Courses & Trainings
Experiential-Learning with “Master” Family Therapists
Making Sense of Your Therapy Practice: Skill-Building through Consultation
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 2010: Meets February thru May on Monday nights from 5:30 to 7:30 pm
Fall 2010: Meets September thru December on Monday nights from 5:30 to 8:30 pm
Making Sense of Your Therapy Practice: Skill-Building through Consultation
Instructor: Marjorie Roberts
This course is designed for clinicians seeking a supportive environment in which to explore, develop and expand their therapy skills and their thinking about therapy. Our experience is that traditional training and CEU programs often introduce a variety of ways to make sense of therapy; however, the underlying worldview for these different ways of working are either obscured or in conflict with one another. In addition, it seems that trainees' particular views of therapy are marginalized in the development of therapeutic practice, which is why, we think, so many practitioners wish they understood how to do their work in ways that are more personally satisfying and effective. This course is designed to provide a coherent and congruent therapy worldview that supports and develops your personal hopes for yourself as a therapist.
At The Salem Center, we base all our teaching and practice within a philosophical orientation that we believe provides us with the most exciting and meaningful ways of working. This orientation is generally referred to as postmodern therapy, and we are passionate about this worldview because it supports how we prefer to think about people and problems. We believe postmodern thinking is grounded in a respectful ethical orientation toward clients that we strongly support as professionals. And, our clients tell us they find the ways we work helps them!
The structure of this course is three-dimensional. At the first level, Marjorie introduces, discusses, explores and reflects on ideas and practices from two postmodern therapy approach of collaborative language systems and dialogic therapy. She will work to make the ideas behind this approach available through readings and videotapes. She will one reading between classes. Our first hour of class time will involve an open conversation about the readings. This will offer an opportunity to talk about the ideas that shape our therapy practice and to imagine how they might support your interests and work context. Marjorie is especially interested in the use of writing in a therapeutic context to develop voice.
At the second level, we practice, practice and practice some more. We believe that critical learning takes place when we have opportunities to experiment with our skill development in a supportive and safe environment. We like to think that as professionals we are forever in the position of learning and skill development -- no matter how long we may have been working. Thus, the second part of each class will include experiential exercises and therapeutic conversations where you will have a chance to practice what you are learning. We will focus is on learning skills and trying new things and developing a team environment. We have developed supportive and safe practices so that this is a positive experience for you in which you feel valued for your contributions and efforts. Trainees consistently tell us this is the best part of the class!
At the third level, we work to help you make sense of what you are learning in ways that fit personally for you. We want to help you develop a rich story of what practicing therapy means to you. We will use some of our experiential practice to develop this, as well as outside class assignments for those students interested in added work. We want you to find that this course has real effects in helping you become more clear and connected to ways of working that leave you excited about being in the field!
Course Objectives:
· Develop a supportive, safe, and respectful environment for engaging in learning and therapeutic skill development.
· Introduce students to a postmodern worldview for therapy and introduce a leading-edge approach that stems from that philosophical orientation: collaborative language systems or dialogic therapy.
· Help students develop an ethic of practice that fits with a postmodern worldview of therapy.
· Help students develop a personal story about how to practice therapy in ways that are meaningful, sustaining and satisfying.
The course intention is to help students bring their personal hopes to their professional skills. The goal is to help therapists experience themselves as increasingly competent, intentional and effective practitioners. In this course, what is important to you will always be kept at the center of the skill development conversation. You can expect to be respected while also stretched. From this course, we expect you will begin to experience a greater sense that you can fit your practice with your hopes, values, and intentions.
Course Information:
A maximum of 8 students will meet on alternating Tuesday mornings from 9am to 11am. The course is offered in the Fall and Spring each year.
CEUs Available: 16 hours per course for LiCSW, LMHC, and LMFT
Cost: $375/semester (payment plans possible).
Course Dates:
Course is schedule to meet on the following Tuesdays from 9 am to 11am...
Spring 2010 Course Dates : Starting in January for 8 alternating Tuesdays
Fall 2010 Course Dates : Starting in September for 8 alternating Tuesdays
Contact
Dr. Marjorie Roberts with questions or to schedule an interview at at mcfroberts@me.com or 978-745-6656.
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