MY APPROACH TO CONSULTATION AND SUPERVISION In my private practice, I provide consultation, but not supervision. In other words, I discuss cases with consultees, help consultees develop their own ideas and intuitive insights into their work and the direction to take with cases. I offer suggestions, resources and information and help consultees develop relevant skills. However, the decisions about what aspects of this to actually implement are the responsibility of the consultee. I do not take responsibility for ensuring that a consultee does or does not follow through with a recommendation, trusting each to make the wisest choice given their own knowledge, training and experience. My Consultative Style My consultative style parallels my therapeutic style. I work with consultees from a wide variety of backgrounds who use a diverse array of therapeutic approaches ranging from CBT and Adlerian approaches to more Person-Centered and Jungian or Psychodynamic ones. My consultees use talk therapy and/or play therapy and some are beginning to add the alternative healing approaches. When I begin with a new consultee, I spend time learning how that person conceptualizes cases and how they approach life and therapy. I also share my own approach and how it has developed over time. As we discuss cases, we discuss them in terms of how to enhance what the consultee would typically do. I offer new skills and additional ways to conceptualize the situation, while respecting the integrity of the consultee’s usual style of conceptualization and their personal approach to therapy, to enable them to work even more effectively in their chosen style to meet their clients’ goals. In other words, I do not try to have consultees work just as I do. Sometimes the consultation is a case consultation format. At other times, a consultee might prefer a topical presentation or skill-training format for a given session. We often role play and/or build skills through suggested "homework" and/or resources for faster development. The consultee takes the lead in making such decisions about format and needs. Consultations can be in an individual or group format. You can sign up for an individual or group consultation online. Development of My Approach to Therapy I was trained to use non-directive talk and play therapy in what is referred to as a Person-Centered framework, as developed by Carl Rogers. My early training was also informed by classical and modern Psychodynamic theories. Psychodynamic theories were originated by Sigmund Freud and modernized and updated by several people such as Heinz Kohut, Anna Freud, Margaret Mahler, and Donald Winnicott. Modern psychodynamic theories are now widely accepted and more compatible with our modern culture and beliefs. Over time, due to my own experiences, education, as well as constraints from managed care insurance, I became more directive in my work. In addition, through the process of recovering from a traumatic car accident that involved multiple serious injuries to my body, as well as to my brain, after which I also became suddenly anxious and depressed, I also became more open to alternative healing approaches, which helped me to recover in ways more traditional approaches had failed. I have learned some of these alternative healing techniques and I am in the process of learning others that I plan to integrate into my practice when I master them. How I Combined the Approaches I Learned I believe that people, given a choice, would like to heal in the most time-efficient and yet compassionate and comfortable way possible. As a result, I have maintained the Person-Centered practices of using empathic reflection, clarification, and trusting a person’s innate desire and ability to heal. I maintain the therapeutic alliance through the Person-Centered approaches to the relationship of mutual respect, unconditional positive regard, empathy, genuineness and client responsibility for directing the healing. I also continue to use the conceptualizations of modern Psychodynamic theorists when they fit what I observe. This is what I consider to be the frame or container within which I work. The work can be talk therapy and/or play therapy with children, adolescents and adults or even the Mind-Body-Spirit or alternative healing approaches that I have learned more recently. Within that safe, respectful container, I then smoothly integrate interventions from more directive approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Adlerian Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Reality Therapy and/or the Mind-Body-Spirit techniques of Integrated Energy Therapy and/or One-Brain, depending on what the client’s needs, style and preferences indicate. This is the "Integrative" aspect of my approach in which I integrate those forms of therapy that would most likely be beneficial to the client, also integrating non-traditional healing with traditional psychotherapy. Choices of which approach(es) to use are based on my clients’ preferences and their Intuition about what will help them and my clinical training and experience, which is influenced and informed by my Intuition and Spiritual Guidance. This represents the "Intuitively-Informed" aspect of my work. I find this to be a very powerful way to work as my work