Organizational and Community Consultation

Systems are not simplistic and consultation to gain a deeper understanding of them shouldn’t be simplistic either. As a psychoanalyst and a clinical social worker, I am trained to work with systems of all kinds, from the interior workings of an individual’s mind, to the unique communication style of a small group, to the multifaceted operations of a large organization. Many consultants offer superficial, one-size-fits-all interventions that promise rapid transformations but barely connect with the unique dynamics of the culture of an organization or community. For change to be healthy and enduring, I believe that leaders must be listening for the inherent ambivalence that lives in all systems - we both want change and we don’t. Much as a symptom arises in an individual, communicating something unconscious but noisy, “symptoms” may arise within organizations or communities, eluding leadership and sometimes spreading like silent wildfire.

I provide consultation for organizations and teams working in mental health and social services, such as community mental health centers, nonprofits, advocacy organizations, and other groups serving difficult client populations and communities. This may include consultation with community leaders or elected officials who are the recipients of community anxiety about development, for example low-income housing or other alterations to the lived environment, and may also include outreach and liaison work with these communities, in order to facilitate more useful dialogue between stakeholders.

Because leadership can be extremely lonesome, often leading to the experience of not being spoken to honestly by one’s team and staff, I also offer psychoanalytic consultation for leaders in a range of industries, including local and state government, tech, law, academia, family business, entertainment, and the arts. My services include leadership development, frank but exploratory coaching around complex team dynamics like resistance to change, and maneuvering transitions in leadership and organizational structure.