Individual & Group Supervision

MARILYN LAMMERT, BETHESDA THERAPIST: INTEGRATIVE AND INDIVIDUALIZED INDIVIDUAL & GROUP SUPERVISION

Complementary appointment available to discuss your supervisory and learning goals.  I respond quickly to calls and emails.

In the same way that a different therapy must be constructed for each client because each has a unique story, I work with you to help you construct and have confidence in a style that keeps the unique clinician that you are at its center.  Part of that process is trying on different approaches and styles in a supportive environment, similar to a painter developing his craft by trying different styles, drawing on what is helpful, as a way to develop his own craft.

I work from an integrated framework, so you can both have exposure to different theoretical traditions and see how they can go together as a coherent approach.  My approach is phenomenological, which means I’m focused on the individual's personal world as directly experienced, so I'm focused on you and the way you learn and experience each situation you may bring to supervision.

I am primarily oriented by Gestalt therapy, which developed from different strands: interpersonal psychoanalysis, field or systems theory, Gestalt psychology, phenomenology and existentialism, and Eastern philosophy.  I’ll describe what these strands are.

• I use psychodynamic object relations theory to understand early object relationships and their effect on current functioning.
• Field or systems theory which holds that everything is interrelated (there's a spiritual piece here)
• Gestalt learning theory which teaches that we experience things as ‘wholes’, so we work holistically–engaging mind, body and spirit and learn by doing–active and experiential cognitive-behavioral work
• Phenomenology – described above
• Existentialism which holds that there are four “ultimate concerns of life”: death, freedom, existential isolation, and meaninglessness with a major emphasis on choice. Our relationship with the givens of the world, like death, isolation, meaning, are shaped through the choices we make. These concerns show up in psychotherapy as a focus on the “here-and-now”, issues of choice and responsibility, I-thou relating (Martin Buber), authenticity, and meaning in life.
• Eastern philosophy which teaches an alternative to the Western understanding of the process of change: only by being what and who we are can we become something or someone else. Focusing exclusively on the future will not bring about change. We must become our truth (ourselves) first before we can move from it (change). If, on the other hand, if we try to be different without discovering what is true for us, we are following someone else’s truth which won’t bring the long-term change we’re after. Eastern philosophy also teaches the power of focused attention or awareness in psychotherapy and in life, i.e., moving away from reflecting what is outside to noticing from the inside, at times a meditative/trance-like state.

I bring 30 years experience integrating these theories and ways of practicing with an accompanying sensitivity to the spiritual.  I have had training in various modalities, most recently Integrated Kabbalistic Healing, which combines kabbalah, the mystical teachings of the Judaism, Buddhism and Western psychology.

I've included comments from participants in recent trainings and consultation groups below.

"Marilyn is an outstanding teacher."

"I would definitely recommend this workshop.  It was an easy way to learn. I…enjoyed myself and learned a lot."

"Great use of lecture and experiential."

"…by combining your words, your still presence, a sense of no-judgment, and experiential work you make it possible to really take in the concepts. I find I am using the techniques almost unconsciously and that the underlying principles are often available to my interactions with clients."

"….helpful for people at different stages of their practice experience."