Individual Consultation and Supervision
Therapeutic impasses, countertransference dilemmas, and emphatic breaks are frequent, expected and deserve thought and care. Consultation provides opportunities for clinicians to engage their curiosity, to share their strengths and vulnerabilities and to reflect with a consultant on new options and therapeutic possibilities.
It is our job to do no harm. This work challenges even the most experienced therapist. We are dedicated to the well-being and growth of both the therapist and the client.
Each session is filled with rich, clinical, collaborative discussion and is a great way to either increase your understanding or start your journey towards incorporating EMDR, expressive therapy (sand tray therapy and others), Somatic Work, Trauma-Informed work, and other approaches into your practice.
See below for a few examples of the power of some of these approaches and protocols.
System Requirements: We are using Zoom, a web conferencing solution. Zoom is a Java application, so there may be a software download to your computer the first time you use it. To save time before the session, check system requirements to make sure it is configured to work with Zoom. Please ensure your computer is equipped with speakers, so that you can hear the presenter during the supervision session. If you run into any technical issues with Zoom visit Zoom Support. If you’ve never used Zoom, get a general tutorial here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzk4vdTIi0c
This therapeutic intervention requires a trusting environment and a therapist who feels highly comfortable with stepping back and letting the unspoken process take over. An experienced therapist provides the freedom and the protection that encourages the client (child or adult) to access her inner, often unrealized, self in a safe and non-judgmental space. It is imperative for the therapist to follow the play and stay in tune with it, but not to intrude.
The essentials of sand tray therapy are a specially proportioned sand tray, a source of water, shelves of a multitude of miniatures: people, animals, buildings, bridges, vehicles, furniture, food, plants, rocks, shells, etc.
Below is a picture of a sand tray created by a 29-year-old African American female who came to therapy presenting symptoms of depression and PTSD. It was not until after she completed this sand tray and processed it during the course of three sessions that she realized she was dealing with unresolved grief due to the death of her fiancé three years before.
What does the image mean? Grief.
The black bird in the middle of the tray represents death.
The closed treasure box holds inside her memories of the day she received the call about her boyfriend’s death.
The bride carrying the boyfriend represents her taking her boyfriend to the grave.
Each one of the other miniatures also represent powerful unrealized feelings and thoughts.
Through this process she was able to “externalize” her grief and find acceptance as well as closure.
I am a certified EMDR therapist. I have been able to successfully implement EMDR protocols with children as young as 2 years old. I continue enjoying my work bringing together EMDR and sand tray work to help children, and people of all ages heal from trauma.
I have also had the opportunity to implement this protocol in my work with refugees and asylum seekers.
Below, you will find a brief explanation on EMDR:
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an integrative psychotherapy approach created by Francine Shapiro that has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of trauma. EMDR is a set of standardized protocols that incorporates elements from many different treatment approaches. To date, EMDR therapy has helped millions of people of all ages relieve many types of psychological stress. The goal of EMDR therapy is to process completely the experiences that are causing problems, and to include new ones that are needed for full health. During the processing it is not required that the person talks about the event in detail. "Processing" means setting up a learning state that will allow experiences that are causing problems to be "digested" and stored appropriately in your brain. That means that what is useful to you from an experience will be learned, and stored with appropriate emotions in your brain, and be able to guide you in positive ways in the future. The inappropriate emotions, beliefs, and body sensations will be discarded. Negative emotions, feelings and behaviors are generally caused by unresolved earlier experiences that are pushing you in the wrong directions. The goal of EMDR therapy is to leave you with the emotions, understanding, and perspectives that will lead to healthy and useful behaviors and interactions.
I have completed the following trainings: Theraplay Level I, Theraplay Level II, and Marschak Interaction Method (MIM) Skills Development. I have been able to implement Theraplay in my sessions to help children, and adolescents re-create experiences of secure attachment formation.
I continue seeing first-hand how children who have been emotionally deprived and emotionally neglected during the first years of their lives start flourishing as they feel the connection with their caregivers, and most important, as they feel protected and safe with them.
Theraplay is a carefully structured intervention that utilizes non-symbolic, interactional play to re-create experiences of secure attachment formation between parent and child. It is based on the natural patterns of playful, healthy interaction between parent and child, and it is personal, physical, and fun.
I have completed the Externship in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy, and I continue pursuing trainings and supervision that allows me to better implement and explain this approach.
EFT is a structured approach to couples therapy formulated in the 1980’s and has developed alongside the science on adult attachment and bonding to expand our understanding about what is happening in couple relationships and to guide therapists. EFT is also used with families and individuals. A substantial body of research outlining the effectiveness of EFT now exists. Research studies find that 70-75% of couples move from distress to recovery and approximately 90% show significant improvements. EFT is being used with many different kinds of couples from many different cultural groups throughout the world.
This approach includes elements of experiential therapy (such as person-centered therapy and Gestalt therapy), systemic therapy, and attachment theory.
Cardenas Institute’s experienced, licensed clinicians provide consultation to both new and experienced Masters level therapists working in many areas, including:
- Trauma
- Grief and loss
- Child and adolescent issues
- Family Work
- Couples Work
- Women’s Issues
- Identity Issues
Supervision for clinical licensure is available for therapists working towards their LCPC.
For questions about our individual consultation or supervision, please contact our Director, Rita Romero, at 773-663-2989 or email her from our contact page.