Mario Prietto PhD, LCSW, and Barry Miller, PhD present

Private Practice in Your Home Office:
A Depth Psychological Perspective

Mario Prietto has been practicing in a home office in Silver Lake since 2010, and his doctoral research into the topic has deepened his appreciation for, and curiosity about what makes the work done in home offices special. During the research for No Place Like Home: The Problem and Promise of the Home Psychotherapy Office, http://gradworks.umi.com/37/01/3701780.html, Dr. Prietto was welcomed into the home offices of seven analysts and therapists of varying theoretical backgrounds. By engaging with therapists who have direct knowledge of the home office, the work presents intimate perspectives of this rarely investigated phenomenon. Together, Dr. Prietto and the participants explore the motivations of therapists to establish a home practice, and each shared their satisfaction and frustrations with this unique setting.  The findings offer insight into ways a practitioner deals with self-disclosure, manipulates the therapeutic frame, and manages boundaries.
Dr. Barry Miller was a member of Dr. Prietto’s dissertation committee. Dr. Miller writes: “I have had a ‘home office’ for the last 35 years and, therefore, have many reflections on the complexities of working within such personal space. Exploring this subject opens us to many of the essential and fundamental dynamics implicit in a depth psychological approach. Consequently, a discussion of this issue has strong relevance to all who are doing psychological work, at home, in a clinic, or private office.”
Saturday, July 25, 2015 from 2-4:00 PM
C.G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles
10349 W. Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064

On Saturday, July 25th, the Los Angels PGI Alumni gathered at the C. G. Jung Institute, hosted by Barry Miller, analyst and former president of the institute. Dr. Miller had hosted us before in April 2014. This time it was alumnus, Mario Prietto, PhD 2015, who gave a presentation based on his doctoral dissertation at Pacifica: Private Practice in Your Own Home: A Depth Psychology Perspective. That Mario took this as the subject of his dissertation, is in itself a surprising and mildly radical act since in an age of ever advancing depersonalization it seems “only natural” that therapists should have an office, like a dentist. The therapist is after all “just” another health professional keeping us fit and on the go. Then there is the issue of exposing one’s home life to the ever so observant psyches of the client in an age obsessed with victimization (a subject also brought up during the discussion).
Mario’s presentation made us question the all too facile assumptions of how a contemporary therapist should practice. Dr. Miller, who has been practicing at home for years, and likes doing so, contributed that if he were starting out now, he would likely get an outside office. That one’s home environment should become part of the therapeutic dance may indeed seem slightly threatening in these days of possible hair trigger ethics violations and its legal pitfalls (“law and ethics” is the only constant requirement for license renewal!), but it also has a soulful aspect that may be missing in a more neutral environment. Some brought up that it was not just about their own immediate environment, but that an ill-kept up neighbor’s house, could be an issue in the therapeutic process, and would figure in the decision whether to have a home practice or not.
The open discussion format allowed Pacifica alumni present to contribute their own perspectives. I personally added, that, growing up in Europe, I had been used to even doctors and dentists having home offices, with the spouse often opening the door to let the patients in. It made one feel more like a person and less like a numbered case. During the ensuing lively discussion, it became obvious to this observer that this issue is not just one of personal taste, or practical considerations, but an issue going to the heart of what kind of society we are and will be.
A hint at a next workshop on this compelling issue, promises even more interesting perspectives. Well worth keeping an eye out for!
Denis Wohlgemuth, Counseling Psychology, 2007