Domestic Violence Experts 2025

Neisha Christine Himes is an award-winning activist and motivational speaker dedicated to ending domestic violence. A survivor of a five-year abusive relationship, she turned her pain into purpose, using spoken word poetry to raise awareness and empower others. In 2016, she founded the G.R.O.W. (Girls Recognizing Our Worth) Foundation, a nonprofit committed to supporting survivors as they heal and rebuild their lives. Her advocacy led her to roles as a Victim Advocate for the Norfolk Commonwealth Attorney’s Office and Domestic Violence Outreach Liaison for the Newport News Police Department, where she played a pivotal role in inspiring and establishing the department’s first Domestic Violence Unit. Now, Neisha continues her work as a Trauma Liaison Educator within a prominent healthcare system, helping to reshape how medical professionals provide trauma-informed care to victims of violence. Through Neisha Christine Consulting, LLC, she develops and facilitates educational workshops, professional training programs, and public awareness initiatives, partnering with organizations to improve violence prevention efforts and survivor support services. Known for her innovative advocacy, she creates strategic campaigns, community initiatives, and collaborations that challenge perceptions and inspire change. Her dedication has earned widespread recognition, including the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence’s “Voices in Action - Survivor Activist” Award, DomesticShelters.Org’s “Survivor of the Year” Award, and a feature in a national awareness PSA by The Allstate Foundation. Neisha’s unwavering commitment to amplifying survivor voices and transforming systems is embodied in her motto: “I will not shut up!”

My name is Robert Kaiser, founder of The Women's Safety Institute and a gender-based violence expert, specialising in criminology-informed strategies to prevent intimate partner violence (IPV) and homicide, integrating insights from sociology and behavioural psychology. With three decades of experience in violence prevention (especially physical and sexual violence against women), threat assessment, and protective strategy, I’ve dedicated my professional life to understanding the dynamics of intimate partner violence (IPV) and supporting those affected by it. My work is grounded in direct collaboration with survivors, detailed analysis of violent behaviour, and a deep commitment to empowering women through trauma-informed, evidence-based guidance. I frequently write about coercive control, DARVO, GPS Tagging and Proximity Alerts, Non-Fatal Strangulation (NFS), stalking, and economic abuse, offering insights that combine lived experience with professional expertise. I also support media, researchers, and organisations seeking credible commentary or strategic input on intomate partner violence and violence prevention.

Dr. Catherine Shaffer is a scientist and researcher whose work focuses on violence risk assessment and management, dating and intimate partner violence, and adolescent offenders. With experience spanning both research and applied contexts, she brings an evidence-based perspective to understanding risk, offending behavior, and prevention. She has authored (or co-authored) over 130 articles, book chapters, reports, assessment tools, and presentations related to crime and violence. In 2021, she was awarded the Christopher Webster Early Career Award by the International Association of Forensic Mental Health Services for significant early-career contributions to the forensic mental health field.

Behavioral threat assessment and workplace violence prevention expert with 35+ years in public safety, consulting, and criminal justice education.

Garret Biss is a retired Marine Corps pilot, recovery coach, speaker, and trainer specializing in veteran mental health, resilience, addiction recovery, and the challenges of post-service transition. After leaving the military, Garret experienced many of the same struggles that affect veterans across the country, including loss of identity, emotional turmoil, and dependence on alcohol as a coping mechanism. That lived experience, combined with years of work in recovery and training environments, now fuels his mission to help veterans and the professionals who serve them better understand the deeper challenges of transition, healing, and growth. Garret is the founder of Diamond Mind, LLC, where he develops and delivers strengths-based, trauma-informed trainings and presentations for clinicians, peer support professionals, organizations, and veteran-serving systems. He is also a NAADAC-approved education provider, a trainer for NAADAC, and a training consultant with the Opioid Response Network. In addition, he serves as Founder and Executive Director of Realize U 252, a North Carolina recovery nonprofit supporting individuals rebuilding their lives in recovery. His work sits at the intersection of lived experience, professional training, addiction recovery, positive psychology, and veteran-specific insight. Garret is especially known for speaking on veteran transition, identity loss after service, resilience, substance use, post-traumatic growth, and the internal barriers that can keep people from fully engaging in recovery or support systems. He is the creator of veteran-focused training and recovery programs designed to help people move beyond survival and reconnect with meaning, self-worth, and sustainable growth. Garret has presented for addiction professionals, treatment and recovery organizations, higher education audiences, and veteran-serving communities, and is valued for bringing practical insight, emotional honesty, and a fresh perspective that bridges personal experience with actionable strategies. Media, podcast hosts, and event organizers often turn to Garret for credible commentary on veterans, recovery, resilience, trauma-informed growth, and how to better support those navigating major life transitions.

