As a pioneer in the field of recovery, Pia Mellody’s theories on the effects of childhood trauma have become the foundation for The Meadows’ programs and are a major reason for their success. Pia is widely known as one of the preeminent authorities in the fields of addiction and relationships. Her work on codependency, boundaries, and the effects of childhood trauma on emotional development has profoundly influenced the treatment of addictions and the issues of forming and maintaining relationships.

Pia is the author of several influential books, including Facing Codependence, Facing Love Addiction, Breaking Free, and The Intimacy Factor. At The Meadows, she trains our staff, counsels patients and families, speaks at campus workshops, and lectures around the world. Pia also developed the Developmental Model of Immaturity used by The Meadows.

Dr. Richard Schwartz began his career as a family therapist and an academic at the University of Illinois at Chicago. There he discovered that family therapy alone did not achieve full symptom relief, and in asking patients why, he learned that they were plagued by what they called “parts.” These patients became his teachers as they described how their parts formed networks of inner relationship that resembled the families he had been working with. Dr. Schwartz also found that as they focused on and, thereby, separated from their parts, they would shift into a state characterized by qualities like curiosity, calm, confidence and compassion. He called that inner essence “the Self” and was amazed to find it even in severely diagnosed and traumatized patients.

From these explorations, the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model was born in the early 1980s. IFS is now evidence-based and has become a widely used form of psychotherapy, particularly with trauma. It provides a non-pathologizing, optimistic, and empowering perspective and a practical and effective set of techniques for working with individuals, couples, families, and, more recently, corporations and classrooms. In 2013, Dr. Schwartz left the Chicago area and now lives in Brookline, Massachusetts, where he is on the faculty of the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Claudia Black is a renowned author and trainer internationally recognized for her pioneering and contemporary work with family systems and addictive disorders. In the mid-1970s, Claudia gave “voice” to both young and adult children from addictive homes, offering a framework for their healing. This cutting-edge work would be critical in creating the foundation for the codependency field and a greater understanding of the impact of family trauma.

Since that time, Dr. Black has continued to be a passionate leader in the field of addiction. She designs and presents training workshops and seminars to professional audiences in the field of family service, mental health, and addictive disorders. She has written more than 15 books, most notably It Will Never Happen to Me.

The recipient of numerous national awards, Dr. Black has been a keynote speaker on Capitol Hill and on Canada’s Parliament Hill. A Senior Fellow and clinical architect for the Claudia Black Young Adult Center at The Meadows, she also serves on the advisory board for the National Association of Children of Alcoholics and the advisory council of the Moyer Foundation.

As a therapist, trauma specialist, and founder of Justice Leadership Solutions, Resmaa Menakem dedicates his expertise to coaching leaders through civil unrest, organizational change, and community building. The author of the New York Times bestseller My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies, he is a popular speaker and interview subject, having appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil, Good Day LA, and numerous other programs and in a variety of publications.

Mentored by the late clinical psychologist Dr. David Schnarch for 20 years, Menakem has built a worldwide reputation as a leading voice in today’s conversation on racialized trauma and is currently working with notable organizations including the NFL and several major police departments and cities. Menakem has served as a trauma consultant for the Minneapolis Public Schools and as a Cultural Somatics consultant for the Minneapolis Police Department. In the role of community care counselor, he managed the wellness and counseling services for civilians on 53 US military bases in Afghanistan.

Menakem is also the author of 101 Tips for Emerging Justice Leaders and Rock the Boat: How to Use Conflict to Heal and Deepen Relationships. A licensed and independent clinical social worker and Somatic Experiencing practitioner, he studied and trained at Dr. Peter Levine’s Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute. Passionate about healing historical and racialized trauma carried in the body and the soul, he currently teaches workshops on Cultural Somatics for audiences of African Americans, European Americans, and police officers. Or in his words, “I help people, communities, and organizations find strength in healing that is holistic and resilient.”

Dr. Peter Levine holds doctorates in both medical biophysics and psychology. He is the developer of Somatic Experiencing® (SE), a naturalistic body-awareness approach to healing trauma, which he teaches all over the globe. Dr. Levin is also the founder of the Foundation for Human Enrichment and was a stress consultant for NASA during the development of the space shuttle.

