Who We Are
Who We Are
Get to know the individuals across Philadelphia who have contributed to The Transcending Trauma Project over the years.
Our People
The Transcending Trauma Project has over the years consisted of approximately 25 individuals across Philadelphia from Council for Relationships, marriage and family therapists, psychologists, clinicians, licensed social workers, and academics from Thomas Jefferson University, University of Pennsylvania, Bryn Mawr College, Drexel University, Penn State University, and Villanova University. Additional people have contributed their time and energy, and several masters and doctoral students have used the data from The Transcending Trauma Project in their respective graduate theses.
Bea Hollander-Goldfein, PhD, LMFT, CCTP, Director of Transcending Trauma Project at the Council for Relationships; licensed psychologist and marriage and family therapist. Instructor and supervisor in the AAMFT accredited Post Graduate Program in MFT. Broad based clinical practice with expertise in trauma treatment.
Nancy Isserman, PhD, MSW, Co-Director of Transcending Trauma Project and Director of Operation Home and Healing: Services for Veterans and Families at the Council for Relationships. Instructor in the AAMFT accredited Post Graduate Program in MFT. Vice Chair Delaware Valley Veterans Consortium. Adjunct faculty in the Holocaust and Genocide Studies PhD program at Gratz College.
Briana Bogue, PhD, LMFT, is a practicing clinician at People First Therapy Group specializing in EMDR, individual, and couples therapy. She joined the TTP Research Team during her doctoral work to explore her fascination with intergenerational trauma and attachment relationships, and to contribute to analysis and dissemination of conclusions from this prolific qualitative work.
Sheryl Perlmutter Bowen, PhD, TTP research team, contributor to TTP publications; Faculty Director, Villanova Program in Intergroup Dialogue, Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Associate Professor, Department of Communication, Villanova University. Former director, Villanova Women’s Studies Program. Teacher/researcher/administrator focusing on communication issues around diversity, identity, and health.
Sean Cohn, BS, member of the TTP research team – primary focus developing the website and other online media for TTP; TTP thanks Jonathan for his donation that made the creation of these webpages possible.
Mina Gobler, MAEd, member of TTP since 1994; interviewer, analyst, transcript editor; Steven Spielberg SSVHF Mid-Atlantic Regional Assistant Coordinator.
Jennifer Goldenberg, PhD, LCSW, has been a member of the TTP research team since 1993. She has a private practice in Orono, ME, and works with adult survivors of childhood trauma, specializing in PTSD and the Dissociative Disorders. She teaches a graduate-level course in trauma theory and treatment at the School of Social Work, University of Maine. She is currently working on the impact of the Holocaust on the third generation.
Tirzah Goldenberg, MFA, has been a member of the TTP team since 2016, working as transcriptionist, analyst, editor, and researcher. She is currently researching the impact of the Holocaust on the third generation.
Susan Newmann Gordon, MSW, LSW, LMFT, MBA, staff therapist and clinical supervisor at Council for Relationships, joined the research team a few years ago. Trained in EMDR and military culture and veterans issues, her areas of interest also include life transitions, relationships between parents and adult children, couples conflict resolution and communication skills, negotiating cultural/religious diversity, and conflict in the workplace. Sue is the daughter and granddaughter of survivors.
Hannah Kliger, PhD, LCSW, LMFT, CST, professor at Penn State Abington, member of the TTP research team; licensed clinical social worker and marriage and family therapist; certified AASECT sex therapist; graduate analyst affiliated with the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia. Clinical supervisor at Council for Relationships.
Judy Levin, MSW, LCSW, BCD, shortly before retiring from a 30-year career in clinical social work, she began working with TTP as an interviewer, analyst, and researcher in 2000 and is still involved as an analyst and team member in spite of now living in western Massachusetts.
Julie Levitt, PhD, TTP research team member; director and funder of the TTP tape digitization project; clinical psychologist; oral historian.
Emilie Passow, PhD, Co-Director of the Certificate Program in Medical Humanities at Drexel University, member of the TTP research team, lectures widely on topics in Judaic Studies, American Jewish Writers, and Holocaust related topics.
Aviva Perlo, MSW, LSW, Director of Creative Coping, former Coordinator of Transcending Trauma Project, writer, innovator, recipient of Temple University Genocide Research Award, presented TTP findings at International Society for Trauma and Stress Studies.
Mindelle Pierce, MS, TTP research team member; researching and writing about survivor love stories, author of Love with No Tomorrow: Tales of Romance During the Holocaust (2021).
Lucy S. Raizman, MSW, LCSW, LMFT, CST, EMDR trained, since 1992 TTP interviewer, research associate, and contributor to TTP publications; senior staff therapist with Council for Relationships with more than 20 years’ experience; works with individuals, couples, and as a sex therapist with a special interest in mind-body oriented approaches to healing attachment-based injuries and relational traumas.
Peggy Roth, MSEd, LMFT, TTP interviewer, researcher, and analyst since 1993; licensed senior staff therapist and supervisor; works with individuals and couples focusing on problems of anxiety, trauma, and depression, using EMDR extensively when appropriate.
Dorothy Scamagas, MS, member of the TTP for two years; Psychologist/Clinical Specialist working with reactions and conditions related to stress and trauma. Developed a therapeutic intervention to address unconscious dynamics impacting current life negatively.
Juliet I. Spitzer, MSEd, founding team member of TTP; Director, Inter-Cultural Exchange at International Center for Contemporary Education, promoting peaceful management of conflict; teaches topics on Judaism; develops curriculum serving refugees and immigrants; award-winning singer-songwriter.
Carol Targum, MA, MSW, MFT, TTP interviewer and research team member. Therapist at Council for Relationships for five years, a graduate of the Council’s Post Graduate Certificate Program in Marriage and Family Therapy, approved AAMFT supervisor.
Ann Weiss, PhD, Director, and Founder of non-profit educational foundation, Eyes from the Ashes; researches and personalizes history of the Holocaust to help others learn to care and to act. Specializing in the field of Life Narratives & Life Studies, international speaker, and part of TTP project since its inception as an interviewer and research member.
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