Ramiro Castano is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with nearly 15 years of experience working exclusively with couples and relationships. He is the founder of the Emotional Safety Framework (ESF), a relational orientation built around a single premise: that emotional safety is the root variable behind every relationship breakdown and every genuine recovery. The ESF isn't a therapy model. Ramiro describes it as the "eat well and exercise" equivalent for relationships. It's the conditions that determine whether a relationship will struggle or can thrive for 50+ years, regardless of what else a couple does. In nearly 15 years of clinical practice, he has not encountered a single couple he would describe as having failed due to genuine incompatibility when emotional safety was properly built. Ramiro works with couples and individuals at his private-pay practice, Find Your Relationship Counseling, based in Littleton, Colorado, with virtual sessions available throughout Colorado and Texas. He is also the author of the forthcoming book What Makes Relationships Last, currently in final editing with a professional editor. He has been featured in Authority Magazine and Psychologist Brief and appeared as a guest expert on the Dating Rehab Podcast. Available to comment on: * Why emotional safety, and not things like communication or compatibility, is the defining variable in whether relationships last * What most popular relationship advice gets wrong and why it often makes things worse * The difference between fixing relationship problems and building the conditions that prevent them * Why incompatibility is rarely the real reason relationships fail * What nearly 15 years of working exclusively with couples reveals about how relationships actually end and how they survive * Pre-marital preparation and why couples who invest early fare dramatically better long-term * The hidden erosion that happens in relationships long before couples realize anything is wrong * Why communication skills alone rarely save a relationship * How conflict in relationships is almost never about what couples think it's about * Why "communication problems" aren't actually the real issue in most relationships

Warren Pulley brings 40 years of threat assessment and crisis management expertise across military, law enforcement, diplomatic, corporate, and educational environments. As founder of CrisisWire, he provides professional threat assessment services to organizations throughout Hawaii, Nationally and Internationally. Credentials: BTAM (Behavioral Threat Assessment & Management) trained - University of Hawaii West Oahu 20+ FEMA certifications (IS-906, IS-907, IS-915, complete ICS/NIMS) Former LAPD Veteran Police Officer (12 years) 6+ years U.S. Embassy Baghdad security operations (zero incidents under daily threat) Former Director of Campus Safety, Chaminade University Former California Private Investigator 7 years U.S. Air Force (nuclear security & paralegal) Published Authority: Author of five books on threat assessment: The Prepared Leader, Threat Assessment Handbook, Campus Under Siege, Locked Down: The Access Control Playbook, and Uniformed Silence. Published researcher with 9+ peer-reviewed papers on threat assessment, workplace violence, and crisis management. Media-Ready Expertise: Available for expert commentary on threat assessment, school safety, workplace violence prevention, crisis management, executive protection, insider threats, and emergency preparedness. Find CrisisWire online at https://rypulmedia.wixsite.com/crisiswire

I help leaders stop being cornered by behavior they were never trained to handle. As the Founder of Mission Critical Impact and a 5x Bestselling Author, I specialize in "Tactical Control." This provides experienced leaders the specific language and structures needed to shut down manipulation, deflection, and undermining in real time. Based in Virginia Beach, I leverage over 30 years of expertise to help executives maintain authority and protect their results when people problems threaten their credibility. My work moves beyond theory to provide tactical, actionable control in high-stakes workplace environments.

