Dr. Marianne Herzog, Licensed Psychologist

At Philly Psychology, Dr. Herzog facilitates Introduction to Mindfulness training, during which participants meet in supportive group learning. The 8 weekly sessions introduce the basic concepts of mindfulness, and provide didactic and experiential training in various formal and informal practices, including mindfulness meditation, loving kindness and compassion, and mindful movement. The goal is for individuals to develop a regular mindfulness practice during the training, which is cultivated through instruction, practice and discussion during sessions, regular practice during the week, setting personal goals and recording progress, and the support of other students through sharing their observations and experiences with each other.

Introduction to Mindfulness can be of benefit to someone who is new to mindfulness practices and is interested in gaining an introduction to the basic skills and a variety of specific practices. It is also appropriate for individuals who have been introduced to mindfulness and those who engage in mindful or other forms of meditation already, and are looking to gain further understanding of mindfulness in general and in developing a more regular practice. Introduction to Mindfulness is not group therapy, although practicing mindfulness regularly can result in healing from suffering. Through regular practice, individuals develop a different way of relating to changes in mood, interpersonal interactions, experience of pain, and stressful life challenges which can lead to perspectives and strategies for coping more skillfully with their struggles.

At Philly Psychology, Dr. Herzog also presents brief workshops of one or two sessions on topics related to cognitive-behavioral and mind-body approaches to stress management; self-care strategies to use at work; breathing techniques for relaxation, focus, sleep, and coping; parenting/discipline; mindful parenting; parental postpartum adjustment; and creating a strong emotional bond with your children.

Her interest in yoga and meditation began in college. During her graduate training in psychology, Dr. Herzog was drawn to mind-body approaches to relieving suffering, and integrated these into her therapeutic work. Her education and experience specifically in mindfulness approaches to therapy began in 2006 with a training in Mindfulness and Psychotherapy with Ronald Siegel through the National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine. Since then, she has participated in continuing education with, and read the work extensively of, leading theorists, practitioners, and researchers in mindfulness and mind-body perspectives. She trained at the Sage Institute of Healing, became a certified teacher of MBI® (Mind-Body Intelligence™) and facilitated MBI® groups there; and recently participated in a two-day training in MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) with a pioneering instructor with Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of MBSR. Dr. Herzog has provided workshops with teachers in using a mindful approach to instruction, relating to students, and intervening with difficult behaviors, and instructing their students in mindful practices.

About her work with mindfulness approaches, Dr. Herzog expressed that, “Over the years, as I practice, myself, and reap the myriad benefits of mindfulness, I look for opportunities to educate others, so that they, too, may gain from the practice! For many years, I was providing group experiences in yoga breathing, relaxation strategies, and mindful meditation with the families and staff members of a Head Start program, and was surprised and gratified by the overwhelmingly positive response to these. I look forward to introducing Mindfulness to more people at Philly Psychology.”

Dr. Herzog is a licensed psychologist in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Her work has included providing psychotherapy in a variety of settings--community mental health and counseling centers, as well as in a group practice. For more than twenty years, Dr. Herzog provided consultation with Philadelphia and Camden, NJ Head Start and Early Head Start programs, addressing the mental health needs of children, families, teachers, and other staff members.

She currently maintains her private practice in Lafayette Hill, PA and performs evaluations of children (ages 3-14) at Children’s Crisis Treatment Center. Her focus over the last 12 years has been on integrating mindfulness and yoga breathing practices in her therapeutic work, and on providing instruction in mindfulness.

Dr. Herzog completed her Bachelor’s degree in psychology at SUNY Binghamton (now Binghamton University) and her Master’s and Doctoral degrees at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to her education in mindfulness approaches, Dr. Herzog has undertaken specific training in the Nurtured Heart Approach®, a relationship-based approach to parenting.