John Brentar, Ph.D., Executive Director
Dr.
Brentar is a licensed psychologist who received his undergraduate
degree at Case Western Reserve University and his M.S. and Ph.D. in
Clinical Psychology at Ohio University. He completed his doctoral
internship at the Albany Medical College in New York. Following his
internship, Dr. Brentar was a postdoctoral fellow at the Children's
Health Counsil for 13 years, serving as a staff psychologist, Clinical
Director, and Clinical Training Director. In 1991, he joined the staff
of Morrissey-Compton Educational Center, and in 2006, Morrissey-Compton
was excited to welcome him as its Director. In addition to his role as
Director, Dr. Brentar continues to conduct evaluations and provide
therapy to children and adults. He also consults with the Preemie
Graduate Services in the Department of the Lucile Salter Packard
Children's Hospital at Stanford. Dr. Brentar's professional interests
focus on learning disabilities, Attention/Deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder, Anxiety, Depression, Asperger's Disorder, and other
developmental disorders. He also teaches a seminar on psychological
assessment at the Stanford University Department of Psychiatry and
Behavioral Sciences.
|
Nicole Ofiesh, Ph.D., Associate Director
Nicole
Ofiesh, Ph.D. is an internationally known
researcher and specialist in the field of learning disabilities. Dr. Ofiesh oversees
Challenge School, research, tutoring initiatives, professional
development, and
the supervision of interns. She also conducts educational evaluations
and works
with children and adults to overcome school related challenges. Known
for her
ability to help parents and teachers to reach children in many simple
ways, she
regularly provides workshops and lectures. Additionally, she helps
professionals to implement educational policy in order to meet state
standards and
assess program effectiveness. She completed her doctoral study at Penn State
University and is currently Scholar-in-Residence in the School of Education and
Leadership at Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, Ca. She holds a CA
teaching credential in special education. An elected member of the
International Academy for Research in Learning Disabilities, she co-edited
their journal Thalamus and
serves on the editorial boards of several other research journals. Dr. Ofiesh's
research interests include processing speed, academic fluency, the
accommodation of extended test time, and factors that influence resilience in
struggling learners. She has published numerous articles and book chapters, and
is a frequent speaker at conferences on learning disabilities, and
consults with organizations nationally. Dr. Ofiesh has served as a faculty
member and researcher at Penn State University, Providence College, and the
University of Arizona. She is the proud mother of one fierce ice hockey goalie
and lives in the Half Moon Bay area.
|
Carolyn Compton, Ph.D., FOUNDER
Dr. Compton received a B.A. in Primary Education at Oberlin College, a M.A. in Special Education from San Francisco State University, and a Ph.D. in Psychological Studies in Education from Stanford University. From 1966 to 1975, she was an Associate Professor of Special Education at San Francisco State University. She worked at the Children's Health Council in various capacities from 1970 until 1997, serving most recently as Associate Director. She has also served as a Clinical Assistant Professor in Child Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the Stanford University Medical Center. Her publications include Learning Disabilities: Ten Year Follow-Up, co-authored with Dr. Harry Hartzell, and 100 Tests for Special Education. Dr. Compton holds Life Credentials in the Learning Disabled, Orthopedically Handicapped, General Elementary Teaching, and General Supervision specializations. |
|
Patricia Morrissey, Ed.D., FOUNDER
Dr. Morrissey completed a B.A. in Elementary Education at Wayne State College in Nebraska. She received a Masters Degree in Special Education from San Francisco State University. Her doctoral work in Education was completed at the University of San Francisco. Dr. Morrissey has extensive experience as a regular classroom teacher. From 1964 until 1970, she taught special education, and from 1970 until 1982, she served as the Director of Special Education of South County Cooperative in Menlo Park. Dr. Morrissey has also served as a professor, teaching graduate classes in Special Education at the University of Alaska, San Francisco State University, San Jose State University, and Notre Dame College in Belmont, California. She has written several papers on such topics as the language of curriculum and the long-term effects of the Slingerland program on students, and for a number of years was a consulting editor for the Intervention in Special Education journal.
