator in 2013, and became a professionally certified TCI trainer in 2012.

Rachelle Dunahee began her career with neurodiverse youth in the education setting in 2005. After ten years in the classroom, she transitioned her work into a Severe and Profound Neurodiverse Residential Treatment program as the Program Manager. She developed a program and team that would specifically serve these youth that lived in out of home care. In 2016, her agency began implementing TCI and CARE, and she became a TCI Trainer and CARE Educator. Rachelle was also the Chair of CARE Implementation committee and served on the agency's TCI Implementation committee. With TCI and CARE as the driving model for caring for youth, Rachelle and her team utilized developmental relationships to create a trauma-informed program with family involvement, developmentally appropriate and competence centered practice, and an ecologically thriving therapeutic milieu as top priorities. In 2022, Rachelle achieved Professional Certification as a TCI trainer, and in 2023 she officially joined the RCCP as a TCI Instructor and CARE implementer.

Stephanie Dye is a Behavioral Support Consultant for the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District in Michigan. She is a Licensed Master's level Social Worker with an emphasis on School Social Work that was obtained from Grand Valley State University. She has been a Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) Trainer since 2011 for Muskegon County. She received her Professional Level Trainer Certification through Cornell University in 2023.  Stephanie has helped bring the TCIS system into over 14 school districts while providing TCI coaching support for over 46 trainers. She provides professional development in the areas of TCIS,  Functional Behavior Assessments, Positive Behavior Support Plans and in Mindfulness. She has over 14 years of experience working with at-risk youth in segregated education facilities for students with developmental disabilities and with emotional impairments. Her background consists of working with children and families in all stages of life while promoting self discovery, emotional regulation, and Mindfulness.

Alexandria Gravenall, B. H.S., has been working in the community sector for 11 years and in the out of home care sector for 10 years, in both the fostering and residential services. Transitioned into a training position in 2020 and currently assists with providing training to services across Queensland, Australia. Alex is interested in the areas of youth mental health, and domestic and family violence.

Jack C. Holden, Ph.D., has been an instructor and project consultant with Cornell University’s RCCP for over 30 years. Dr. Holden earned a Ph.D. in Education, specializing in Adult Learning and has presented workshops and research nationally and internationally and has authored, Developing Competent Crisis Intervention Training, and co-authored a chapter, Preventive Responses to Disruptive and High-Risk Behaviours, in the book International Perspectives on Inclusive Education. Dr. Holden has co-authored several training manuals including Therapeutic Crisis Intervention for Schools, (TCIS) and published in the Journal of Child and Youth Care Work, and Journal of National Staff Development and Training Association.

Sally Hollands, Sally is a primary school teacher with a postgraduate degree in Social Science. She has taught in both Australia and England and has worked in child protection and family support, primarily in Southern Queensland. Sally was introduced to Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) in 2007 and became an associate trainer through Cornell University in 2009. She has also managed TCI/F training for foster carers and employees within her previous organization. Passionate about supporting children in both home and school settings, Sally adapted her teaching approach to incorporate TCI’s strategies for addressing pain-based behaviour. She found that these strategies helped improve not only student engagement and attendance but also academic progress. Sally earned her recertification in 2024 and joined the TACT team as a Field Instructor. Through her work, she continues to support others in implementing TCI principles, aiming to create a positive, understanding environment for children facing challenges.

Cassandra Holt is a national Professional Learning Specialist working for a not-for-profit organisation in Australia. She commenced working in the out-of-home and community sector in 2003, with the last decade spent working primarily in learning and development. Cassandra first became a certified TCI Trainer in 2014, and then re-certified as an Associate TCI7 Trainer in 2020, along with receiving CARE Educator certification in 2022. As a lead TCI Trainer and CARE Educator within her organisation, Cassandra supports the implementation of CARE and TCI systems through informing policy and practice and bringing a nationally consistent focus to training. She also coordinates trainer engagement, retention and mentoring processes and also trainer Community of Practice’s. Her favourite part of these roles is connecting with other trainers and harnessing the collective wisdom and knowledge that each trainer brings. Personally, Cassandra enjoys spending time with her family, and heading outdoors to go camping and surfing.

