Meet the Clinic Coordinator

Megan Ford, M.S. Marriage and Family Therapy
Aspire Clinic Coordinator

mrayford@uga.edu

Megan Ford, M.S., is the Clinic Coordinator at the UGA Aspire Clinic. She earned a graduate degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Kansas State University. Megan is a member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and also a professional member of the Financial Therapy Association. She serves as Copy Editor for the Financial Therapy Association's professional journal publication, the Journal of Financial Therapy. Megan's interest areas include women's issues, communication and conflict resolution in couple relationships, and linking the areas of finance and therapy.

Meet The Executive Committee

Lee Johnson, Ph.D., LMFT, Associate Professor in Human Development and Family Science

Aspire Director and Director of the Marriage &                            Family Therapy Program
ljohnson@fcs.uga.edu

Dr. Lee Johnson, is the Director of the Marriage and Family Therapy Doctoral Program and the Director of the Aspire Clinic. He is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and an American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Approved Supervisor. He earned his doctorate in Marriage and Family Therapy from Kansas State University, and his Masters Degree also in Marriage and Family Therapy from Utah State University. He has extensive training in couples therapy, family therapy and EMDR.

Jerry Gale, Ph.D., LMFT, Associate Professor in Human Development and Family Science

Director of Clinical Training
jgale@fcs.uga.edu

Jerry Gale, Ph.D. is the Clinical Director of the Marriage and Family Therapy Doctoral Program at the University of Georgia. He is a Licensed Family Therapist and an approved supervisor of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. He is the recipient of the American Family Therapy Academy 2006 Outstanding Research Award. He received his doctorate in Family Therapy in 1989 from Texas Tech University, and his Masters Degree in Counseling from the University of Arizona in 1979. He has extensive training in clinical hypnosis, couples therapy, and family therapy. He is also trained in complimentary therapies, including mindfulness meditation. He has recently co–developed a relational financial therapy approach, combining financial counseling with family therapy.

Joseph W. Goetz, Ph.D., AFC®, Assistant Professor in Family Financial Planning

goetz@uga.edu

Dr. Joseph Goetz currently serves on the executive committee and as a faculty supervisor for financial counseling and planning services in the Aspire Clinic. He is the program director for the UGA Family Financial Planning Program. He earned graduate degrees in the areas of psychology and financial planning from Texas Tech University, and holds multiple professional designations, such as Accredited Financial Counselor and Certified Retirement Counselor. He is a co-founder of the Financial Therapy Association and currently serves on their Board of Directors. He has developed extensive expertise in many of areas of personal financial management, including debt management, investing, and retirement plans.

Barbara Grossman, Ph.D., Foods and Nutrition

bgrossma@uga.edu

Dr. Barbara Grossman is the program director for the Dietetic Internship Program at the University of Georgia. She has conducted research in the areas of dietary assessment tools, chronic renal failure, appetite regulation and obesity, and has published on these topics. Currently, she teaches in the Foods and Nutrition department at the University of Georgia, in addition to administering the Dietetic Internship program.

Education:
1989  Ph.D. Foods and Nutrition  University of Georgia
1983  M.S.  Foods and Nutrition  University of Georgia
1979  B.S.  Nutrition Science   University of California, Davis

Meet Additional Aspire Faculty Members

Maria Bermudez, Ph.D., LMFT, Assistant Professor in Human Development and Family Science

Marriage and Family Therapy
mbermude@uga.edu

Dr. Bermúdez obtained her graduate degrees in Marriage and Family Therapy from Purdue University and Virginia Tech and has been supervising and teaching doctoral students for nine years. She is an Approved Supervisor and Clinical Member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Georgia.

Her program of research focuses on clinical outreach for Latino families, paying special attention to developmental, contextual, and systemic issues as they relate to race, class, culture, gender and sexuality. Her work is based in social constructionist, feminist informed and culturally responsive approaches to therapy, research, and supervision. Other research and clinical interests include conflict resolution, identity issues, couple and sex therapy, narrative therapy, and strength-based, experiential approaches in therapy.

Becky Mullis, Ph.D., R.D., Professor of Foods and Nutrition

Head of the Department of Foods and Nutrition
beckymullis@gmail.com

Dr. Rebecca Mullis' teaching expertise is nutrition intervention and her research interests include developing clinical and community-based intervention approaches for chronic disease risk reduction and health promotion. Dr. Mullis is particularly interested in policy and environmental approaches to reducing obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Currently she is involved in projects related to these interests: (1) an evaluation of six community-based interventions to reduce obesity; (2) A policy initiative to promote physical activity in schools; and (3) a study to determine if theater is an effective way of conveying messages about healthy eating and physical activity to children. All of these projects involve partnerships and collaborations with a variety of groups.