|
Taylor Stilwell, M.S., Chief Operations Officer
Taylor received a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Houston
and an M.S. in Counseling Psychology. She is a certified
Dialectical Behavior Therapist and has worked with children and teens in
the juvenile justice system, including a program where closely supervised
opposing gang members participated in ropes courses and rock climbing
activities. After coming to California in 2001, Taylor worked as the
Director of Telecare Full Service Partnership, providing outpatient service
to mental health consumers in San Mateo County. As the Chief
Administrative Officer of Morrissey-Compton Educational Center, Taylor
promotes marketing and fund development, and manages human resources as
well as administrative policies.
|
Sue Garber, M.A., Coordinator of Parent and Community Education, Certified Parent Coaching Institute® Parent Coach
Sue
received a B.S. in Education from Kent State University and a M.A. in
Special Education from University of Wisconsin - Madison. Her
background includes Positive Discipline and Family Leadership training.
Sue re-established and coordinated the parent education program at
Children's Health Council for five years, before joining
Morrissey-Compton. At Morrissey-Compton, Sue provides individualized
parent coaching to parents of children preschool age through teenagers.
She helps parents understand their child's behavior and develop
strategies to address common parenting concerns. Sue coordinates the
community outreach program at Morrissey-Compton, bringing speakers to
schools and agencies. She also teaches parent education classes and
conducts school observations for children who are being evaluated.
|
Ted Alper, Ph.D.
Dr. Ted Alper completed a B.A. in Psychology from Michigan State University, a Master's in School Psychology from California State University, Los Angeles, and a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Oregon. He then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University and postdoctoral training at the Palo Alto V.A. Hospital Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit. Dr. Alper has been a Professor in the Clinical Child/School Psychology program at California State University, East Bay since 1970. His major teaching areas include cognitive behavioral therapy, learning disabilities, and pediatric psychology. Dr. Alper has additionally worked in a variety of school districts as a psychologist and most recently was the Lower School Psychologist at the American School of London (2000-2001, 2002-2004). He has had extensive experience in the evaluation of children and adults with learning disabilities, ADHD, and a variety of social emotional problems. Recently, he coauthored a chapter on the use of the WISC IV in the differential diagnosis of learning disabilities.
|
Patricia Bardina, Ph.D.
Dr. Bardina received her B.A. in Psychology at Pomona College and then completed a Master of Education in Educational Psychology at the University of Washington. For two years she worked at the Children's Hospital and Medical Center in Seattle as a Pediatric Mental Health Specialist, providing parent training and consulting with schools for children on the autism spectrum and children with behavioral disorders. Dr. Bardina received her M.S. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Washington, during which she taught classes in psychological assessment, conducted forensic and psychological evaluations, and provided therapy to children, adolescents, and young adults. She completed her doctoral internship at the Stanford University Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the Children's Health Council. Dr. Bardina joined Morrissey-Compton Educational Center in 2004 as a postdoctoral fellow. She remained on the staff, continuing to provide diagnostic evaluations and therapy to children and adolescents.
|
Ginger Brudos, Ph.D.
Dr. Brudos is a licensed psychologist with a specialty in pediatric neuropsychology who obtained her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Florida State University in 1995. She completed a predoctoral internship at the Stanford University Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the Children's Health Council. Dr. Brudos remained on to complete two postdoctoral fellowships specializing in infants through adolescents, pediatric neuropsychology, pervasive developmental disorders such as autism and Aspergers syndrome, early intervention, and outcomes of children with medical issues including premature birth, cardiac issues, seizure disorders and oncology. Following the completion of her postdoctoral fellowships in 1997, Dr. Brudos was hired as a staff psychologist at Lucile Salter Packard Childrens Hospital at Stanford where she became the lead psychologist in the Development and Behavior Unit managing a team of psychologists within a multidisciplinary clinic, engaging in diagnostic evaluations and research. Having recently returned from a sabbatical living internationally with her family of five, Dr. Brudos now adds expatriate child-rearing and understanding international schooling issues to her resume. |
|
Janet Dafoe, Ph.D.
