Staff Instructors
Deb Thomas, MS, LMFTCurrently not accepting new clients
Families, Individuals, Marriage & Couples, and Teletherapy
Bellevue Presbyterian Church
Gary Steeves, MEd, LMHCFamilies, Individuals, Marriage & Couples, and Teletherapy
First Presbyterian Church of Spokane
Kay Abramson, MS, LMFTFamilies, Individuals, Marriage & Couples, and Teletherapy
Samaritan - Main Office
Rob Erickson, MS, LMFTFamilies, Individuals, Marriage & Couples, and Youth & Children
Samaritan - Main Office and West Side Presbyterian Church
Additional Instructors
George Faller, MS, LMFT is a retired Lieutenant of the NYC Fire Department, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in New York and Connecticut and an Approved Supervisor for the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. He is the founder and President of the New York Center for Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). As an EFT Trainer, George teaches several classes at the Ackerman Institute for the Family (the oldest family institute in the United States) in NYC, is a board member of the Porter Cason Institute for the Family at Tulane University in New Orleans and is the director of training at the Center for Hope and Renewal in Greenwich, Ct. Specializing in trauma, Family EFT, and self-of-the-therapist issues, George is committed to bringing EFT to underprivileged populations and pushing the leading edge of effective therapy. George hopes his books True Connection, Sacred Stress and the soon to be released Emotionally Focused Family Therapy contributes to the EFT movement of making our world a more secure place. (Information taken from his website: https://georgefaller.com/.)
James L. Furrow, PhD is an internationally recognized leader and contributor to the practice of Emotionally Focused Therapy with couples and families. Together with EFT originator Susan Johnson, Ed.D, Jim co-authored Becoming an EFT Therapist: The Workbook and The EFT Casebook, and the forthcoming text Emotionally Focused Family Therapy. He is co-author of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy for Dummies, a practical resource for couples and therapists seeking an everyday understanding of EFT principles and practices. Jim maintains an active research program examining the process of EFT and its effectiveness with couples and families. He is an ICEEFT-certified EFT therapist, supervisor, and trainer.
Formerly Jim served as the Evelyn and Frank Freed Professor of Marital and Family Therapy at Fuller Graduate School of Psychology in Pasadena California, where he trained psychologists and marital and family therapists in couple and family therapy for over two decades. He is a clinical fellow and an approved supervisor of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, a member of the National Council on Family Relations, and a Certified Family Life Educator. Jim served as co-founder and Executive Director of the Los Angeles Center for Emotionally Focused Therapy before relocating to the Seattle area.
Lisa Hardmeyer Gray has been studying mindfulness and meditation for nearly 25 years. In 2015 Lisa received full Certification as a teacher of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) through the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. Lisa has been teaching MBSR and Mindfulness training since 2011. Her clients include: International Community Health Services, Washington Physicians Health Program, Veterans Administration Puget Sound Health Care System, King County Healthy Incentive Program, Port of Seattle and the UW Center for Family and Child Well-Being. Lisa is currently completing her Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling through Antioch University. She is also an award winning documentary filmmaker who directed the film Healing a Soldier’s Heart which followed five veteran’s through a 12-week mindfulness class at the Seattle VA. Lisa is also the mother of twin 7 year olds.
Roy Hodgson, MA, MA, LMFT, LMHC has been involved in EFT trainings throughout the US, most recently doing a joint master class with Susan Johnson, Ed.D. Roy trained for over a decade in EFT, including a year of teleconferences with Susan Johnson. He is a licensed marriage and family therapist, a licensed mental health counselor in Seattle, and a certified counselor with the National Board of Certified Counselors. He has been a guest lecturer and instructor at Antioch University’s couples and family therapy program. Roy was the Washington Association of Marriage and Family Therapy 2014 supervisor of the year. He founded the Seattle Center for EFT. More information about the community and Roy can be found at www.seattleeft.com.
Veronica Kallos-Lilly, Ph.D., Registered Psychologist
Regarded as an expert in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Veronica Kallos-Lilly is sought after as a clinician, educator, and consultant to therapists around the globe. Her first book, co-authored with Jennifer Fitzgerald, An Emotionally Focused Workbook for Couples: The Two of Us, is receiving high praise and being recommended by counselors across the continent. As a Certified EFT Trainer, Veronica travels within Canada, the United States, and Australia to provide training.
Veronica has been practicing as a Registered Psychologist in British Columbia since 1997. In 2005, she co-founded the Vancouver Couple & Family Institute (VCFI) where she continues as a Director.
Yolanda von Hockauf, M. Ed., Registered Marriage & Family Therapist
Yolanda is a Registered Marriage and Family Therapist and a founding director of the Vancouver Couple & Family Institute (VCFI). A therapist in the original research study on Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) in 1983, Yolanda has been using this approach since it was established. Her skills as a Certified EFT Therapist are widely sought.
Yolanda has been a consultant and trainer to other psychotherapists since 1991 and frequently travels internationally to teach. She is an American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) Approved Supervisor and a Certified Trainer in Emotionally Focused Therapy – the most well-researched and proven approach to relationship distress.