Carole Lieberman, M.D., M.P.H. is a Board Certified Psychiatrist (Clinical and Forensic), known worldwide as America's Psychiatrist and The Terrorist Therapist®. She's a 3x Emmy Honored Media Psychiatrist, Bestselling/Award-winning author of 4 books: 2 on terrorism and 2 on relationships. Featured on top media outlets-including: FOX, CNN, Newsmax, Today, GMA, Court TV, ABC, NBC, CBS. Trained at NYU-Bellevue (Chief Resident), Anna Freud's London Clinic, UCLA-NIMH fellowship award recipient to receive Masters in Public Health, Testified before Congress several times re: violence, drugs, alcohol in media. www.terroristtherapist.com www.expertwitnessforensicpsychiatrist.com www.drcarole.com

James "Jim" Reidy is a Certified Intervention Professional (CIP #10266), member of the Association of Intervention Specialists (AIS), and founder of Intervention365.com and Addiction Treatment Group. Based between Pennsylvania and Florida, Jim has spent nearly 15 years helping families navigate addiction, alcoholism, mental health challenges, dual diagnosis, and treatment resistance. He has personally conducted more than 750 professional interventions and is recognized for his hands-on, family-centered approach to crisis intervention and recovery planning. Unlike many professionals who operate primarily from an office setting, Jim works directly with families in homes, hospitals, treatment centers, and crisis environments. His expertise includes alcohol addiction, fentanyl and opioid addiction, methamphetamine addiction, cocaine addiction, executive and professional monitoring cases, elder addiction, family systems, treatment placement, relapse prevention, and long-term recovery support. Jim's professional work has been featured in connection with A&E's Intervention, where his field-tested approach to helping families confront addiction gained national visibility. He is widely known for combining structured intervention models, including Johnson Model principles and family systems education, with practical real-world guidance that helps families move from crisis to action. A person in long-term recovery himself, Jim brings both professional expertise and personal understanding to every family he serves. His philosophy is simple: addiction impacts the entire family system, and recovery begins when families stop waiting, start setting healthy boundaries, and take informed action. Today, he continues to work with families throughout the United States, helping loved ones access treatment while providing education, accountability, and hope during some of life's most difficult moments. Areas of Expertise: • Addiction and Recovery • Alcoholism and Elder Alcoholism • Fentanyl and Opioid Addiction • Family Interventions • Mental Health and Dual Diagnosis • Family Systems and Enabling Behaviors • Treatment Placement and Recovery Planning • Relapse Prevention • Substance Use Disorder Trends • Professional and Executive Interventions • Crisis Management and Family Communication Website: Intervention365.com James "Jim" Reidy, CIP #10266 Association of Intervention Specialists (AIS) Member Founder, Intervention365.com 750+ Professional Interventions Conducted

Dr. Favaro is a master of human relationships, having spent more than 40 years as a court-appointed forensic psychologist and custody evaluator in over 6000 high-conflict divorce and criminal cases. Dr. Favaro has taught anger management, conflict resolution, civilized co-parenting, and in Bad People Bible, how to identify and remove toxic individuals from your life. As a pioneer in healthcare and AI, Dr. Favaro’s early work contributed to the development of artificial intelligence applications in medicine and diagnosis, which he presented at a 1984 world conference at Harvard University. Soon after, he created Activision’s Alter Ego, the first life simulation game developed by using interviews with hundreds of people about their most memorable life experiences. This passion for AI led him to develop Bad People Bible’s AI therapy coach and digital community on Teachable. Dr. Favaro has authored dozens of books on conflict resolution, anger management, parenting, relationships, and clinical and child development. You may have seen him on ABC with John Stossel, Fox’s The Morning Show with Mike and Juliette, on the Montel Williams and Geraldo Rivera shows as the resident guest psychologist, and on dozens of local and international news shows. He is the executive director of SmartParenting: The Family Center, a clinic that delivers court-related services to high-conflict individuals and families, and is the founder and CEO of the Center for Improved Human Relationships, an organization that promotes civility, respect, and conflict resolution at home, in the workplace, and in the community.

