Case Consultation Services

Every clinician needs a trusted ally, especially when cases are complicated or perplexing, or resonate too closely with our own issues.

Typical Focus Areas:

  • Troubleshooting case conceptualization

  • Anchoring (and re-anchoring) treatment to the presenting complaint

  • Understanding and utilizing situational fluctuations in motivation to change

  • Identifying and repairing problems in the therapeutic relationship

  • Understanding unique features of traumatic learning and incorporating those insights into case conceptualization and treatment

  • Identifying patient strengths and capitalizing on instances of successful coping

  • Understanding and managing symptom exacerbation during treatment

  • Maintaining a consistent focus despite shifting content and symptoms

  • Helping patients learn to resist victimization and boundary violations

  • Managing risk and liability concerns

  • Coping with ethical challenges such as maintaining professional boundaries

  • Understanding, utilizing, and mitigating the impact of “counter-transference”

  • Using Socratic dialogue with difficult patients without triggering resistance

  • Refocusing and reinvigorating treatment with long-term patients

  • Seeding future therapeutic contacts and utilizing serial episodes of treatment

With Gratitude to Dr. Aaron T. Beck

As a postdoc at the University of Pennsylvania, I was lucky to have been personally trained by Dr. Aaron T. Beck, known as the “Father of Cognitive Therapy”. I served as Clinical and Research Coordinator of Dr. Beck’s Center for Cognitive Therapy, where I first learned to treat patients with depression using cognitive therapy, a new approach at the time.

One of my first cases at the Center was a chronically depressed, suicidal patient who posed a very high risk of committing suicide. As an inexperienced therapist, I was worried about the patient’s safety and fearful of making a potentially fatal mistake.  Dr. Beck calmly acknowledged the risk, making it clear that he and I would be working as a team. Thanks to Dr. Beck’s support and deep understanding of depression, I was able to help this patient gradually recover and lead a much more rewarding life.  

I have tried to recreate my experience with Dr. Beck with every clinician I’ve had the privilege of supervising.  I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Dr. Beck and try to honor his legacy by emulating the example he set as a supervisor whenever I consult with a clinician about a difficult case.