Linda Goodwin, Ph.D. is a mental health counselor who has worked in the mental health field for over twenty years as a practitioner, educator and researcher. She has been the director of a number of mental health agencies and conducted research on a variety of topics such as breast cancer, guided imagery, cancer and end-of-life issues.

Dr. Goodwin ’s interest in guided imagery began when she attended a week long workshop given by guided imagery innovator Belleruth Naparstek, LISW, BCD. Following the workshop, Dr. Goodwin began using guided imagery for herself and experienced its benefits. Her back had given her trouble for years and the pain gradually dissipated and went away…clearly guided imagery was having an impact on her own well-being.

As a member of the Arts in Medicine Artists in Residence program at the University of Florida's Shands Teaching Hospital in Gainesville, Florida, Dr. Goodwin started to use guided imagery at the bed and chair-side of cancer, radiation and chemotherapy patients. She began to see first-hand how guided imagery affected them. For example, an adolescent with anticipatory nausea was able to receive chemotherapy within 20 minutes; a man in extreme pain stated that this was the first time that he hadn’t felt pain since he had gotten cancer; a patient with elevated blood pressure was normalized within 20 minutes and stayed in the normal range throughout his two-hour chemotherapy treatment.

These concrete outcomes inspired Dr. Goodwin to continue her quest for knowledge in the area of guided imagery. When two of her friends were diagnosed with breast cancer, Dr. Goodwin expanded her research in this area and did an extensive study on the psycho-social aspects of breast cancer from the literature and consulted the experts at Shands Teaching Hospital at the University of Florida. She began to piece together what women with breast cancer need for their multi-dimensional healing process: mind, body and spirit. She integrated these concepts into a guided imagery script and conducted a study to determine if the guided imagery was helpful. Because the results of the study were positive and the feedback so beneficial from the research subjects, Dr. Goodwin and Cathy DeWitt, a talented composer and musician, worked together to create Guided Imagery for Women with Breast Cancer.

An inspiring and energetic speaker, Dr. Goodwin has conducted a variety of workshops including Guided Imagery, Art, and Spirituality at professional organizations for counselors and healthcare professionals. She teaches a variety of graduate courses in the University of Florida Counselor Education program, writes, and maintains a private practice in which she uses guided imagery and creative activities to promote insight, psychological well-being and physical health. She lives on a farm with her husband, visits her two sons in San Francisco as frequently as possible, and loves to read, quilt and watercolor paint for pleasure.