Christopher Zoukis, JD, MBA, is a nationally recognized federal prison expert. He serves as Managing Director at Elizabeth Franklin-Best P.C. and Zoukis Consulting Group, where his federal criminal defense practice focuses on federal appeals, post-conviction relief, compassionate release, clemency, and Bureau of Prisons policy matters. Mr. Zoukis is the author of six books on federal criminal defense and prison policy, including The Habeas Citebook: Ineffective Assistance of Counsel (Prison Legal News Publishing, 3rd ed. forthcoming 2025), Federal Criminal Defendant’s Handbook (Middle Street Publishing, forthcoming 2025), Directory of Federal Prisons (2020), Federal Prison Handbook (2017), Prison Education Guide (2017), and College for Convicts (2014). His Federal Prison Handbook received numerous awards, including the Reader’s Favorite Book Awards Gold Medal, the Next Generation Indie Book Award, and the Chanticleer Book Awards Instructional & Insightful Nonfiction Award. College for Convicts received the Eric Hoffer Book Award’s Montaigne Medal for the most thought-provoking book of the year. Mr. Zoukis earned his Juris Doctor from the University of California, Davis School of Law, where he served as Articles Editor of the UC Davis Law Review and received both the Witkin Award and Reynoso Award for Academic Excellence. He also holds an MBA and a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies from Adams State University. Major media outlets regularly seek his expertise. He has been quoted in CNN, Fox News, ABC News, Associated Press, USA Today, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Bloomberg Law, and Vice News, among others. He has contributed articles to the Huffington Post, New York Daily News, Prison Legal News, and Criminal Legal News. Mr. Zoukis’s Prison Law Blog was named a Top Law Blawg by the American Bar Association, and he was a finalist for the Society of Professional Journalists’ Mark of Excellence Award. He has assisted hundreds of clients with federal prison preparation, in-prison advocacy, and reentry matters, and is considered a leading voice on federal prison policy nationwide. Learn more about Chris at https://federalcriminaldefenseattorney.com/about/christopher-zoukis-federal-prison-consultant/

Tiffiny Newton is the President of IgniteHer, Inc., a nonprofit focused on domestic violence awareness, prevention, and safety education. She helps women recognize coercive control, emotional abuse, and the subtle patterns of control that often go unnoticed until the damage is done. Through workshops, employer trainings, school partnerships, and public speaking, she teaches women how to identify relationship red flags, trauma bonding, stalking behaviors, and how to build practical safety plans before a crisis point. Her work centers on early awareness, clear decision-making, and concrete steps that increase safety and long-term stability. She also addresses financial abuse as a powerful control tactic, including economic dependency, employment interference, and hidden debt used to trap women in unsafe situations. Drawing from lived experience and years of advocacy, she speaks directly about the patterns that keep women stuck and the strategic moves that create safer exits and stronger futures.

Dr. Greg Kovacs is a relational scientist and the founder of The Engine Room™, where he specializes in re-engineering domestic and emotional infrastructure for high-achievers. Through his proprietary Relational Audit, he helps executive-level couples identify "Leaking Pipes" in their partnership by mapping the cognitive load of invisible labor. Dr. Kovacs’ work focuses on transitioning couples from the "Manager/Contractor Trap" to sustainable Domain Ownership. He provides expert commentary on Systemic Household Engineering and the Manager/Contractor Trap to help couples achieve long-term equity. He is the author of the forthcoming book, The Engine Room: Mapping Emotional Labor, Reclaiming Intimacy, and Modeling Equity for the Next Generation.

