Becoming an Excellent Therapist is a Lifelong Commitment
Shape your practice with intention, starting this very moment!
“Great things are not done by impulse, but a series of small things brought together.”
- Vincent Van Gogh
The Learning from Masters Seminar Series was designed with early-career psychologists & therapists in mind.
The idea was born out of curiosity… (and ok, maybe a tad bit of early-career imposter syndrome)
Hi! I’m Dr. Allyson Smith,
Founder of the Learning From Masters Seminar Series
In grad school, I had the opportunity to do something that completely shaped the kind of therapist I am today.
For my dissertation, I sat down with 10 Master Therapists (think, the therapist’s therapist, aka the best of the best) and interviewed them about their approaches, skills, and experiences.
The insights of these clinicians were invaluable to me as an early-career therapist and a source of guidance & inspiration I still rely on in my practice today (over 20 years later!). Not a week goes by that I don’t reflect on one of the many conversations I had with these folks & find myself using something they’ve shared to help me grow personally & professionally.
Knowing the impact this information had on me, I wanted other early-career therapists to have access to it, too, which is why I created the Learning From Masters Seminar Series.
A unique opportunity to change the trajectory of your entire career as a therapist.
This has the potential to be an incredibly rewarding career (no burnout badge of honor necessary).
You’re the curator of your practice and have the opportunity to build something you look forward to every day as you show up to help your clients make lasting change.
Speakers
Dr. Allyson Smith
Dr. Allyson Smith is a psychologist in private practice in Ottawa, where she works with individual adults & couples. She received her Ph.D.from the University of Alberta & has worked in hospital, community, and private practice settings.
Alongside her clinical work, Dr. Smith enjoys creating opportunities for professional development & connection. She has served on the Executive of the Ottawa Academy of Psychology since 2009, often involved in planning continuing education events for local psychologists. This experience, combined with her doctoral dissertation studying master therapists & her passion for supporting therapist development cumulated in the development of this seminar series
Dr. Shari Geller
Dr. Shari Geller is an author, clinical psychologist, certified Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) teacher and leader in the field of therapeutic presence.
Shari offers training in therapeutic presence internationally as part of a longer-term vision for presence to be foundational in psychotherapy training across approaches. With over thirty years’ experience weaving psychology and mindfulness, she has several publications including seminal books "Therapeutic Presence: A Mindful Approach to Effective Therapeutic Relationships" (2nd Edition, 2022) with Leslie Greenberg and "A Practical Guide to Cultivating Therapeutic Presence" (2017). She is also co-editor of a book on Self-Compassion in Psychotherapy (to be released Feb 2025). Shari serves on the teaching faculty in Health Psychology at York University and is Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto, in association with Music and Health Research Collaboratory (MaHRC).
Shari is actively involved in various professional committees including the Self-Compassion in Psychotherapy (SCIP) certificate program and is the Chair for the Membership and Networking Committee for the International Society for Emotion Focused Therapy (isEFT). Shari is the founder and co-director of the Centre for MindBody Health, in Toronto, where she offers training, supervision and therapy in Emotion-Focused therapy (EFT) and Mindfulness and Self-Compassion modalities for individuals and couples. Shari enjoys playing the HandPan and djembe and founded the Therapeutic Rhythm and Mindfulness Program (TRM™). Her love of nature and her dogs, along with her 35-year personal meditation practice helps to keep her present in the moment.
www.sharigeller.ca www.cmbh.space
Dr. Paul Wachtel
Paul L. Wachtel is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology at CCNY. He did his undergraduate studies at Columbia and received his doctorate in clinical psychology at Yale. He is a graduate of the New York University postdoctoral program in psychoanalysis and psychotherapy and is an adjunct faculty member there. He was a cofounder of the Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration (SEPI) and is a past president of that organization. He has lectured and given workshops throughout North America, South America, Europe, and Asia both on clinical matters and on the applications of psychological theory and research to the pressing social problems of our times. He is a Fellow of Divisions 12, 29, and 39 of the American Psychological Association and was the winner of the 2010 Hans H. Strupp Award for Psychoanalytic Writing, Teaching, and Research, the 2012 Distinguished Psychologist Award by Division 29 (Psychotherapy) of APA, the 2013 Scholarship and Research Award by Division 39 (Psychoanalysis) of APA, and the First Annual Sidney J. Blatt Award for Outstanding Contributions to Psychotherapy, Scholarship, Education and Practice in 2018.
Dr. Martha Stark
Martha Stark MD, a graduate of Harvard Medical School and the Boston Psychoanalytic Institute, is a holistic (adult and child) psychiatrist and integrative psychoanalyst in Cambridge MA.
Creator/Developer of THE STARK METHOD of PSYCHODYNAMIC SYNERGY, Martha is the author of nine influential books that explore the integration of psychodynamic theory with clinical practice, including Relentless Hope: The Refusal to Grieve and the award-winning 1999 Modes of Therapeutic Action: Knowledge, Experience, and Relationship – recipient of Jason Aronson’s prestigious “Book of the Year Award.”
Her works have received widespread acclaim and are considered essential reading in psychoanalytic training institutes and psychodynamic psychotherapy training programs across the US and internationally.
Dr. Mel Segal
Dr. Segal has been practicing psychology since 1975. A former Harvard Fellow in psychology, he brings decades of experience to his work with individuals, couples, and families.
In addition to his private practice, Dr. Segal has held extensive hospital and supervisory roles at The Ottawa Hospital, the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, and the University of Ottawa. He continues to provide supervision and consultation to other psychologists and mental health professionals, with a focus on applying psychodynamic theory to clinical practice. His special interests include the provision of short-term problem-focused treatment and couple psychotherapy.