Psi Chi - Psychology Honor Society

Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society

Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society

Magna cum laude

Wells Fargo Employee Assistance Consulting, Phoenix, AZ 1/04-12/05

Employee Assistance Consultant. Provide assessment and referral for counseling, assist with obtaining/locating resources, robbery response, consultation with management and human resources.

Private practice, Scottsdale, AZ 11/03-current

General psychotherapy for individual adults, adolescents and children, marriage and family therapy. Psychological testing as appropriate. Use hypnosis and EMDR as appropriate.

Progressive Insurance Health Services . Tempe, AZ 2/99-1/04

Employee assistance program psychologist. Provide counseling to individual adults, children and adolescents, couples and families. Use hypnosis and EMDR with appropriate issues. Vocational, personality, learning disability and ADHD/intelligence testing. (Instruments: WISC-III, WIAT, CISS, SII, MIQ, MMPI-2, CPI, MBTI) Provide psychoeducational workshops and consultation to management and human resources.

Veteran's Administration Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ 5/97-6/00

Medical psychologist. Provided pain management, smoking cessation education, and therapy for various mental health issues. Utilized hypnosis with a variety of patient issues. Evaluated patients utilizing personality and cognitive assessment instruments. (Instruments: MMPI-2, MCMI-II, PAI, WAIS-R, WMS-R, DRS, WRAT-3, Folstein MMSE).

Family Counseling Agency, Judicial Supervision Program Tucson, AZ 7/96-5/97

Program Director. Created program including training manuals, protocols, rules and regulations for service. Provided therapeutic supervision and family therapy for parents and children court ordered to therapy/supervision. Presenting issues include family reunification, child abuse, domestic violence, drug dependency, poor parenting skill, and issues related to parental abduction. Provided supervision of parent(s) and child(ren) on visits. Testified and made recommendations to the Pima County Superior Court, Domestic Relations. Supervised two case managers and 20+ visit supervisors. Responsible for assisting in grant writing, community outreach, leading staff meetings.

Veteran's Administration Medical Center, Tucson, AZ 9/95-9/96.

Psychology predoctoral intern. Provided individual and family counseling in the areas of health psychology, geriatrics, hospice, mental hygiene, and within a primary care team. Provided individual and group therapy for HIV+ clients within infectious disease clinic. Provided assessment consultation and evaluation (MMPI/MMPI-2, BDI, TAT, Rorschach-Exner system, WAIS-R, BAI, IPAT, HDI, Folstein Mini-Mental Status exam Received approximately 2 hours per week of individual supervision and 2 hours per week of group supervision. Weekly training in clinical hypnosis.

Family Counseling Agency, Tucson, AZ. 12/95-3/96.

Psychology predoctoral intern. Provided couple, family and individual adolescent and child therapy for presenting concerns of relational difficulties, blended family issues, divorce recovery, communication problems, self-esteem, family systems issues, and conflict management. Co-lead couples group for domestic violence resolution for I I week class. Co-lead high-school based group for conflict resolution. Co-counseling with couples. Received 2 hours of supervision for each 24 hours on site, plus one group supervision per month within staff meetings.

Lutheran Social Services. Minneapolis, MN/St. Paul, MN 9/93-8/94.

Psychology extern. Provided individual counseling to adolescents and adults and family therapy in a community mental health setting. Clinical focus consistent with a broad based community mental health agency. Provided direct service in the form of support groups to children grades 2-6 referred by teachers and through interviews (Inver Grove Heights school district). Topics presented included self-esteem, grief/loss, and personal safety. Received I hour per week of individual supervision, and approximately I hour a month of group supervision. Assessments used: MMPI-2, BDI, Prepare/Enrich, IMC, SII, WISC-R.

Psychology extern. Provided individual counseling on a walk-in basis for crisis-related issues to adults. Clinical issues consistent with a crisis oriented center. Received 1-1 ½ hours of group supervision every other week.

