Clinical Research Team

“In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration.”
― Ansel Adams

Meet Our Team

Keith Klostermann, PhD

  • Dr Keith Klostermann is an internationally renowned expert in the use of Behavioral Couples Therapy for Substance Use Disorders (BCT-SUD).

    Dr. Klostermann is licensed as both a mental health counselor and marriage and family therapist. In addition, he is an AAMFT Approved Supervisor, is recognized as a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC) and is a certified family therapist (CFT). The American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA) recognizes him as a Fellow in Clinical Mental Health Counseling Education and Research and Diplomate and Clinical Mental Counseling Specialist in Couples and Family Counseling, Child and Adolescent Counseling, and Military Counseling.

    Dr. Klostermann is a Quality Assurance Manager at the Cohen Veterans Network and Director of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Fredonia.

    Dr. Klostermann has extensive research experience serving in a variety of roles in federally funded clinical trials (e.g., PI, Co-PI, Consultant) examining the impact of substance use on family functioning. Dr. Klostermann has also served as a clinical consultant for numerous agencies, including the Calgary Counselling Center in Calgary, Alberta; Phoenix House in New York City, and Best Self Behavioral Health, Buffalo, NY) in their implementation of BCT-SUD.

    Dr. Klostermann is recognized by the national VA Healthcare System as a couples therapy content expert and served as one of the lead trainers in their national implementation of BCT for treating individuals with substance use disorders. Most recently, he served as a Co-Investigator with colleagues from Edinburgh University to implement BCT-SUD in Edinburgh, Scotland. The results of this study are being used to inform larger scale BCT implementation efforts across Scotland.

    He has won numerous awards for his teaching, leadership, and research including but not limited to the 2021 Outstanding Professional Award (IAMFC), 2020 AMHCA Dr. Linda Seligman Counselor Education of the Year, 2020 Outstanding Professional Member Award (MCA), 2019 Outstanding Professional Member Award, European Branch of the American Counseling Association (EB-ACA), and the 2019 NBCC Foundation Bridge Builder Award for International Service.

    Dr. Klostermann received his PhD in Counselor Education from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Bryce Hagedorn, PhD

  • Dr. W. Bryce Hagedorn is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, a National Certified Counselor, a Master Addiction Counselor, a Qualified Clinical Supervisor for the state of Florida and currently serves as a Professor and Program Director of Counselor Education at the University of Central Florida.

    In addition to his position at the University, Dr. Hagedorn has served the counseling profession in several leadership positions at the local, state, regional, and national levels. Examples of national leadership and service positions include (a) the American Counseling Association, (b) the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES), (c) the Association of Spiritual, Ethical, & Religious Values in Counseling (ASERVIC), (d) the Association for Humanistic Counseling (AHC), (e) the International Association of Addictions and Offender Counselors (IAAOC), (f) the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), (g) the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), (h) the Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC) and (i) the Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health (SASH). Among the several recognitions and awards that he has received, Dr. Hagedorn is a Fellow of the American Counseling Association.

    For more than 25 years, Dr. Hagedorn has worked in a variety of clinical settings, to include private practices, community mental health centers, inpatient/outpatient hospitals, intensive outpatient programs, and college counseling centers in the areas of his expertise (which includes addictions, addicted family systems, accreditation, military/veteran counseling, and the integration of spirituality and counseling). A nationally and internationally recognized speaker and author, Dr. Hagedorn has written over 80 publications, has presented over 250 times at the international, national, regional, state, and local levels, and is the co-author of the book titled Counseling Addicted Families.

    Dr. Hagedorn also proudly served his country in the United States Marine Corps (as a scout swimmer and forward observer) in such units as 1 st Battalion/1 st Marines, 1 st Battalion/9 th Marines, and 3 rd Battalion/7 th Marines. He was deployed three times, to include the Persian-Gulf war.

Diego Hernandez, Psy.D.

  • Doc Diego (Diego Hernandez, Psy.D.) is the son of a Vietnam Veteran and hails from a family with several generations of military service. He holds multiple degrees and has trained in various therapeutic modalities, striving to identify the common elements across therapies. His goal is to find the most efficient and direct pathway through trauma and challenging experiences, while working in ways that honor our shared humanity.

    Doc Diego's latest endeavor is co-founding Critical Memory Integration (CMI) at the nonprofit Arise Alliance. CMI is an experiential embodied therapy that helps individuals address trauma without needing to re-experience painful memories. Instead, it focuses on the underlying critical experiences that network these memories together stalling the development of capacities to manage similarly stressful events. CMI is about discovering personal agency and expanding our capacity to face life's challenges, promoting post traumatic growth and integrating moral injuries. www.AriseAlliance.org  

    Doc Diego also serves as a clinical research consultant at the University of South Florida, where he previously researched trauma therapies as Co-Investigator and Clinical Director of Military and ART Research. In this role, he collaborated with Army Behavioral Health, including training staff at the regiment level. At USF, he was part of a team that adapted these therapies for grief and loss in hospice care and for cancer treatments at Mayo Clinic, among others. He has authored or co-authored over 20 peer-reviewed publications on trauma and has spoken and published internationally. This work particularly with the military contributed to the theoretical foundations of CMI.

    With 16 years of university-level teaching experience, Doc Diego has designed online curricula and has trained and supervised master's and doctoral-level therapists. With more than 20 years of mental health experience and expertise in combat trauma, he works with veterans and active-duty service members, particularly Special Operations providing support through retreats and private sessions.

    Doc Diego collaborates with The Hero’s Journey and Rooftop Leadership with Lt. Col. Scott Mann (Ret.). He has also consulted for organizations such as the Green Beret Foundation, Brian Bill Foundation, Wounded Warrior Project, Southeastern Guide Dogs, Operation Red Wings, the British Army, and the British Ministry of Health. Additionally, he is a Behavioral Consultant for Warrior Mission at Ease, a performance consultant for the Special Operations Warrior Golf Foundation, and has been featured on Fox, CBS, and The Golf Channel for his work on trauma and veterans. He also serves on the medical advisory boards of the Camaraderie Foundation and H.O.O.A.H..

    In his private practice, Balanced Living Psychology, based in Tampa, Florida, Doc Diego works with veterans, active-duty service members, athletes, therapists, and business professionals, focusing on wellness and performance. He co-leads international wellness retreats in Europe, United States, and Central America. He has taught for 10 years on The Yoga Cruise. His teaching includes mindfulness, relaxation, and meditation techniques aimed at enhancing human performance including managing specific stressors or medical conditions.

    You can contact Diego at:

    docdiego@earthlink.net

    You can learn more at:

    https://www.balancedlivingpsychology.com/

     

Christopher Ostrander, PhD

  • Dr. Christopher Ostrander is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (NC), Licensed Mental Health Counselor (FL), Licensed Professional Counselor (V.I.), National Certified Counselor, and currently an Assistant Professor in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at Liberty University.

    Dr. Ostrander currently serves as the SME for Internship II for the online CMHC Program at LU. In addition to his core faculty role at LU, Dr. Ostrander co-owns a private practice with his wife Dr. Melissa Ostrander. Together they regularly present at local, state and national conferences on topics that include empathy, integration of spirituality, pornography, and the special operations community. Recently, Dr. Ostrander has co-authored two text-books chapters including one with his wife.