Ben Jones is a Training and Development Coordinator with TACT. Ben is the Central point of contact for the RCCP in Australia and Coordinates all TCI Train the Trainer courses. Ben has a passion and commitment for supporting youth, families, staff and carers. Ben has vast experience supporting a diverse range of needs, having worked in a variety of roles in the out-of-home-care sector including; direct residential care, disability care, supporting vulnerable families as well as case management roles. Since 2015, Ben’s focus has been in Learning & Development; Ben became a TCI Instructor in 2017 and through TACT assists RCCP scheduling TCI throughout Australia. Outside of these roles, Ben is a dedicated foster carer.

Dalit Eshed Levy, M.A., is a clinical psychologist, life coach and private therapist. Dalit works with children and staff in child and youth residential facilities and has been a TCI instructor since 2003. Dalit is currently in charge of TCI implementation in the Youth Protection Authority and a senior consultant to the Israeli steering committee for TCI. She provides TxT courses and direct training throughout Israel.

Paul Jason Lunn has worked with children and young adults with learning difficulties, autism and complex needs for 17 years as a support worker, senior support worker and team leader in residential care for Hesley Group in the UK. Paul is now a Learning and Development Lead for Hesley Group and is responsible for ensuring the group are compliant with Restraint Reduction Network standards in the delivery of TCI within the group. Paul oversees the group’s induction programme and several of the services within the group.

Veronica Marin, BSocWk, MCouns, has dedicated over 25 years to working with children and families across diverse settings - from schools and disability services to family therapy and residential care. Her expertise focuses on implementation science, practice coaching, and trauma-informed leadership. Veronica led the implementation of the CAREmodel across a national social purpose organisation in Australia and continues to serve as a CARE consultant and TCI instructor since 2021.

William Martin, MHSA, has been working with children and families with special needs for over 40 years. He was the Executive Director of Waterford Country School, a nonprofit human service agency providing a multitude of services including residential treatment, emergency shelters, therapeutic boarding, foster care, special education, and outpatient services. Bill is a CARE implementer and a TCI instructor and is deeply involved in, and committed to TCI, TCIF, TCIS and CARE program models. Bill has a Master’s degree in Human Service Administration and a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work.

Belinda Mayfield, BSocWk, PhD, is a Practice Consultant at Life Without Barriers, a role which supports practice quality at a program and system level. Belinda has over 40 years experience in the child protection and out of home care field. Belinda has a particular interest in evidence informed practice, which was the focus of her doctoral study and bridging the ‘know-do gap’. Belinda was initially responsible for leading the implementation of CARE in Life Without Barriers which commenced in October 2015 and has trained as a CARE Educator and TCI trainer, and now supports other agencies in Australia as a CARE consultant.

Evan Melanson, MS. Ed., is an Extension Support Specialist with the BTCR. Evan has been working with youth in various roles since 2007. While employed with St. Colman’s Home, he worked in direct care, education, and administration. Evan has been a TCI trainer since 2014. He has a passion for working with all youth but especially youth on the Autism Spectrum and other developmental disabilities. 

Eddie Mendez has worked with children, young people and families since 1990 in both the government and non-government sector. Over this time, Eddie has worked in a variety of settings including custodial roles, Residential program, Foster Care, Learning and Development and as a CARE & TCI Practitioner. Eddie’s work has primarily been based in Western Sydney, Australia however now also provides support to programs at a national level. In addition to his direct work, Eddie has also been involved in the facilitation, design and development of many training work-shops for staff and carers. Eddie has been involved with the TCI program since 2000-2001 becom-ing a TCI Instructor in 2013 and delivers the TCI Train-the-trainer program across Australia.

Kate Myers, LICSW, was the Chief of Residential and Treatment Services at a CARE-certified organization serving youth with social, emotional, and behavioral challenges resulting from complex trauma. She was both a TCI and CARE-certified trainer. Currently, she is the Executive Director of an outpatient mental health and substance abuse treatment clinic with locations in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Kate has her Master’s Degree in Social Work and her doctoral degree in Organizational Leadership Psychology.

