Sally McCollum

Sally McCollum began her education at Radcliffe College, Harvard University where she graduated Cum Laude in Social Relations.  She was fortunate enough to study there when Eric Erikson was just one of the luminaries on the faculty.  Soon after, she went on to achieve her masters in Counseling Psychology (School Emphasis) from the University of Oregon, followed by her PhD in Professional (clinical) Psychology  from the California School of Professional Psychology (specilization: Child and Family).

Early on in her career, Sally worked on individual and group psychotherapy at Valley Psychiatric Center in Van Nuys California.  In this position, she worked primarily with adolescents and adults in a forenzic treatment center where she gained experience with mixed offenders, sexual abuse victims and low level perpetrators primarily in court diversion treatment.  She then went on to become the Director of Counseling at Occidental College where she would spend ten years counseling center administration and staff,  developing and evaluating programs, counseling individuals and student groups, and providing leadership within the state Organization of Counseling Center Directors in Higher Education.

Sally is currently in private practice in Sun Valley Idaho.  She specializes in psychotherapy using an eclectic approach, due to her experience in such a wide variety of trainings and practices.  “Current research on psychotherapy outcome is now validating my instincts and proving that adherence to a specific technical model contributes little to the success of therapy beyond the support it offers the therapist in his or her ability to establish and maintain an effective relationship with the client.”  Says Sally, who has focused a large part of her practice on being as present with her client as possible at all times.  She believes that using the immediate interaction between the client and the therapist is the most powerful tool one can bring to the therapeutic encounter.

She describes her therapy as having become a developmental process in which the real change occurs outside of the office, within the client’s real life.  Sally’s instincts have proven to be highly effective in using the human psyche to bring people to optimal health.