BIO . . . A documentary filmmaker just two years out of Mount Holyoke College, my first two films were purchased by the Smithsonian Institution. Three decades later, I’m often asked why I transformed my career away from being a documentary filmmaker and videographer into being a communication and relationship coach.
It all started in 2005 when my husband and I decided to turn my video camera on ourselves to learn more about the way we interact. Right away, we discovered two things that immediately improved our ability to enjoy talking with each other. I observed that I interrupted him a lot more than I thought. This motivated me to try harder not to do this, especially when he reminded me, which, I’ll admit, he still does occasionally.
My husband noticed that he allowed himself to be distracted and was not paying attention to me when it was my turn. From that day onward, he has responded positively when I ask him to pay closer attention. We don’t waste time anymore arguing about these points and have more peaceful, loving conversations.
The exploratory sessions with my husband turned out to be the bridge between my work as a filmmaker-interviewer and founding my Video Feedback Coaching practice.
Throughout the 1980′s and 90′s, I had focused on the production of independent documentaries in sub-Saharan Africa, and created health education media while on staff as a Program Officer at the Bloomberg School of Public Health Bloomberg School of Public Health, John Hopkins University.
In the course of filming documentaries, particularly in cultures so varied from Western Mass, I quickly gained an expertise for registering non-verbal cues that helped me know what questions to ask, where to focus the camera, and when the energy in a scene had changed.
Filming a health education video with actor Justin Yao in Burkina Faso, West Africa, 1995
Two decades into making social documentaries on subjects close to my heart, it became clear that the interviews my audiences found most engaging — and that made the greatest difference to the interviewee — were those where I was able to explore the issues at a deeper level. It was then I recognized my calling.
It was at this point I chose a course of intensive study of Psychosynthesis, an approach to self-realization. Its down-to-earth and practical perspective on who we are and why we make the choices we do appealed to me. In this training, I was heavily mentored in client-directed techniques that complemented my rapport-building skills already in place. My filmmaker’s eye and ear came to the fore to add to the many dimensions that informed each and every session.
Curious as to why a tool as powerful as video feedback wasn’t used more frequently in individual and couples counseling sessions, I applied for and won the support of the Five College Women’s Studies Research Center (FCWSRC) to conduct research in 2008. Sponsorship included an excellent supervisor for my research, Patricia Romney, PhD, from the Dept of Psychology at Mount Holyoke College.
How would psychotherapists who had a sample session with me respond to the process of coaching then reviewing our filmed interactions? The research questionnaire revealed that the therapists unanimously reported the process promoted the kind of self-awareness that would lead to increased motivation for lasting change.
These favorable results led to my ongoing collaboration with Suzanne Mitchell, MD, MSc., of Boston University School of Medicine, on a project to develop empathy skills in senior medical students.
Filming a treasured conversation. Photo © Cynthia Yackenchick 2010
I will earn my Psychosynthesis training certificate in 2012 and continue to have regular supervision by coaches who are also licensed therapists.
I began offering Video Feedback Coaching in 2009 and travel as needed to consult in business and medical training settings. Thanks to video conferencing technology, I now offer equally effective sessions online and still “face-to-face.”
My training includes
- Mindfulness Meditation
- Conscious Communication
- Intercultural Communication
- Reflective Agreement Process
- Yoga / Hospice / Mediation
- Non-Violent Communication
- Psychosynthesis / Focusing
Education
- National Film and Television School of Great Britain
Thesis film: Kofi Among the French, 1993 (Kofi Chez Les Francais) - Mount Holyoke College, B.A., History and African Studies
Student Leadership Award
Co-founder and coordinator of the first Forum on Racism in Education
© Carlyn Saltman 2011 / All rights reserved.
