Gifted Psychology 101 for Psychologists

Our next professional training group for gifted psychologists (including therapists, psychiatrists, social workers, and other trained helping professionals) is starting in January 2023. This course is a 6-month learning journey you take, together with your gifted professional peers, into the world of gifted-specific psychology. The course combines live teaching, group discussion, personal exploration, professional learning and practice, and peer interaction. Each monthly session includes an extensive module and preparation homework (each month requires around 10 hours of preparation work, on average), as well as a 2-hour live teaching & group discussion facilitated by Jen via zoom.

Participants say that this course is a transformational journey unlike any other, both personally and professionally. It is a combination course which allows space for your own growth and reflection as a gifted person and gifted professional, while providing you with the theoretical knowledge, practical insight, case studies, and peer feedback to start your gifted-specific practice or bring your existing practice to a new level. See more of what past participants have said about their experience of the course here.

As founding director of InterGifted and psychologist, coach, mentor and trainer, Jennifer Harvey Sallin has dedicated her work to serving gifted people and the professionals who support them. Her trainings are holistic, designed for both the thriving of the professionals she trains, as well as their clients. She has been supporting gifted adults since 2010 and training Gifted Psychology 101 groups since 2017. Learn more about Jen here.

Logistically, we meet on the zoom once a month for two hour live teaching and Q+A sessions, and dates/times of our live sessions are determined together with the participants, based on common availability and time zones. Each session module is sent out one month prior to the live session. The total cost of the course is 1,500 CHF (250 CHF per session). We plan to start in January 2023.

To express your interest in participating in this course: email Jen with your professional background and intentions for joining. Jen will help you determine if the course is right for you, and if so, will provide details for registration.

Course Outline

The following modules and topics are covered. Reading and homework preparation for each module requires around 10 hours of preparation work, on average.

Recognizing giftedness in clients

• How to recognize and evaluate giftedness, giftedness levels, and unique giftedness profiles
• How to bring up and address giftedness with a client
• How to overcome resistance to the idea
• Resources for client self-discovery inside and outside of therapy

Most common problem areas for gifted clients

• Social troubles
• Lack of peers
• Lack of recognition
• Romantic relational troubles
• Trauma / Complex Trauma
• Twice-exceptionality, Misdiagnoses + most common gifted/psychopathology overlaps
• How to best guide and support + resources

Therapeutic dynamics with gifted clients

• How to fully engage with gifted clients
• How to handle the overexcitabilities and intensity in sessions
• How to handle differences in giftedness levels between psychologist and client
• How to have good boundaries and when to use self-disclosure with gifted clients
• How to work with client when the psychologist is triggered by his/her own gifted issues
• When to see breakdown as positive disintegration, and when to see it as "clinical"; how to best help in both cases

Therapeutic logistics

• How therapy, coaching and mentoring can all help a gifted client, and when each is appropriate
• Common therapeutic trajectories for clients and how to help them transition from therapy to other forms of support
• Client drop out and how to maintain engagement

Gifted personal & career development

• Common gifted career dilemmas and how to approach them
• Helpful resources for gifted career exploration
• Giftedness and creativity
• Giftedness and spirituality/religion
• Tools of positive psychology for gifted self-development

Understanding & working with special populations

• Children, teens & adults
• Gifted elders
• Prison populations
• LGBTQ+
• Twice-exceptional clients

There is an individual-study option for this course which includes individualized mentoring tailored to your therapeutic practice and personal needs and timing. Individual sessions are billed at Jen's hourly rate of 275 CHF per hour and typically last one hour. There is currently a waiting list for these sessions, but you can email Jen to express your interest and get on her wait list.

For Coaches:

There is also a coaches' version of this course starting later in 2023, which you can learn more about at this course page. You can email Jen to express your interest in joining the course and to get on the course wait list.

About Jennifer Harvey Sallin

Jennifer is the founding director of InterGifted, and is a psychologist, coach and mentor who specializes in providing training and mentoring for gifted coaches and other helping professionals who support the gifted. She also performs giftedness assessments, mentors profoundly gifted adults, and writes extensively on giftedness and self-development. You can find her articles here on InterGifted’s blog and on her own blog at Rediscovering Yourself. She is based in Switzerland and supports gifted adults and professionals throughout the world. You can learn more about her here.