James Phelps, M.D., specializes in complex mood and anxiety problems. He has focused on teaching about non-manic versions of bipolar disorder for over 10 years. His website, PsychEducation.org, receives 20,000 visitors a month. Dr. Phelps is the author of Why Am I Still Depressed?: Recognizing and Managing the Ups and Downs of Bipolar II and Soft Bipolar Disorders (McGraw-Hill, 2006).

He authored revisions of the diagnostic criteria for bipolar spectrum disorders for the International Society for Bipolar Disorders. He has published multiple articles and reviews for peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Affective Disorders and Chronobiology International. He was recently named Bipolar Disorders section editor for Psychiatric Times.

He has received numerous awards for his teaching, including Teacher of the Year awards from both the Psychiatry and Family Medicine departments at the University of New Mexico, and from his current hospital’s residency program. Dr. Phelps received his M.D. from Case Western Reserve University. He completed his residency in psychiatry and a fellowship in medical education at the University of New Mexico. He holds an undergraduate degree in Human Biology from Stanford.

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Margaret Wehrenberg, Psy.D., a licensed clinical psychologist, is the author of 6 books on the treatment of anxiety and depression, including her most recent book for the general public The 10 Best Anxiety Busters. An expert on the treatment of anxiety and depression, she has extensive training and expertise in the neurobiology of psychological disorders. She earned her M.A. specializing in psychodrama and play therapy with children.

Dr. Wehrenberg has years of experience as a drug and alcoholism counselor, working with the U.S. Army in Germany and Lutheran Social Services in Illinois. She also has training in trauma treatment, EMDR, and Thought Field Therapy. She has a private psychotherapy practice in Naperville, IL, specializing in treating anxiety.

In addition to clinical work, she coaches business professionals on managing anxiety, she frequently contributes articles for Psychotherapy Networker magazine, and she has produced Relaxation for Tension and Worry, a CD for breathing, muscle relaxation and imagery to use with anxious clients. Her book, The 10 Best-Ever Anxiety Management Techniques, published by W.W. Norton, is a consistent top seller for anxiety management. You can find her on the web at www.margaretwehrenberg.com.

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Paul Brasler, MA, LCSW, has worked in the social work field for the past 22 years. His work experience includes adolescent residential treatment, inpatient and outpatient substance abuse treatment, experiential group process, being a mental health provider on a hostage negotiation team, drug court senior clinician, private practice with individuals and families, and crisis interventions.

For the past seven years, Paul has worked in five emergency departments in the greater Richmond, Virginia area conducting psychiatric assessments of patients in crisis. Paul helps the most vulnerable population in his community, and he enjoys the intersection of mental health, substance abuse and medicine. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Graduate School of Social Work, Paul returned to his alma mater to teach in 2012.

While he readily acknowledges the need for coherent and means-tested theories to support practice, he ultimately values the live experience of putting strategies into practical use. Seminar attendees consistently note that they like how he uses “real life” examples in his presentation.

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