Vocational Assessment Clinic, University of Minnesota. 3/92-8/92, 6/93-8/93, 6/948/94.

Student counselor. Provided direct service through vocational counseling and assessment for adults presenting with issues related to career exploration/ career change.

Responsible for interpretation of test battery including GATB/MATB, SII, CPI, MPQ, MIQ, MSQ, case presentations, case notes, and client summary write-ups. Received individual supervision I hour per week.

University Counseling Services. University of Minnesota. 9/91-6/92.

Practicum student counselor. Provided direct service to undergraduate and graduate students presenting with issues consistent of a general mental health student counseling center. Presented vocational workshops. Received individual supervision I hour per week, and group supervision 2 hours per week. Received didactic training 2 hours per week. Assessments used: MBTI, SII, MIQ, WAIS-R, CPI, MMPI.

Veterans Administration Medical Center, St. Cloud, MN. 6/91-9/91.

Full time, psychology trainee. Provided individual counseling to chronically mentally ill inpatient veterans. Clinical focus was consistent with an inpatient/outpatient mental health clinic. Conducted insight and affect oriented groups twice weekly with veterans primarily presenting with diagnoses of depression and PTSD. Co-facilitated a domestic violence group for court ordered perpetrators using the Duluth model of power and control. Responsibilities were congruent with those of a staff psychologist including intake interviews, client staffing, charting, case presentation, and administration and write up of neurological screening (WAIS-R, WMS, mini-mental status exam). Participated in in-service training. Received approximately 9 hours of supervision per week in form of co-therapy, case review/consultation, and observation of therapy.

Interviewing lab instructor/supervisor, University of Minnesota. 3/94-6/94. Directly responsible for didactic lab instruction and individual supervision of 6 prepracticum graduate students. Students responsible for twice weekly taped role play sessions and 4 counseling sessions with selected undergraduate students. Responsibilities included interviewing and selecting appropriate undergraduate student clients, helping students gain basic skills and learn to evaluate their own counseling sessions, review case notes, and provide process and content feedback. Weekly meetings with course instructor, planning lab curriculum, and evaluating students for practicum.

Had responsibility for 4 Masters level psychology students. Responsibilities included facilitating group process discussions of ethics, helping trainees prepare tape transcripts and case presentations. Provided process feedback to trainees on client sessions and issues. Evaluated projects on ethical dilemmas, case presentations and tape transcription Provided 2 hours group supervision per week, received 1 1/4 hours group supervision of supervision per week

Employee Assistance Program. Minneapolis, MN. 3/95-6/95.

Provided workshops on conflict management/conflict resolution to work groups within the University of Minnesota. Responsible for co-planning curriculum. Facilitated group exercises and skill building. Supervision 2 hours per month.

Lutheran Social Services, Minneapolis, MN. 1/94.

Provided 3 psychoeducational/support group sessions at University Lutheran Church of Hope. Responsible for co-planning curriculum. Clinical issue focus was depression.

Clinical hypnosis. (1995-current)

Divorce Recovery/Children Cope with Divorce, Family Counseling Agency 9/96, 4/97.

Sexual Violence Program- University of Minnesota. 8/92-1/93.

Participated in 54 hours of intensive training for sexual violence including sexual assault,  domestic violence, and sexual harassment. Volunteered as victim advocate on call 40 hours per month.

University of Minnesota, 9/90-8/93.

Twin Study of Adult Development. University of Minnesota. 9/91-8/92

Quarter time, one year. Interviewed adult twins, administered WAIS-R and partial

Weschler Memory Scales, tested blood pressure, glucose levels, and lung capacity

Adult Relationships Project. University of Minnesota. 9/90-6/93

Reviewed literature, assisted in creation of survey, mailings, data entry, data analysis, and manuscript preparation.

Minnesota Twin/Family Study. University of Minnesota. 6/89-3/90.

Half time. Located and recruited twin families, coordinated large scale mailings, assisted with data management and data entry, and phone prompting. Coordinated family interaction sessions, and completed interviewing training including child and adult ability testing.