Dr.
Dafoe completed a B.S. in Psychology and a Ph.D. in Child Psychology at
Stanford University. She was a postdoctoral fellow at the Stanford
University Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Dr. Dafoe then
worked at the Children's Health Council from 1985 until 2005. She
served as a staff psychologist, a diagnostician on the young child,
school-age, and adolescent teams, and conducted complex evaluations of
adolescents. Her specialty areas include Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder, Asperger's Disorder, school-related issues, and special
education law for parents, school administrators, teachers, and
probation officers. Dr. Dafoe has conducted numerous workshops on ADHD
for school administrators, teachers, and probation officers. She is on
the Steering Committee of the community Advisory Committee for Special
Education in the Palo Alto School District, and leads an ADHD support
group for parents of Palo Alto students. She served on the Board of
Trustees of the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology for 15 years, on
the Board of Directors of the Children's Center of the Stanford
Community for three years, and is currently President of the Board of
Trustees of the Mental Research Institute of Palo Alto. In addition, Dr.
Dafoe has been a Girl Scout Leader for 12 years, winning the
Outstanding Leader Award for Santa Clara County.
|
Elizabeth Santana, Ph.D.
Dr. Elizabeth Santana is a licensed psychologist who earned
her undergraduate degree from Stanford University. After completing college she entered the classroom
environment working as a bilingual 2nd grade teacher in the
Ravenswood City School District. She subsequently pursued her clinical psychology degree at
the University of Michigan where she earned her masters and doctoral
degrees. While at the University
of Michigan she completed her predoctoral clinical internship at the University
Center for the Child and Family where she conducted psychological evaluations,
provided child and family therapy, and led social skills groups. Dr. Santana was also active working at
a Detroit community mental health clinic as well as at the Behavioral Medicine
clinic in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Some years later she returned to California to complete a predoctoral internship at the Children's
Health Council. In 2005 she joined
Morrissey-Compton Educational Center as a postdoctoral fellow and she
subsequently remained on staff to continue conducting diagnostic evaluations
and providing therapy to children, adolescents, and parents.
|
Karen Dearing, Ph.D.
Dr. Dearing received her B.A. in Psychology at Duke
University in North Carolina and then spent two years working in a research lab
at Duke studying children's peer relationships. Dr. Dearing received her M.S.
and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Delaware, during which
time she conducted psychological evaluations of children and adults, worked as
a therapist in an inpatient facility for youth, and provided therapy to
individuals and families. She completed her doctoral internship at the Stanford
University Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the Children's
Health Council. Following internship, Dr. Dearing stayed on at Stanford as a
postdoctoral research scholar in the Department of Psychology, where she
conducted research on the causes and correlates of adolescent depression. Dr.
Dearing joined Morrissey-Compton Educational Center in 2010 to conduct
diagnostic evaluations.
|
Heather Taylor, Ph.D.
Dr. Taylor graduated magna cum laude from U.C. Berkeley with a
Bachelor of Arts with Highest Honors in Psychology. She completed her doctoral
degree at UCLA where she was the recipient of the UCLA Senior
Scientist-Practitioner award, which is given annually to the advanced
psychology student who best demonstrates the integration of science and
practice, and the Spencer Dissertation Fellowship, a highly competitive
fellowship awarded to individuals conducting exemplary dissertation research
related to education. Dr. Taylor interned in the Child and Adolescent
Psychology Track at Bellevue/NYU Child Study Center and completed her training
as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Clinical Child Psychology at Stanford University.
While at Stanford, in addition to her primary position in the Anxiety and
Behavioral Disorders Clinic, Dr. Taylor provided assessment and treatment
services in both the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Clinic and the
Eating Disorders Clinic. Dr. Taylor has extensive experience conducting
neuropsychological and psycho-educational evaluations and Autism Spectrum
Disorder assessments. She enjoys providing parent-training to families of
children with attention, anxiety, behavioral, and/or developmental disorders,
as well as working individually with children and adolescents. Dr. Taylor has a
well-rounded clinical background and expertise in a number of empirically
validated treatments. Clinical areas of interest include adoption, attention
and behavioral disorders, autism spectrum disorders, and a variety of anxiety
disorders, such as OCD, selective mutism, separation anxiety, and specific
phobia.
|
Brooke Cargile, M.A.
