Meet the Practitioners

Michael Newman, LCSW, began his professional career as a counselor on a multi-disciplinary chronic pain management team 1977. He became a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in 1983, and began a private practice in addition to his work on pain management teams. In 2001, he received training at the Biofeedback Institute of San Francisco and later that year began his training in neurofeedback at the EEG Institute in southern California. Michael is listed in the EEG Institute's directory of neurofeedback practitioners and is a member of the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback. He has worked with individuals, couples, and families challenged with loss, abuse, stress related illness, anxiety, depression, ADD/ADHD, closed head brain injury, and PTSD due to accidents and traumatic events.

Michael's Counseling Approach:
In my work as a counselor, whether with individuals, couples, or groups, my intent is, first and foremost, to be present and open, listening from my heart as well as my mind.

I believe this attitude and practice encourages the sense of safety and trust so essential to the process of self discovery, and is most likely to result in the constructive changes you may be hoping for.

My theoretical base for counseling is eclectic, reflecting my 30+ years of experience. I draw as appropriate from cognitive/behavioral, Rogerian, and Systems Theory. I believe that with caring assistance, most people can discover within themselves how best to live.

Leslie Newman, MSW, earned her Master's degree in Social Work in 1989. During the many years she worked as a psychiatric social worker, she created and directed a private care psychiatric case management team, gaining experience with individuals and families struggling with mental illness, geriatric issues, and hospice care. Leslie assisted clients to deal with their stress, anxiety, and depression. She took a special interest in addressing the needs of families with Asperger's and autistic children. She trained in clinical mental illness, psychophysiology, biofeedback, and neurofeedback at the Behavioral Physiology Institutes. She also received training in both biofeedback and neurofeedback at the Biofeedback Institute of San Francisco. Most recently she continued her training in neurofeedback at the EEG Institute in southern California and is listed in the EEG Institute's directory of neurofeedback practitioners.

Josh Wattenbarger