Gafner, G. & Benson, S. (2004). Hypnosis, Unconscious Process & Metaphor Development. Solicited short course presented at 9^th International Congress on Ericksonian Approaches to Hypnosis and Psychotherapy, Dec. 2004, Phoenix, AZ.

Gafner, G. & Benson, S. (2003). Regional workshop for ASCH, 1 ½ days Intermediate classes, 1 ½ days Advanced classes, Dec. 4-7, 2003, Phoenix, AZ.

Gafner, G. & Benson, S. (2002). Hypnotic Techniques for Treating Anxiety. Luncheon workshop presented through Cottonwood de Tucson continuing education luncheon program, Sept. 2002, Phoenix, AZ.

Gafner, G. & Benson, S. (2001). Standing on Milton’s Shoulders: Novel Applications of Metaphor in Hypnosis & Psychotherapy. Solicited short course presented at 8th International Congress on Ericksonian Approaches to Hypnosis and Psychotherapy, Dec. 2001, Phoenix, AZ.

Gafner, G. & Benson, S. (2001, 2002). Weaving Hypnosis into Psychotherapy. Full day workshop presented for Southwest Health Professions Education Center, July 2001, Prescott, AZ.

Presented for Jewish Family & Children’s Services, Nov. 2002. Tucson, AZ.

Gafner, G. & Benson, S. (1999) Indirect Hypnotherapeutic Approaches to Treating PTSD in Refugees from Africa and Central America, Solicited short course presented at 7th International Congress on Ericksonian Approaches to Hypnosis and Psychotherapy, Dec. 1999, Phoenix, AZ.

Frazier, P., Benson, S., Losoff, A., & Maurer, S. (1993). Desire for Marriage and Life

Satisfaction of Unmarried Adults. Poster presented at Minnesota Psychological Association Convention, May 1993, Golden Valley, MN.

Gafner, G. & Benson, S. (2003). Hypnotic Techniques. New York: Norton.

Gafner, G. & Benson, S. (2001). Indirect Hypnotherapeutic Approaches to Treating PTSD in Refugees from Africa & Central America. Contemporary Hypnosis, 18 (3), 135-144.

Gafner, G. & Benson, S. (2000) Handbook of Hypnotic Inductions. New York:Norton.

Frazier, P., Arikian, N., Benson, S., Losoff, A., & Maurer, S. (1996). Desire for marriage and life satisfaction of unmarried adults. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 13, 225-240.

My research interests lie in the area of interpersonal relationships and divorce. In an applied setting, my main interests lie in working with couples, families, children and adolescents, as well as in consulting and organizational assistance. My theoretical orientation is family systems with components of contextual therapy, and cognitive-behavioral therapy. I am also interested in group therapy and outreach in the area of providing workshops. Within teaching, my main interests lie in introductory psychology, and courses related to counseling. Counseling course interests include interviewing, history and theories, ethics, and practicum/supervision.

Associations and Divisions

1) Member of Graduate Student Liaison Committee, Psychology Department, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN. 1991-1994

2) Member, APA. 1997-current.

3) Member, ASCH 1998-current.

4) Member, AzPA. 1998-2000, 2004-current

5) Member, Scottsdale Psychological Society. 2005.

6) Member, Secretary/Treasurer, Phoenix Society of Clinical Hypnosis. 2005

1) University of Minnesota Psychology Department Dissertation Fellowship, 1995.

2) American Psychological Association, Science Directorate Dissertation Research Fellowship

Award, December, 1995.

3) Stocker Foundation grant of $15,000.00 for Judicial Supervision Program, 1997

4) AzPA Arizona Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award, large business category. Co-authored with Tom Ashworth, HR manager, for Progressive Casualty Insurance, 2003.

Arizona Psychologist License #3252

ASCH Certification in Clinical Hypnosis, certificate # R9095

Available upon request