is no longer limited by my own knowledge and experience. It is supplemented by the Wisdom of the Collective Unconscious (a term used by the famous psychologist Carl Jung, spiritual guidance and the Intuition or Other Knowing of my clients and consultees. Work that has benefited from these Sources has been reported by my clients as being much more meaningful and lasting. Clients and their families are engaged in this choice of approach on an ongoing basis. Their verbal and non-verbal feedback, progress toward goals and spoken and played metaphors are guides for helping us make future choices together about the next steps in their healing process. Intuitively Informed Integrative Play Therapy and Psychotherapy* "Integrative" means I use a variety of therapeutic approaches, selecting the particular approach for a given person based on the needs, strengths and preferences of the client with whom I am working. "Intuitive" refers to trusting my Intuition and that of my clients, in addition to clinically informed judgment, to ascertain important information about the problem, the solution and how to promote healing. Psychotherapy is generally talk therapy, but may also include alternative healing methods and/or energy work, if a client wishes. Play Therapy is a form of therapy that is most often used with children and adolescents, but which I also use with adults. More specific information about Play Therapy can be found on the website for the Association for Play Therapy , the American national play therapy association that offers credentials in play therapy and the international Play Therapy Association, PTI, which offers international credentials in play therapy. In my approach to therapy, after an extensive history-taking, the client takes the lead in determining the nature and speed of the exploration and the direction of the work. I act as a guide and resource to help the client access and trust his or her own inner guide to find insights and answers, sharing intuitively-informed wisdom and guidance as requested. I also structure some of the therapy to help clients develop life skills and personal strengths and I provide guidance on resources to achieve the desired goals. Sometimes the work is traditional talk therapy. Other times, it takes the form of sand tray work, play therapy, and/or Mind-Body-Spirit techniques, which help access the deeper aspects of the pain and problems and remove blocks to sustaining progress. The alternative approaches often reveal more inner resources and speed the healing by bypassing defenses and releasing stuck emotions and correcting damage from previous life traumas with less pain in the present time. Consultation versus Supervision According to Bernard Bloom, consultation can be distinguished from supervision in several important ways. In consultation, the consultant and consultee can be of different professional specialties (Psychologist versus Social Worker, for example), whereas in supervision, one often must be supervised by someone of the same profession. Consultation can be sporadic and irregular in frequency, while supervision is generally frequent and regular in nature. A consultant maintains no administrative responsibility for the consultee, while a supervisor is responsible for overseeing administrative aspects of the supervisee’s work. In other words, a consultant does not oversee the quality of the consultee’s work or paperwork and is not responsible for anything with regard to the consultee’s clinical work other than the quality of the consultation given. A consultant is not in a position of power with respect to a consultee, while a supervisor is in a position of power with respect to supervisees. A consultee, thus, is able and encouraged to choose to accept or reject ideas or direction suggested by a consultant, while a supervisee may be required to accept the ideas or direction of a supervisor. As noted above, I provide consultation; I do not provide supervision. However, this consultation does count toward the supervision requirements for achieving the Play Therapy credentials Since I am a Registered Play Therapy Supervisor, the required number of hours of supervision for achieving the RPT credential if you choose to be supervised (receive consultation) from me (or another RPT-S) is fewer than it would be if you chose to be supervised by someone without this credential. Free Consultation There is no charge for a consultation by telephone or email about whether we would work well together. Choosing a psychologist for supervision/consultation and training is a very important and personal decision. I welcome the opportunity to answer your questions to assist you in making that decision. You may call me at 215-672-6627 or email me for your free consultation or to make your first appointment. You can also make contact with me for consultation via this website. *Intuitively Informed Integrative Play Therapy is a copy-righted phrase coined by Dr. Glatthorn to describe her personal approach to Play Therapy and Psychotherapy. For more information about her trainings, supervision and publications, please browse this website. Bloom, B. (1977). Community Mental Health: A General Introduction. Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole. Top of Page | Site Map