Shawn O’Grady, MSW, RSW, has been a Therapeutic Crisis Intervention instructor since 2001, initially certified as a Trainer in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina. Shawn brings a great deal of expertise in designing and overseeing treatment programs for children and families, as he draws from his experience in child and family treatment programs within the mental health field over the past 25 years. Shawn is currently working as an individual and family therapist, trainer and instructor in Calgary, Alberta and surrounding area. He has trained extensively with Dr. Bruce Perry and the Child Trauma Academy in the Neurosequential Model (NM) in the area of early childhood trauma and the ways that can impact children and even adults later in life. Shawn has a specialty in parental capacity and family systems, with a particular focus with families struggling as a result of domestic violence, parent/child conflict, high-risk child behaviour, and complex needs children. He has considerable skill and expertise in the area of crisis intervention and in family counseling, and he draws heavily on his understanding of other treatment and assistance programs to create plans that will help families. Shawn received both his Bachelors and Masters of Social Work with a Clinical Specialization from the University of Calgary and is a registered social worker with the Alberta College of Social Workers.

Lucinda O’Mahony, M.Sc., has worked with children and families for over thirty years. She worked as a care staff, manager, external supervisor and monitor in various residential care, education, homeless and addiction services in both London and Dublin. Lucinda is owner and director of Connexion Consultancy which provides training and consultancy to the social care, health, education and justice sectors across Ireland and the UK. Lucinda is an accredited psychotherapist and has a private practice in Dublin. Lucinda has also trained in child and adolescent play therapy, body psychotherapy and working with gender and sexual diversity (GSD). Lucinda has been a TCI trainer since 1998 and became Professionally Certified in 2004.

Courtney Patterson, BSocWk, is a Practice Consultant at Life Without Barriers, focusing on supporting agencies adopting the CARE model in Australia. Courtney has also recently become a TCI Instructor with the RCCP. Courtney has worked in the out of home care sector in Australia since 2009 across multiple settings including early intervention with families, foster care, residential care and child and family therapy.  In her previous role at Life Without Barriers, Courtney supported the implementation of CARE and TCI nationally. Courtney is currently completing her Masters in Mental Health (Art Therapy) and further studies through a Professional Certificate in Autistic Wellbeing, led by a strong passion for supporting neurodivergent families and children within the community.

Michele A. Pierro, M.S., holds an M.S. in Educational Psychology, Secondary Education, and certificate of Advanced Studies in Educational Administration. For the past 40+ years Michele has worked in a variety of educational settings, including Middle and High schools, programs for Gifted and Talented and in a maximum-security facility for juvenile offenders. She has been a faculty member at Columbia Greene Community College, Supervisor of Teaching Fellows at Pace University, a Principal and Director of Special Education at a BOCES in upstate NY, Director of School Safety and Positive Behavior Supports in D75 in NYC and Director of Security Resources for the NYCDOE, providing technical assistance to schools on the NYS Persistently Dangerous List. She serves as a rating officer and consultant with the NYCDOE and UFT. Michele joined the RCCP in August 2012.

Marques Richardson has over twelve years of experience working with children in residential child care. He is a lead TCI trainer at Astor Services for Children and Families. In addition to this role, he also serves as the staff development coordinator and is a CARE educator. He has been training TCI since 2012. Marques became a Professional TCI Trainer December of 2016.

Dominic Roth Dominic's first experience in community services was with refugee support, volunteering in Switzerland in the late 'noughties'. Moving back to Australia in 2014 he stumbled across residential youth work and was exposed to TCI. Since then, TCI has been an integral part of his practice in out-of-home-care direct service, leadership and program support roles. Dominic loves talking practice and supporting people caring for children and their families. He gets great satisfaction hearing from practitioners and leaders using frameworks for practice to support kids to experience success. Dominic has completed a Bachelor of Psychological Science, Master of Social Work, Diploma of Community Services Work and has trained as a mental health clinician. He also works as a Crisis Support Officer with Lifeline Community Recovery. It's important to him to make the theory and frameworks guiding practice 'real', and support understanding of the connections between research, theory and our capacity to help children experience positive outcomes and enjoy their lives. Dominic enjoys learning new things and getting lost in the bush on a mountain bike.