Brooke Cargile grew up in the Bay Area but also spent
multiple summers with her mother's family in Hawaii. She attended San Francisco State University and obtained her
Bachelor's in Sociology there. She
continued at SFSU to complete all levels of her teaching credential as well as
a Master's in Special Education.
Brooke has extensive experience teaching children who struggled with
learning differences as well as emotional disturbance at the Children's Health
Council's Esther B. Clark School, Edgewood Center in San Francisco, and Pine
Hill School in San Jose. She
remained full time within the classroom setting until joining Morrissey-Compton
where she now provides diagnostic and tutoring services. Since that time, she has continued her
teaching at Challenge School for the last four years. All told, she has been teaching for 14 years and tutoring
students individually for much of that time. Brooke is also currently working with Santa Clara County
Department of Family and Children's Services through Morrissey-Compton
advocating for the educational rights of children within the foster care and
juvenile justice system. She is
trained in Slingerland, Wilson Reading, and Making Math Real.
|
Dorothy McMullan, Ed.T.
Dorothy
is a certified educational therapist who joined Morrissey-Compton
Educational Center in 2002 to provide tutoring and diagnostic services.
Dorothy began her career as an educator when she started a ballet school
when she was in the seventh grade. She completed her B.A. at the
University of Alberta, Canada, and worked as a Special Education teacher
and program administrator in New York City for 14 years. A second
career in a Fortune 500 high tech company as a manager of training and
communication followed when she migrated to California. She especially
enjoys helping students to become good writers.
|
Erin Shinn, M.A.
Erin Shinn joined Morrissey-Compton Educational Center as an
Educational Specialist in 2006.
She provides diagnostic evaluations and tutoring to both school age and
post-secondary students. Her
tutoring interests include helping students to develop organizational skills,
study skills, testing-taking techniques, written expression, and reading
comprehension. In 2008, Erin
starting working as an Educational Consultant with the Educational Rights
Project, a collaborative effort between Morrissey-Compton Educational Center,
Legal Advocates for Children and Youth, and Santa Clara County’s Department of
Family and Children Services and Juvenile Probation Department. Erin’s interest in education began when
she worked in a special education classroom for students with behavioral and
emotional challenges. Erin holds a
Mild/Moderate Education Specialist Teaching Credential and a Masters in
Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. When Erin is not working, she enjoys
spending time with family and friends, being outdoors, and traveling.
|
Dr. Raymond Jones, Ph.D.
Raymond Jones, Ph.D. joined the Morrissey-Compton
Educational Center February 2010 as an Educational Specialist. He provides diagnostic educational
assessments, executive function coaching for ADHD youth (8-17 years) and young
adults (18+years), NLP interventions for self-esteem, along with metacognition learning
strategies for youth ages 8-17.
His tutoring expertise includes assisting students in identifying their
dominant multiple intelligence(s); and in developing practical applications of
organizational skills, learning strategies for reading comprehension and
written expression in everyday settings.
With extensive training in communication disorders, learning disabilities
and clinical psychology, Dr. Jones has taught and worked with clients ranging
in age from pre-school to adult.
He has directed college academic skills centers, a speech and language
center, consulted with pre-school agencies, facilitated parent training
classes, taught classes for students having social behavioral challenges,
served as Board member on various social justice agencies throughout the Bay
Area, and hosted a public service radio show for five years.
|
Susan Chait, B.S., M.B.A., M.A.
Susan has ten years of experience in education at levels
K-8. Education is a second career
for Susan, following several years of human resources experience and an MBA
from Columbia University. She
earned her Education Specialist teaching credential and Masters Degree from
Notre Dame de Namur University.
