Supervisors
Ricardo Gonsalves, PhD
As a supervisor, I begin with reviewing the fundamentals of the therapeutic process, attending to the issues of client safety and the legal/ethical requirements of psychotherapy practice. Beyond the fundamentals I engage in a collaborative and relational form of interaction with interns and trainees. In this way, I move beyond strict power relations and into a process of mentoring and guidance.
This approach is integral to the practice and perspective of intersectionality and position, and supports associates in learning to build equitable relations as colleagues who are committed to a better future. This allows for the personal and professional growth of interns in the context of social psychoanalytic theory as praxis. It also presents opportunities to experience radical subjectivity as a therapist and as a human being. I believe this style is consistent with the values of the Mālama Collective. It is an approach that provides a context for supervision with care, respect and dignity.
Holly Han, PsyD
The ability to supervise is one of the aspects of my job that I enjoy the most. Whatever the theoretical leaning, all psychotherapists need to grow into their identity as clinicians finding out how they will apply their unique skills and life experiences to each and every client they encounter. I attempt to have supervision be a place where budding therapists learn new therapeutic skills, solidify existing skills, and work through challenges.
Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic supervision specifically aims to develop a deeper understanding of personality structure and symptom development so we can have a more complex view of our clients and ourselves and the interplay between the two. Our collective and individual social situatedness, and the societal forces of race, class, gender, and sexuality impact our approach to therapeutic work, and the ways that we perceive and relate to our clients. Within the collaborative process of supervision we consider those forces and where they converge and diverge through a psychoanalytic/psychodynamic lens.