StartAgain Associates

Instructor(s)

Instructor Bio:

Dr. Steve played CBGB and Max’s Kansas City in the late 70s; drank, played in a toy rock band and then got sober in the 80s; became an international social justice/diversity educator and rocker again in the 90s; and is now a sought after consultant, trainer, clinician, writer and meditation teacher. Dr. Steve has attempted to cure Marc Maron on WTF, become a master EMDR therapist and provider of EMDR Training as a network faculty member with the Institute for Creative Mindfulness, and has become a pioneer in the Buddhist recovery field. He is the CEO of StartAgain Associates, where he develops trauma-focused mindfulness based mental health training and technology solutions. He created the MET(T)A Protocol (Mindfulness and EMDR Treatment Template for Agencies), a design for mental health agency treatment using Buddhist mindfulness and EMDR Therapy, currently being utilized in trauma and addiction treatment centers across the country and internationally. He blogs and podcasts on topics related to mental health, recovery, and mindfulness. Besides maintaining a small therapy and coaching private practice in Los Angeles, he travels internationally speaking and teaching on Buddhist mindfulness, EMDR therapy, the MET(T)A Protocol, trauma, corporate wellness, Buddhist approaches to treating mental health issues, digital health innovation, and clinician/caregiver self-care. He has been practicing Buddhist mindfulness for over 30 years (including a one year residency at a Zen monastery), and teaches dharma classes regularly in Los Angeles and other centers internationally. Steve is Co-Founder of HapTech Holdings, the creators of BioHaptics™, a full immersion bluetooth sound technology linking speakers embedded in footwear to bluetooth headphones, designed for entertainment use and for health and wellness applications. StartAgain Technologies develops, collaborates on and acquires applications to deliver through BioHaptics hardware, to enhance the MET(T)A Protocol and add new dimensions to many other health and wellness platforms. StartAgain has partnered with the NTL Group to provide their cognitive repair and enhancement digital solutions as an enhancement to the MET(T)A Protocol and as a standalone solution. StartAgain also partners with other technology companies in health care through their membership in the Connected HealthCare and Wellbeing Cluster and Regional Development Centre at the Dundalk Institute of Technology in Dundalk, Ireland. Steve graduated in 2022 from the Master of Health Care Innovation (MHCI) program at the University of Pennsylvania where he studied and collaborated with fellow students and faculty including doctors, nurses, academics, researchers and administrators to continue on his quest to find innovative solutions to broaden access and improve quality in mental health care and wellness. Dr. Steve is the author of several books including Clinical Dharma: A Path for Healers and Helpers (2016), EMDR Therapy and Mindfulness for Trauma-Focused Care (coauthored with Jamie Marich, 2017), Mindfulness for Anger Management (2018) and coauthored Trauma and the 12 Steps: A Trauma Responsive Workbook, as well as Trauma and the 12 Steps: Daily Meditations & Reflections - both companion pieces to the updated Trauma and the 12 Steps by Dr. Jamie Marich. His most recent book (with Dr. Marich) is Healing Addiction with EMDR Therapy: A Trauma Focused Guide.

Instructor(s)

Instructor Bio:

Roshni Chabra, MFT is the Chief Clinical Officer and MET(T)A Protocol Agency Director at StartAgain Associates and is an EMDRIA Certified Therapist, Approved Consultant and network faculty member with the Institute for Creative Mindfulness. In her role, she is the primary point person to contact with any questions and communication MET(T)A related. Roshni aligns with the MET(T)A Protocol as it provides a trauma-focused, long term and comprehensive approach to healing the effects of trauma and adverse life events. She is an alumna of California State University, Long Beach where she graduated with bachelors degrees in Women's Studies and Psychology in 2002. Roshni went on to study nonprofit management through American Humanics and worked in the rape crisis movement both locally and in San Francisco for five years providing direct services to survivors as well as taking on a leadership/management role. Roshni pursued her masters in Feminist Therapy and became a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in 2013. Over the past fifteen years of working within the mental heath field, Roshni has been providing therapy to various populations including LGBTQ+ youth and adults, families, probation and foster youth, and other high risk populations including survivors of sexual trauma and people with addictions. Roshni worked in Wraparound for over 8 years and currently has a private practice in Long Beach, California.