Susan is trained in the Slingerland method of reading instruction and uses
Making Math Real techniques in her tutoring.
|
Deborah Cassou, M.A.
Deborah grew up in the community, attending Palo Alto schools and acting in plays at the Palo Alto Children's Theater. A few decades later, she studied Learning Disabilities and Counseling Psychology at Santa Clara University, in a career change from a high tech company. Within the later environment, she helped advocate for adults with learning differences as an important part of that culture's diversity. During that time, she served on a board of directors for a Bay Area organization whose focus was on individuals and families managing ADHD. She transitioned to private practice in 2000 to pursue her love of working with a younger population. Since then she has taught reading skills using her Slingerland, Orton-Gillingham, and Lindamood Bell training. In 2010, she added team support to her work by joining Morrissey-Compton. As a teacher of multi-sensory learning, she utilizes its benefits for students who have a variety of learning challenges. Deborah also enjoys helping to spark the fun of expressive writing for kids. She guides young authors to explore the real and the imaginary, as well as develop higher order thinking skills needed for interesting and maturing writing.
|
Suzy Music, B.S.
Suzy
joined Morrissey-Compton in 2008 to serve as a homework coach and
research assistant. Suzy grew up in Ohio and obtained her Bachelor of
Science in Psychology from John Carroll University. During her
undergraduate years, she spent a year in Italy, where she learned to
speak Italian fluently and immersed herself in Italian culture. As a
homework coach for Morrissey-Compton, she helps students organize their
schoolwork and tutors them in specific subjects. She is also starting a
homework club that will provide small groups of students with general
academic support.
|
Paulette Giovannoni, Administrative Assistant
Paulette
grew up in the Bay Area. She studied Early Childhood Education at the
College of San Mateo and San Jose State University. Paulette began her
career as a pre-kindergarten teacher. She worked at the Children's
Health Council as Administrative Services Manager for 13 years before
joining Morrissey-Compton Educational Center as an Administrative
Assistant.
|
Kathy Kinkaid, Accounting Manager
Kathy
grew up outside of Buffalo, New York. She attended SUNY at Buffalo
where she studied Business Administration. Kathy served as the Director
of Sales and Service Administration at Telesensory for 18 years. In
2000, she joined our staff on a part-time basis. She also works at the
Midpeninsula Speech and Language Clinic in Palo Alto.
|
Stephanie Stilwell, B.M., Front Desk Coordinator
Since
2008, Stephanie has been grateful for the wonderful opportunity of
working for and with Morrissey-Compton Educational
Center. If
you have appointments in the morning, she will be the one to kindly
greet and welcome you. She also handles all incoming calls and books appointments. When she is not at the office, she is a
proud Volunteer for Pathways Home Health and Hospice. Stephanie is also
a continuous student of Psychology and holds a deep love to learn about
anything that helps contribute to further positive self-growth. Just
recently she received her Bachelor's Degree in Metaphysics and is
currently working on obtaining her Master's. Aside from all of this,
Stephanie is a passionate photographer, an avid reader and a creative
story-writer!
|
Claire Grant, M.A., Front Desk Coordinator
Claire received a B. A. in Psychology from Chapman
University and an M. A. in Counseling Psychology (Marriage and Family Therapy
emphasis) at the University of San Francisco. She has worked in school and clinic-based counseling with
the Community Youth Center (CYC) of San Francisco as a trainee over the last
year; she has worked with children and teens with a variety of diagnoses, and
offered family services when necessary.
Throughout her educational career she has focused her research on
infertility, adoption and cohabitations effect on marital commitment (subject
of thesis). She is currently
performing a private-practice internship in international adoption. As the afternoon Front Desk Coordinator
of Morrissey-Compton Educational Center, Claire handles all incoming calls,
books appointments and serves all your customer service needs and
inquiries.
|
Board of Directors
President
Sara Spang
Secretary/Treasure
Jack Morton
Morton & Associates, Inc., Palo Alto
Members at Large
Camila Neri
Jeanne B. Ware
Rudie Trenton
Jeff Wiley
Ginna Lazar
Allan Epstein
|
|
