The Presenters
Christina Pearson
Christina Pearson is the woman who established the world’s first center for BFRBs (The TLC Foundation for BFRBs) in 1990, and worked hard to give this realm of human suffering a voice. She grew up struggling terribly with both hair pulling and skin picking, and has worked with thousands of sufferers and their families to develop greater self awareness, learn effective living skills and establish interpersonal boundaries, all in the service of reducing unwanted BFRBs.
Christina has an extensive list of accomplishments in this field. She has advocated relentlessly for BFRBs, worked in alliance with the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and other national organizations, was participatory in the DSM-5 committees’ updating and revising of the DSM-4 manual which renamed certain disorders and created new classifications (along with updating the criteria for trichotillomania), been interviewed on national television talk shows, brought together the scientific advisory board that developed best practices for treatment modalities, and much more. Christina has nearly three decades of strong BFRB recovery herself and possesses the tools to share the daily living skills which keep her on track.
Dr. Renae Reinardy
Renae Reinardy, PsyD is a Licensed Psychologist and Director of the Lakeside Center for Behavioral Change. Dr. Reinardy specializes in the treatment of Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors, OCD, Hoarding Disorder, Tic Disorders, and related conditions. She is the co-author of The BFRB Recover Workbook: Effective Recovery from Hair pulling, Skin Picking, Nail Biting and Other Body-focused Repetitive Behaviors.
She is the Program Developer of CourageCritters.com, a skills-focused online and plush animal system. Dr. Reinardy serves on the BTTI Faculty for the International OCD Foundation. She is an advocate for childhood mental health and a Delegate to the United Nations CSW.
Dr. Christy Garner
Dr. Christy Garner is passionate about finding the simplest tools that make the biggest difference for people in achieving health and happiness. She earned her natural science degree from the College of St. Benedict. Following her passion for holistic medicine, she received her doctor of chiropractic degree from Northwestern Health Sciences University. Her post-doctorate focus has been in the field of epigenetics – expanding her knowledge base in the areas where individuals have influence over the expression of their genes, namely detoxification, nutrition, and stress adaptation.
Over the last decade, she has worked with over 2,400 individuals with highly sensitive nervous systems, including individuals challenged with autism, ADHD, anxiety, hair pulling, skin picking, OCD, and addiction.
She offers a unique blend of head and heart as she combines her clinical knowledge and training with her personal experience and real-life navigation of living with Trichotillomania and Dermatillomania since age 9. She believes that attaining and maintaining vibrant health comes from reconnection ... from reconnecting with our innate ability to heal, to each other, and to the limitless healing power of the Earth (and maybe cute farm animals).
Megan Evjen
Megan is a licensed social worker, mental health advocate and fellow BFRB sufferer. After attending her first retreat years ago and finding healing through being a part of this community, Megan has continued to dedicate her professional expertise and personal experience to this field, specifically in her involvement in being an integral part of the planning committee for BFRB retreats. Megan has known firsthand the healing experience of attending retreats and is excited to share that experience with others.
Doug Schwarz
Doug is the owner and founder of Good Enough Ranch in El Reno, Oklahoma. Doug has been an intrinsic part of the BFRB awareness movement since his childhood and attended his first BFRB retreat in 1999. He is an accomplished photographer, entrepreneur and mental health advocate. Doug also suffers from hair pulling and skin picking, and has oftentimes utilized his unique skill set to bring awareness to our community. Doug has found solace in working with animals and bringing others to his farm to experience the healing powers of animal and art therapies, and is excited to host us at his home so that we can experience these therapeutic remedies firsthand.
Shannon Dean
Shannon Dean, MA, PPS, is a credentialed counselor at a high school in southern California. She obtained her master's degree in educational counseling from Concordia University Irvine. She has been attending BFRB retreats and conferences as a participant since 2006 and as a presenter since 2011.
Shannon has learned from her own experiences with hair pulling to find a sense of healing and recovery that includes incorporating skills she learned from attending BFRB retreats and mindfulness based impulse reduction courses with Christina Pearson. She has combined those skills with those accumulated in her professional endeavors to work with others struggling with shame and day to day management of BFRBs.
Sarah Drews
Sarah is a passionate entrepreneur and advocate who owns her own business called Guided Ability, a support services agency providing Medicaid-funded services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She is open about her identity as a person with BFRBs on the Autism Spectrum, including hair pulling, nail biting, and skin picking, with trichotillomania being the most prominent. Sarah is also in the process of beginning an in-person BFRB support group in her hometown of Eugene, Oregon.
Outside of her professional life, Sarah enjoys weight lifting, dancing and expressing her creativity through art, particularly with crochet and clay. A dedicated Star Wars enthusiast, she loves attending Comic-Cons and other fan conventions with her husband, Mason.