Since 1986, The Psychotherapy Institute has offered a two-year program in the theory and practice of supervision. One of the oldest such programs in the nation, it is the only one of its kind in the Bay Area. The program combines readings and didactic instruction with a practicum that includes weekly individual and small-group consultation. Participants enrolled in the program may provide supervision to trainees in the Institute’s psychodynamic training program, as well as to licensed therapists in the community through the Institute’s professional consultation service.

The mission of the program is to help participants develop a sense of personal authority as teachers within the profession. Supervision is presented as a separate, intimate and complex process, distinct from psychotherapy and requiring special attention and study.

Participants in training receive individual consultation from senior clinicians who have closely studied and applied the supervision process. They also work in a small group with a group consultant, studying the literature and sharing supervisory experiences, to better understand the complex relationships between consultant and supervisor, supervisor and supervisee, and supervisee and patient.

Applicants must be licensed in California to practice independently in a mental health field (e.g., psychiatry, social work, psychology, marriage/family therapy, nursing) and have a minimum of three years post-license clinical experience.

Applicants must have the capacity for introspection and self-awareness.

Applicants must be supervising or consulting at the time they enter the program (beginning of October). The Selection Committee can suggest supervisory opportunities for program participants who are not already providing supervision or consultation.