Courses & Trainings
Experiential-Learning with “Master” Family Therapists
The Narrative Therapy Initiative at The Salem Center
Supervision and Consultation
Internships
Research Opportunities
Experiential-Learning with "Master" Family Therapists
Instructors: Evan Longin and Margorie Roberts
For nine years, we have offered a course in which the students learn clinical skills by participating on a team alongside an experienced therapist. Professionals taking this course consistently tell us that the opportunity to see how we work has been a rare and invaluable learning experience. Though we prefer not to accept the position of "master" therapists, we do want to acknowledge the value that seems to be present when we share our skills in collaborative ways with those who have taken our course. What is equally exciting are the ways that our clients tell us how valuable it is for them to have multiple perspectives present when reflecting on the circumstances that bring them to therapy.
It is our experience that traditional training and supervision rarely offer opportunities to work alongside experienced therapists. The value of working with experienced therapists is in participation in real practice, including those moments where no one is really certain how to go forward; in having multiple perspectives avaliable for clients who are seeking help; and in discovering there are multiple ways of helping, each of which allows students to begin to imagine and develop their own ways of working.
In this course, you will learn about different traditions of reflecting teams and the skills that accompany those different traditions. Then, you will become part of a group of students who meet with an experienced therapist and one of his or her clients each week. As part of the reflecting team in this class, you will participate as an active member of the therapeutic team. Following each therapy meeting, we will spend time talking about the experience and where it takes you in your thinking about how you want to work as a therapist. As part of this course, we will help you develop a written account of how your experiences in the course are shaping your ideas about how you want to practice in your own work context.
A single course consists of a mazimum of 10 students who meet weekly for 12 three-hour sessions on Monday nights from 5:30 to 8:30 pm. Two courses are offered each year, one in the fall and one in the spring.
Free Information Meetings for Prospective Students: Please contact Steve or Evan at the Salem Center or by e-mail, or call us at either of our phone numbers. Steve Gaddis at 978-741-2699 or Evan Longin at 978-744-5006.
Prerequisite: Interview with faculty, professional liability insurance, and confidentiality agreement.
CEUs Available: 36 hours per course
Cost: $850 per course (payment plans possible).
Dates: (subject to minor changes)
Spring 2012: Meets February thru May on Monday nights from 5:30 to 7:30 pm
Fall 2012: Meets September thru December on Monday nights from 5:30 to 8:30 pm
Supervision and Consultation
If you are a professional in the field and would like help, we are keenly interested in supporting you. Perhaps you find yourself at a dead-end in how to be helpful with a particular client? Maybe your work group is stuck in going forward together as a team? Possibly you feel burned out because the efforts you are making are not having the effects you hoped? maybe you are losing confidence in your skills? We are happy to speak with you about developing supervision and/or consultation that helps you to reconnect and to practice what you value in your work.
— Supervision of supervisors in training for the AAMFT's approved supervision designation
— Approved counselors for the American Association of Pastoral Counselors
Internships
Currently we offer clinical internships to three people per year. Interns are required to take the Intensive Course concurrently with the internship. In addition to the clinical experience in the course, interns spend at least one day a week working directly with vairous faculty and their private practice clients.
Research Opportunities
We are dedicated to learning from our clients about the effects therapy has on their lives and relationships. We have ongoing projects to stay accountable to our clients and projects we would like to initiate soon. If you would like to learn more about research opportunities please contact us and we will explore possibilities with you.
Current projects: Qualitative Research on Clients' and Therapeutic Teams' Experience of the Reflecting Process. Investigating Team: Marjorie Roberts