Transitional Psychotherapy

Victoria Shares Her Approach

As a pragmatic and action-oriented person, I have studied psychology better to understand the breadth and depth of human behavior. However, I focused on techniques and systems that work well and work fast in the "real world" rather than the synthetic environment of the consultant's office. Except for Jungian and Freudian analysis, my work was dedicated to practical, pragmatic problem-solving.

I spent six years at the University of Oregon and San Francisco State University studying psychology, completing a BS and MS degree program, including two internships that focused on the psychology of people in relation to their employment. Most notable: during the internship at Stanford's Teaching Hospital, the Palo Alto V.A. ran a real business on the ward for mental patients so that the patients would be involved in rehabilitating their work life. This rehabilitation in the context of real business was considered crucial in the overall treatment of their mental health.

In England, I was the live-in Director of a therapeutic community for mental patients where psychological problems in relation to work were always integral to the treatment. The phrase, "It doesn't matter if you are a paranoid schizophrenic, it's still your turn to clean the kitchen," is a powerful and accurate example of treatment philosophy.

While in England, I studied privately with Mary Williams Stein, a prominent training analyst for the Travistock Clinic and the Jung Institute, completing Jungian Analysis. I also worked with Dr. Joe Burke of the Arbors Association and studied with Dr. Aaron Esterson, author of "Sanity Madness & The Family", also of the Travistock Clinic. Other studies included Psychodrama, Psychosynthesis, and Gesalt psychology at Quasitor Institute and the Institute of Psychosynthesis in London, as well as at Esalan Institute in California.

After returning to America in 1977, I made New York City my base. I worked as a psychological consultant in business using various techniques within the context of everyday business problems. I was also a seminar leader for the American Management Association in courses relating to management, supervision, motivation, and communication.

In my ongoing search for pragmatic, behavior-modifying insights that could be used "on the run" by busy executives, I began to focus my studies on symbols, imagination, and success patterns that help individuals through intuition connected to concrete problem-solving.

Starting in 1982, I began studying and practicing the technique of "Waking Dream Therapy.” For the next six years, I worked with Dr. Gerald Epstein of Mt. Sinai Medical Center and Dr. Vivian Lind of Metropolitan Hospital in New York City. I also studied with the originator of the technique, Ms. C. Muscat, in Jerusalem, Israel.