Fostering the business interests and professional development of the psychology community.
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WPS Updates: We are now welcoming Social Workers |
Social workers have similar Continuing Education requirements for biennial relicensing as psychologists do. This includes 2 credits of pain management and 3 credits of ethics. Social workers have always been welcome to attend our webinars. For the first time, WPS is inviting them to become members. To learn more about the benefits of membership, click this link: https://washtenawpsychologysociety.com/membership.php |
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Member Spotlight: Lindsay Bailey, MSW |
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Lindsay Bailey has been drawn to connecting with and helping others for as long as she can remember. She values building meaningful relationships, engaging in thoughtful conversations, and understanding people’s stories and lived experiences. Lindsay's life experiences, along with her undergraduate studies in Psychology and Family Studies at Central Michigan University, deepened her interest in relational and clinical work. This ultimately led her to pursue a master’s degree in Social Work at the University of Michigan. During Lindsay's graduate training, she worked with adults with serious mental illness in a community mental health setting, as well as working independently with children on the autism spectrum, implementing ABA-informed principles and techniques.
Following graduate school, Lindsay began her career providing home-based therapy in Dearborn, MI, supporting youth in the juvenile justice and foster care systems, as well as students in some of Detroit’s lowest-performing schools. She found this experience to be both humbling and deeply impactful. Lindsay later transitioned into school social work in Dearborn, while supervising limited-license social workers and teaching trauma-focused and clinical skills courses at her alma mater. Lindsay went on to work as a contractual therapist in a group private practice, which confirmed her long-term vision of building her own practice. One year after launching her solo practice, she expanded into the group practice she owns and leads today, Pietruck Therapy Services, which celebrates ten years this April. The practice was also recently named Best of Ann Arbor in Therapy and Counseling.
Outside of work, Lindsay enjoys gardening, a multigenerational family tradition, along with canning, traveling with her family, exploring new restaurants, and staying active through Pilates, weightlifting, and outdoor walks. She also finds inspiration through travel, appreciating the perspectives that each experience offers.
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Sitting Together: Compassion in Psychotherapy Nicole LaBrie, LMSW, ACSW
April 24th, 2026 | 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM |
This webinar has been approved by the University of Detroit Mercy, an institution regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, which is our partner in the offerings of Continuing Education activities.
Sitting Together is a workshop for psychologists, social workers, and other mental health practitioners who are curious about the benefits of compassion, both for their clients and for themselves. We will explore the neuroscience of compassion as well as how to integrate compassion and self-compassion practices into the therapy room. Clinicians will learn specific techniques that they will be able to use immediately both in session and in their own lives to support their own well-being.
Non-members pay $60 per person and Members pay $40 per person. Membership costs only $75 yearly.
Click here to become a member |
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Nicole LaBrie, LMSW, ACSW
Nicole LaBrie is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker working in private practice. As a practicing clinician, she understands firsthand the delicate balance between deep empathy for clients and the risk of professional burnout. Nicole helps clinicians cultivate a "sturdy heart" that can witness suffering without being overwhelmed by it. In her practice, Nicole has a special interest in trauma treatment, especially in high achievement-oriented individuals. Her past work has included posts at the Veteran's Administration and as a teaching clinician at the University of Michigan. She is a certified EMDR therapist as well as a certified teacher of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy.
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The Human-Animal Bond with Reflections on Emotional Support
Helen Kahn, Ph.D. May 29th, 2026 | 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM |
This webinar has been approved by the University of Detroit Mercy, an institution regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, which is our partner in the offerings of Continuing Education activities.
As a psychologist/mental health professional have you been asked to assess and certify an emotional-support animal (ESA) by a client? If you have ever considered whether you might do this, you may have questions on whether such an assessment is billable, and if there are associated liabilities. In addition, there is considerable confusion among mental health professionals on whether we may be considered fully competent to fulfill such a request. This webinar will first explain the research over the past two decades in Human-Animal Bond. The presentation will then turn to differences among 1) a service animal; 2) a therapy animal; and 3) an emotional support animal including how the U.S. federal regulations such as the American Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Fair Housing Act (FHA) pertain to service animals vs. therapy animals vs. emotional support animals. Dr. Kahn will explain how she developed the ESA protocol to assess the mental health of the client, the human-animal bond, and the welfare of proposed ESA animal.
Registration coming soon. |
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| Helen J. Kahn, Ph.D., LP
Dr. Helen Kahn is a licensed psychologist and clinical supervisor with Clarity Behavioral Health and Assessments in Marquette, Michigan. She meets with adult clients , 18 years and old, with anxiety and mood disorders in individual psychotherapy sessions. Her speciality includes Emotional Support Animal Evaluations in which she engages in an
interactive process of psychological evaluation of the human with an assessment of the human-animal bond.
Dr. Kahn received her Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from the University of North Dakota in 1989. She then completed postdoctoral fellowships funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health and The Health Council of Québec (Fonds de Recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS) in Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition at the Université de Montréal.
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She then transitioned to her university career as a professor at the University of Vermont and Northern Michigan University. Following ten years of research in animal-assisted therapy Dr. Kahn was the founder of Sasawin Safe Haven a program with the Women's Center of Marquette. Sasawin Safe Haven provides safe housing for companion animals, and veterinary care for survivors whose animals are caught up in the cycle of violence with their humans. Dr. Kahn was licensed in psychology in Michigan in 2009 after completing a post-doctoral clinical specialization program. Dr. Kahn retired from Northern Michigan University in 2019, and has continued her psychology practice at Clarity Behavioral Health Assessment Center.
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C-SPHERE: Engaging Families in Prevention and Intervention Programs
Patti Chamberlain, Ph.D. April 17th, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM |
Building a successful prevention program is only half the battle; the real challenge lies in ensuring families actually walk through the door—and stay. Join Dr. Patti Chamberlain, a leading expert in evidence-based interventions, for an insightful session that moves beyond the "if you build it, they will come" myth.
This webinar provides a comprehensive framework for understanding how to foster meaningful, long-term relationships with families across various service levels. Participants will explore the nuances of universal, selective, and indicated prevention, learning why engagement strategies must be tailored to meet the specific needs of each group. |
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