Member of The California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (MFC 27522) and The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists

Education and Background

I attended the University of Wisconsin and The Evergreen State College, receiving a BA in Psychology; an MA in Counseling Psychology from the University of Oregon; did my course work at the Fielding Institute, Santa Barbara, and finished my dissertation in Ericksonian Hypnosis for my PhD in Clinical Psychology at Sierra University, Los Angeles, California. I became licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist in California which expanded my ability to offer effective tools when providing Couples Counseling, Family Counseling, and other modalities of therapy.

Training and Experience

My father, Dr. Joseph G. Slavin, former Head of the Psychiatric Institute of Washington, D.C., early in his career trained with the renowned Dr. Harry Stack Sullivan. Influenced by my father’s work, I trained and taught the Adlerian-Dreikursian Child Rearing Techniques (based on natural and logical consequences) which provided an improved learning experience for counseled parents on the televised “Saturday Circus."

Milton Erickson at his home in Phoenix Arizona where I had the opportunity to work with Jeffrey Zeig. In addition, my work with Cloé Madanes, Virginia Satir, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and Salvador Minuchin have proved invaluable to my practice.

I was Adjunct Faculty at Antioch University Seattle and at the John Bastyr Medical School. Over the course of my career, I have studied with and trained many other professionals in the therapeutic modalities using hypnotic approaches with people who are caught up in the hamster wheel life we have found ourselves. 

Research

During my professional training, I spent time in South America studying and researching the Inca Civilization. As one of the most advanced cultures of its time, I found the Incas to provide an excellent model for establishing pertinent, effective and obtainable goals. My studies of the origins, behaviors, physical, social, and cultural developments of the Inca and various similar civilizations allowed me to pursue and develop a model of therapy based on some simple and yet very important premises. This model allows for a simple, step-by-step outline, is easy to understand and incorporate into patients’ lives to fit their needs, making it an effective tool for use in many therapeutic scenarios.

My research also led to my work with the Crisis Clinic of Thurston Mason Counties in Seattle Washington, which has since become a model program duplicated nationwide. At many of the clinics I established, I trained other professionals in the field to use and understand my innovative approach developed from my studies of the Incas. I also introduced techniques specifically for radio and television in order to benefit a wider audience and to help patients make relatively minor adjustments to solve their difficulties.