Advisory Board

Leslie Abrons, LCSW, is a survivor of sibling abuse who is passionate about bringing visibility to this unrecognized trauma that has life-long impacts. She received a BA from Grinnell College and MSW, with a concentration in clinical social work, from Washington University in St. Louis. Through her work with patients, she began to recognize and begin the journey of healing her own and others’ lived experiences of sibling abuse. As a licensed clinical social worker, she worked in community mental health for seven years prior to establishing an independent practice. She works with children, adolescents, and adults, often incorporating family work and supportive agencies, schools, physicians, and colleagues. She is trained in a variety of clinical approaches and deeply interested in the body-mind connection, the impact of trauma, neuroplasticity, and understanding learning differences.

John Caffaro, PhD, is an internationally recognized expert on sibling violence and sexual abuse and has been actively involved in the training of mental health professionals for many years. He is a former expert consultant for the California Statewide Child Welfare Services Redesign and has authored more than 60 peer-reviewed articles, several book chapters, and two seminal books addressing sibling abuse trauma. He serves as Distinguished Professor in the doctoral program at the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) – Los Angeles and holds an appointment as Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine. Dr. Caffaro draws on more than 25 years of private practice experience and divides his time between psychotherapy treatment, teaching, writing, and professional training.

Wendy Gladstone, MD, is a pediatrician who is a member of the Child Advocacy and Protection Program at Dartmouth Health Children’s. Now retired from the clinical specialty of Child Abuse Pediatrics, she remains active in teaching, peer review and mentoring. Dr. Gladstone is a charter member of the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect and the state’s Child Fatality Review Committee. She is particularly interested in the prevention of maltreatment, advocacy, and family support.

Amy Meyers, PhD, LCSW, is a professor, psychotherapist, and clinical social worker, trained in psychoanalysis at The National Psychotherapy Association for Psychoanalysis. Dr. Meyers has 30 years of practice experience in NYC and has been teaching in higher education for the past 18 years. She conducted research on childhood and adolescent physical and emotional sibling abuse and the impact on the development of intimacy in adulthood. She has published and presented nationally about sibling abuse and has trained staff at the Department of Social Services and at metropolitan agencies. She has transformed a Long Island School District’s approach to culturally responsive and inclusive teaching and received the Long Island Business News Diversity Award for Educating Communities. She also serves as Vice President of The New York State Social Work Education Association.

Nathan H. Perkins, PhD, MSW, is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at Loyola University Chicago. Nathan’s professional and research interests include physical and emotional sibling violence as well as sibling violence and its intersection with other types of family violence. Nathan’s research explores parental perceptions of sibling violence as well as the lack of policy that exists to address this form of family violence. Nathan earned a BA in Psychology and French from Ohio University, a Master of Science in Human Development and Family Science from Ohio State University, and a MSW and PhD degree from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Ritu Ullal, MD, is a medical provider in the Child Advocacy and Protection Program at Dartmouth Health. Dr. Ullal helps provide medical and psychosocial evaluations for children and adolescents when there is a concern for abuse or neglect. She is a family physician with experience in primary care and substance use disorder, and her extended interests include mental health care and violence prevention.