This month the Kaiser NCAL Mental Health Training Program (MHTP) is proud to announce a recent research publication by our Director, Dr. Kathryn Wetzler and MHTP contributor, Dr. Shay Loftus.
Dr. Loftus, Dr. Kathryn Wetzler, and Michael Skolnik LCSW were the recipients of a 2012 Kaiser Permanente Northern California Community Health Grant for their research study on Group-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for posttraumatic stress disorder. The study began as a program evaluation project for three psychology postdoctoral residents. It was presented as a poster at the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies annual convention and published this year in the Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10879-024-09628-8 PTSD group treatment based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) was offered thereafter to patients in the Napa-Solano Service Area’s psychiatry departments until the implementation of the new evidence-based trauma treatment track.
Dr. Loftus has served as an essential contributor to MHTP serving as a clinical supervisor, program evaluation supervisor, and liaison consulting on training program-related policy and special projects. She received her B.A. in Religion from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Fordham University in New York City. She completed her Doctoral Internship at the VA Hudson Valley Health Care System in Montrose, New York, and her Postdoctoral Residency at Kaiser Vallejo. Before coming to Kaiser in 2007, Dr. Loftus was a research assistant for 6 years at the Zucker Hillside Hospital in Queens, New York on studies related to genetics, neurocognition and functional outcomes in patients with mood and psychotic disorders. Since completing her residency, Dr. Loftus has worked as an adult generalist therapist in the Vallejo Psychiatry Department and in the Fairfield Mental Health and Wellness Center.
This fall, Dr. Loftus will be joining the MHTP Evaluation and Quality Improvement (EQI) Lab, under the direction of Ana Zdravkovic Ph.D., as a staff lead along with Margot Green PhD, Aubyn Fulton PhD, and Amanda Devane PhD. The EQI Lab will provide opportunities for interested trainees to participate in evaluation and quality improvement projects. Dr. Loftus looks forward to sharing her passion for research with trainees and helping to disseminate best practices in mental health care across the Kaiser Northern California Region and beyond.
Contributed by: Dr. Shay Loftus