An accomplished author, Dr. Levine penned Healing Trauma, Sexual Healing and the bestselling book, Waking the Tiger. He also co-authored with Maggie Kline Trauma Through a Child’s Eyes and Trauma-Proofing Your Kids. His latest book, In an Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness, is a testament to his lifelong investigation into the connection between evolutionary biology, neuroscience, animal behavior, and more than 40 years of clinical experience in the healing of trauma.

Dr. Levine was honored in 2010 with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the United States Association for Body Psychotherapy (USABP).

Dr. Kevin McCauley is a Meadows Senior Fellow, joining the Meadows Behavioral Healthcare team in 2016. A 1992 graduate of Drexel University School of Medicine, he first became interested in the treatment of substance use disorders while serving as a Naval Flight Surgeon where he observed the U.S. Navy’s policy of treating addiction as a safety (not a moral) issue and returning treated pilots to flight status under careful monitoring.

After developing his own addiction to prescription opioids, however, Dr. McCauley was court-martialed and imprisoned at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. There he read voraciously of what was known about the disease of addiction at that time. Today, he has over 15 years of continuous sobriety and has worked in a non-clinical capacity at several treatment centers, giving over 2,000 lectures on the neuroscience of addiction and recovery management. From 2004 to 2008, Dr. McCauley was Director of a level III Recovery Residence in Sandy, Utah, and the first president of the Utah Association for Recovery Residences.

Dr. McCauley wrote and directed two films: Memo to Self, about the concepts of recovery management, and Pleasure Unwoven, about the neuroscience of addiction, which won the 2010 Michael Q. Ford Award for Journalism from the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers.

Kevin currently lives with his wife, Kristine, in Sedona, Arizona, where he is a graduate student at the University of Arizona School of Public Health.

Kristin Kirkpatrick is the lead dietitian and manager of Wellness Nutrition Services at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute in Cleveland, Ohio. A bestselling author, experienced presenter, and award-winning dietitian, she is a sought-after national speaker on a variety of nutrition and wellness-related topics, appearing on the TODAYshow, NBC Nightly Newsand The Dr. Oz Show. She has also contributed to national publications including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, TIME, Runners World, Oprah, Martha Stewart Living, Food Network, Costco Connection, Self, Women’s Health, TODAY.com, The Huffington Post, US News and World Report, and she is a featured expert on Cleveland Clinic’s Health Essentials. The Huffington Post named her “one of 35 diet and nutrition experts you need to follow on Twitter,” and in December 2017, her show The New Rules of Foodaired nationally on PBS.

Kirkpatrick’s career began in Washington, DC, where she assisted in lobbying efforts for medical nutrition therapy reform on behalf of the American Dietetic Association Policy and Advocacy group. She then went on to become the regional coordinator of the Hearts N Parks program in Montgomery County, Maryland. During her time there, she designed, implemented, and measured health promotion programs within the Washington, DC metro area. Kirkpatrick then returned to Ohio to work for the Cleveland Clinic’s Department of Cardiovascular Genetics before eventually becoming the lead dietitian in the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute. In addition, she serves on Dr. Oz’s medical advisory board as well as the advisory board for Lose it!

Kirkpatrick has nearly two decades of experience in the health management arena and holds an MS in health promotion management from American University and a BA in political science from George Washington University. A Licensed Registered Dietitian in the state of Ohio, In May 2012 she received the Ohio Outstanding Dietetic Educator of the Year Award. In 2017, Kirkpatrick published her first book, Skinny Liver: A Proven Program to Prevent and Reverse the New Silent Epidemic—Fatty Liver Disease.

John Bradshaw was a world-renowned educator, counselor, motivational speaker, and author. He was one of the leading figures in the fields of addiction, recovery, and family systems, and around the concept of toxic shame. Bradshaw was chosen by his peers as one of the 100 most influential writers on emotional health in the 20th century. His bestselling books and sold-out lectures and seminars changed the lives of millions of people around the globe. Over the years, he wrote several New York Times bestsellers, including Homecoming: Reclaiming and Championing Your Inner Child, Creating Love, and Healing the Shame That Binds You.

Bradshaw had a long and extensive association with The Meadows, teaching staff and patients, speaking at alumni retreats, and lecturing mental health professionals at our workshops and seminars. He passed away on May 8, 2016. He will always hold a special place in our hearts. In recognition of his many contributions to the fields of addiction and recovery, an on-campus lecture hall is named in his honor.