Marlaina Sommer,
M.Ed in counselling
Marriage and Family Therapy certificate
Manitoba Fitness Council certified personal trainer

Marlaina Sommer is a CBTI board member. As a lifelong learner, Marlaina has attained a Bachelor of Education degree, a Master of Education degree in counselling, a Marriage and Family Therapy certificate, and a personal training certificate with Manitoba Fitness Council. Marlaina taught elementary school before spending most of her professional career as a school counsellor. She also worked in an agency as a therapist with intellectual disabilities. Marlaina founded and operated eMotion Fitness Therapy integrating therapy and fitness. Marlaina believes in the benefits of therapeutic intervention to improve health and wellness and is pleased to give back to the community in her capacity as board member of CBTI.

Steven Feldgaier,
Ph.D., C.Psych.

Steven Feldgaier, Ph.D., C.Psych. is a registered clinical psychologist who currently holds an Adjunct appointment in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Manitoba. He retired as a faculty member in the Department of Clinical Health Psychology, Max Rady College of Medicine at the University of Manitoba in 2019. Over the years, Dr. Feldgaier has also held adjunct appointments in the Department of Psychology in the Faculty of Arts as well as in the Faculty of Education.

Dr. Feldgaier received his MA and PhD from The Ohio State University and subsequently completed both a pre-doctoral residency and speciality year in child and family therapy at the University of Manitoba.

Dr. Feldgaier also spent a number of years on secondment from the University of Manitoba to the Healthy Child Manitoba Office of the Government of Manitoba where he served as a senior director overseeing provincial parenting and community initiatives. Dr. Feldgaier is a Past President of the Manitoba Psychological Society as well as the Manitoba Association of School Psychologists and has also been active in chairing a committee of the Psychological Association of Manitoba for many years.
Over the years Dr. Feldgaier has also been a frequent speaker on issues related to children’s mental health and he continues to maintain ongoing interest in issues pertaining to refugee mental health, child anxiety, early childhood development, and prevention and promotion. Dr. Feldgaier has been acknowledged with several awards both for his contributions to the psychological profession as well as to the community.

In recent years Dr. Feldgaier has also been actively involved as a consultant and volunteer to the Coalition of Manitoba Cultural Communities for Families (cmccfamilies.ca)., a small non-profit organization that addresses issues related to social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Dr. Feldgaier has been a member of the Board of Directors at CBTI since its earliest days.

Patricia Furer,
Ph.D., C. Psych.

Dr. Patricia Furer is a clinical psychologist and the director of the Anxiety Disorders Clinic at St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg, Canada. She is the Training Director for the Clinical Health Psychology Residency program at the University of Manitoba. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Clinical Health Psychology and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Manitoba. Dr. Furer specializes in the assessment and cognitive-behavioral treatment of anxiety disorders. She has written papers and book chapters on health anxiety, perinatal anxiety, and other anxiety disorders, as well as a book on treatment of health anxiety and fear of death. She has developed a brief large group anxiety disorder intervention and group CBT programs for perinatal anxiety, health anxiety and fear of death, and mixed anxiety disorders. Current areas of research interest include treatment of perinatal anxiety, evaluation of stepped-care treatment models, and web-based interventions. Dr. Furer is involved in teaching and supervision of clinical and research activities with Clinical Health Psychology residents and other medical learners as well as graduate students in the Department of Psychology at the University of Manitoba.