Pennie Sibbald, BA, CCYCC, Cert Adult Ed. Pennie lives, works, and plays on the traditional territory of the Blackfoot Confederation, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Pennie has over 30 years’ experience in the Child and Youth Care field, working in group care, in-home family counseling, school-based programming, young adult programming, mental health, and foster care. For many of those years she has been a TCI Trainer. Currently, Pennie is the Coordinator for the Learning and Development at Hull Services in Calgary, Alberta overseeing a large team of trainers, including several TCI trainers. In addition to her Coordinator and training roles at Hull Services, Pennie is on the Board of and Chairs the Advanced Practice Committee for the Child and Youth Care Association of Alberta, is the President of the Canadian Council of Child and Youth Care Associations, Vice President of FICE-Canada and on the Advisory Committee for the Child Studies Program with Mt Royal University.

Libby Sinclaire, Libby is a dedicated advocate for social impact, committed to empowering individuals and strengthening communities. With a career spanning over 15 years, she has worked across the disability, mental health, youth homelessness, and Out-of-Home Care sectors, building and strengthening her understanding of a trauma-informed approach with every role.
Libby’s passion for supporting young people and marginalised communities has been a driving force throughout her career. She has worked in roles that directly support vulnerable individuals, from assisting young people at risk of disengaging from education to facilitating safe and stable placements for children in Out-of-Home Care. Since being introduced to Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) in 2021, she has seen firsthand how its principles can transform the well-being of children, young people, their families, and carers. Now, as a TCI Associate Trainer, Libby is committed to supporting leaders and teams implementing the TCI system to do so with fidelity within their organisation, as well as equipping caregivers with the skills to respond to crisis situations with compassion, understanding, and evidence-based strategies. Beyond her work in social services, Libby has also played a key role in driving cultural change. Previously, Libby worked for a creative agency producing authentically inclusive content for Australia’s leading brands, advocating for greater representation of people with disability in the screen industry. She has also served as Chair of the Board for Listen Up Music, a national charity that empowers music industry professionals to develop and maintain positive mental health. Libby holds a Bachelor of Public Communication and is a TCI Associate Trainer.

Anton Smith, Executive Director, MSW, RSW, Anton is currently the Executive Director for Oak Hill Ranch, a campus based therapeutic residential program, located near Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He has worked at Oak Hill for fifteen (15) years and in the area Child and Youth Care for over 30 years in variety children’s services domains. In addition, he is a Children And Residential Care (CARE) Consultant and an Instructor for Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) with the Residential Child Care Project (RCCP) at Cornell University. Anton has completed a Masters in Social Work (2005) through Dalhousie University in Child and Family Practice and a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Victoria. Anton has presented at international, national and regional conferences on topics related to Child and Youth Care. He has published two peer-reviewed articles in the areas of residential treatment and restraint reduction.

Stella Smith is a registered psychologist, teacher and has a Masters in Education. Stella has worked in a range of roles specialising in behaviour consultancy, systemic behaviour therapy, counselling and mental health across the metropolitan Perth, regional and remote regions of Western Australia. She is a trained facilitator in Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI and TCI-S), Circle of Security (COS), Gatekeeper Suicide Prevention and Youth Mental Health First Aid. Stella is an active member for the Australian Association for Infant Mental Health (AAIMH WA). In 2019, Stella received the Anika Foundation Scholarship to support research into adolescent depression and suicide and completed a study tour of the application of Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) systems in schools internationally. Stella is passionate about trauma-informed practice, attachment, training and coaching with adults to best support young people in our schools.

Zelma Smith-Pressley, LMSW, Child Welfare Consultant and Trainer, has over 45 years of experience in the field of child welfare including training, consultation, curriculum development, supervision, and direct service delivery. Her work experience includes training in kinship care, recruitment, preparation and selection of foster and adoptive parents, residential treatment programs, child abuse and neglect and meeting planning. She is the principal developer of a national educational group support program for kinship families. Formerly, she was chairperson for the National Association of Black Social Workers’ National Kinship Task Force Committee and a past member of the National Kinship Advisory Committee at the Child Welfare League of America. She is a TCI instructor on the Residential Child Care Project. 

Angela Stanton-Greenwood, MA, MEd, CQSW, has worked with individuals with complex needs for over forty years as a practitioner with Barnardos in residential care and education and now as Director of Quality Assurance and Workforce Development in the Hesley Group England. She is a TCI and Proact SCIP R UK instructor and Positive Behaviour Support Coach. Angela is supporting CARE implementation and administers CARE and TCI through The Listening Post in Europe.

