She specialized in child, adolescent, adult and group therapies. Dr. Motherwell taught and supervised in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital for 19 years, is immediate past-president of the Northeastern Society for Group Psychotherapy Foundation, Inc., immediate past-treasurer of the American Group Psychotherapy Association, and co-editor of Complex Dilemmas in Group Therapy with Joseph Shay, PhD. She has been on the editorial board of the International Journal for Group Psychotherapy, the editor of the NSGP Newsletter, and author of numerous articles.