Kelli Lane Redfield is a California-licensed therapist specializing in complex trauma, suicide intervention and recovery, and emerging somatic approaches to mental health treatment. She founded and directs a nonprofit organization Windsong Collective, providing accessible mental health services to musicians and artists—a population facing disproportionately high rates of mental illness, substance abuse, and financial barriers to care. With practices in Del Mar and Escondido, she brings a unique lens to psychological commentary: before entering clinical practice, she co-owned Darling Magazine and served as Creative Director for Nations Magazine, giving her insight into how mental health narratives are shaped in media and culture. As a trauma specialist trained in Somatic EMDR, relational therapy, and somatic modalities, Kelli Lane Redfield has experience treating adult survivors of childhood trauma, particularly those with high ACE scores and histories of childhood sexual assault. She has successfully treated clients at high risk for suicide—a population many clinicians avoid—and can speak to the nuances of managing acute mental health crises. Commentary Available On: Complex trauma and PTSD recovery in adults Suicide prevention and intervention strategies Rising suicide rates and systemic factors Mental health challenges in creative professions (musicians, artists, writers) Access barriers to mental healthcare and nonprofit solutions Borderline Personality Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, and OCD Sexual assault recovery and long-term impacts Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and lifelong health Nervous system regulation and the somatic therapy movement Women's mental health across the lifespan The future of psychotherapy: emerging modalities and trends How storytelling and narrative shape trauma recovery The intersection of creativity and mental illness

Dr. Lillian Glass is a world-renowned, well-respected communication, body language, and human behavior expert. She has written numerous best-selling books, including "Toxic People," where she coined the term, as well as The Body Language of Liars. She is not only a media commentator where she disucsses newsmakers but also uses her expertise as an expert witness in both state and federal courts. She is alsoan award winning fimmaker with her film Reinventing Rosalee, which debuted at Cannes receiving 57 awards worldwide.

Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge is a Children’s Mental Health Expert, Licensed Therapist, and Author. With more than three decades of experience, Dr. Roseann has helped thousands of children, teens, and families struggling with ADHD, autism, concussion, dyslexia and learning disabilities, anxiety, OCD, depression, mood disorders, Lyme Disease, and PANS/PANDAS. Her work focuses on science-backed natural mental health solutions including supplements, magnesium, nutrition, QEEG brain mapping, neurofeedback, PEMF, psychotherapy, and other non-medication approaches that calm and reset the brain. Dr. Roseann is the creator of Regulation First Parenting™ and the CALMS™ Dysregulation Protocol, two pioneering frameworks that teach parents how to regulate the nervous system first—because no learning, focus, or healing can happen without a calm brain. She is the bestselling author of It’s Gonna Be OK!: Proven Ways to Improve Your Child's Mental Health, The Teletherapy Toolkit, and Brain Under Attack, and is known for offering a message of hope through science-endorsed methods that promote emotional regulation and resilience. Dr. Roseann is the Founder and Director of The Global Institute of Children’s Mental Health and Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge, LLC. She is a Board Certified Neurofeedback (BCN) Practitioner, serves on the Board of the Northeast Region Biofeedback Society (NRBS), and is a Certified Integrative Mental Health Professional (CIMHP) and Amen Clinic Certified Brain Health Coach. She is also a proud member of The International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS), The American Psychological Association (APA), The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), and the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF). www.drroseann.com www.drroseann.com/media

Education Enthusiast | Innovative Thought Leader | Male Sexual Abuse Activist | Faith Leader | Empowerment Coach | Family Man

Hello, I'm Shampaigne Graves, a Dallas-based Women's Consumer Expert at Women's Research Solutions and the founder of BOLDIFI®, an accredited audio-first microschool built for aspiring female founders. My proprietary WCR4™ Method gives organizations a research framework that goes beyond demographics to decode the psychological, social, and generational forces behind women's purchasing decisions. My commentary has appeared in Newsweek, Daily Mail, Observer, Scripps News, NTD News, and MSN, covering everything from Purchase Panic at checkout to women's ethical conflicts with AI advertising, luxury spending shifts, and technology adoption gaps.