Laurence Stanton-Greenwood, BA hons in Education and Training, Qualified Social Worker with Qualified Teacher status, has worked with a population of people with complex needs both in Social Care and Education for 40 years as a practitioner and manager. Laurence supports TCI through The Listening Post in Europe. He became a TCI Instructor in 2012.

Rick Stephenson has worked in Health and Social Care in the UK since 1996. This has involved working with a range of young people and adults with complex requirements, including autism, communication challenges, and complex behavioural challenges. Throughout this time, he has worked in a variety of different roles, starting out as a Support Worker. Progressing to middle managerial roles, which have included Assistant Team Leader and Team Leader, Deputy Care Manager and Care Manager leading and supervising teams of staff and offering direct support to individuals on a daily basis. The more senior roles required Rick to manage staff teams within the service and ensure effective daily support to individuals with autism and complex challenges. Rick eventually became involved in the residential school environment with the senior management team, which was responsible for a number of homes. Rick moved on to become a Workforce Mentor for the whole organisation he was working with, representing a variety of different types of provision, residential homes, schools and colleges, as well as a wide range of complex needs. One of the primary responsibilities was supporting teams to provide situational and crisis support for individuals they supported and developing guidelines and ICSPs. It was during this role that Rick developed his passion for intervention support. He became a Principal Instructor for behaviour support programmes, which included TCI and clinical holding training for the Crisis Prevention Institute. Recently, Rick worked as a Quality Compliance Manager before setting up his own Training and Consultancy Business. His specialist interest areas are supporting individuals with complex behavioural challenges, consulting and guiding teams of staff and managers in supporting individuals with complex behavioural challenges, individual and person-centred planning, including the UK’s Mental Capacity Assessment and Best Interest Processes, as well as coaching and mentoring staff teams and managers, developing staff skills, knowledge, attitudes and values to meet the needs of those with complex challenges, and organisational implementation of effective behaviour support systems.

Misha Thomas, M.Div., has been a TCI trainer since 1995; works internationally as an organizational training consultant, speaker, and group facilitator. Misha was a founding co-contributor and faculty/consultant for The Sanctuary Institute between 2005-2015. Jobs throughout his tenure in residential care include teacher/counselor, child behavior specialist, program manager, training director, and textbook question writer for The Princeton Review. Publications include contributions in Therapeutic Communities and a textbook article in Danish professional development book, Engelsk: Paedogogisk Assistant, “Caring for Children with Special Needs,” edited by Anne Brunstrom.

Fiona Waites, Dip Governance, Dip CommServ(CaseMgmt), CertIV TrngAssmnt is a Child Protection and Learning and Development professional, specialising in supporting staff and carers engaging with traumatised children, at risk families and mental health. She has worked with youth in a variety of out-of-home care and homeless shelter settings since early 2002, with the majority of this time focussing on supporting children and families in the Child Protection sector. She has studied in the areas of psychology, adult learning and development with additional education in facilitation, governance and community service management. Based in Brisbane, Queensland, Fiona provides consultation and support across Australia and New Zealand through her full-time role with TACT, who support the TCI System in these countries on behalf of the RCCP. Fiona has particular interest in brain function, trauma, mental health, leadership and facilitation.

Brett Wilcock, Brett Wilcock is a proud identified First Nations descendant of the Arabana People of Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre, South Australia. Brett has been in the child protection field for over 23 years; most of which has been in Residential Care. Brett started off as a youth worker for BoysTown (campus model Residential Care) before taking on various positions in OoHC, such as Team Leader and Service Coordinator, Program Manager and Practice Training. Brett holds a degree in Psychological Science and loves all things to do with the human brain and understanding childhood trauma. Brett is an active member of Reconciliation Action Plan group "The Coolamon group" who advocate for cultural safety amongst young people and staff. Brett's greatest passion is facilitating training, coaching leaders and supporting programs to provide the best level of care for children we serve. Brett began facilitating training in 2009 with TCI and The Three Pillars of Transforming Care. In 2012, Brett became a CARE Educator which plays a major part of Brett’s career in driving positive change from an individual and organisational level. Brett enjoys spending time with his three beautiful girls, and loves playing guitar, video games and mountain biking.