How video therapy works

Clients go to one of two offices — in Greenfield or Amherst — and sit down to talk about whatever they would like: their job, troubling incidents from the past, issues with partners or children, and more. Throughout the session, a video camera is situated on a tripod, at an unobtrusive angle, capturing the discussion.
---- Saltman uses a filmmaker’s trained eye to watch for sometimes-subtle verbal and physical cues that indicate something important is happening within the client. She notes where those moments are on the video monitor and then plays the scenes back with the client while the two discuss what was going on. ---- Saltman said the video mirror feedback is so immediate and effective that it often only takes a client four to eight sessions to meet their goals.
---- Saltman said people tend to come to her with very specific goals, often because they want to have better rapport with others, either at work or at home, or to gain a deeper self-awareness. Saltman first talks to clients about any fears they might have in seeing themselves on video and she reassures clients that they can stop the filming or the playback any time they want. Saltman also will delete any material the client is uncomfortable with. ---- “Because of the power that cameras have in our culture I want to make sure that people feel in control of the process,” she said. Most people do not want to delete the recording, however, but want to retain it for further review and reflection. ---- The process is self-directed, with the client determining what he or she wants to talk about; generally, the sessions do not dig deep into “family of origin” issues, but focus on what is happening today. ---- “In psychosynthesis, we trust that the client knows what he or she needs and wants to explore,” Saltman said. “I may ask the client ‘what is true for you today, what matters for you today, and what is troubling you today?’ to open up the conversation.”
---- — Sandra Dias