Dear community,
It is a true pleasure and honor to announce that Stephen McDonnell is now a certified AEDP Supervisor.
I first got to know Stephen in the sixteen-session AEDP Research weekly supervision group. His attuned, gentle, and yet persistent work with clients stood out immediately. Over time, those same qualities became even more apparent in how he showed up as a peer in the group—finding just the right words to ease anxiety, highlight the positive, or offer another lens or intervention to fellow research therapists.
Watching Stephen step into the role of supervisor during the certification process only deepened what I already knew: he is a natural and gifted supervisor as well as a highly skilled AEDP therapist.
His first reviewer had the following to say: “Approaching his supervisees with a collaborative stance of humility, Stephen gives several examples of attuning his supervision interventions to his supervisees’ needs, always privileging the positive and working to undo shame and aloneness through judicious self-disclosure. However, Stephen clearly demonstrates that he does not steer away from constructive feedback and gives several examples of gently reflecting possible interventions, choice points and opportunities for supervisee self-reflection…. The AEDP Institute will be fortunate to welcome Stephen as a certified AEDP supervisor.”
The second reviewer added: “[A]s a human being, Stephen is warm and always authentic. Not only in supervision, but in life.”
I could not agree more.
Stephen had the following to say about his journey:
“I began my journey with AEDP in 2010 at the Friday seminars, where I was welcomed warmly and personally by Diana Fosha. That sense of belonging in a collegial, non-competitive community was a turning point for me, and it led me to complete the Immersion course in 2011.
“With over three decades of experience as a clinician, I found in AEDP a professional home that brought together my earlier work in trauma treatment, couples therapy, and somatic approaches. Since 2017, I have been a member of the AEDP Research Team, and I have also had the privilege of teaching AEDP to MSW students at NYU.
“I was recently renewed in this community at our April AEDP conference, where I reconnected in person with more than 50 colleagues I have known through the years, met many new ones, and was inspired by presentations showing how AEDP has grown over 25 years—adding to our theory, practice, and presence as an international and diverse community. I am deeply grateful to belong to and practice alongside so many skilled colleagues and friends. We are truly ‘in it together.’
“My path to supervisor certification took longer than I first expected, as I navigated both the pandemic and personal transitions. In this last stretch, I was encouraged by my supervisor, Jenn Edlin, and I am grateful as well to Diana Fosha, Natasha Prenn, and Karen Pando-Mars. I hope to extend that same encouragement to my supervisees: to reassure them that learning AEDP is a journey we take together.
“For me, supervision is about giving back. I think of myself less as an overseer and more as a seasoned team player, coach, and colleague—someone who has been where my supervisees are. My aim is to embody AEDP’s ethos of undoing aloneness, privileging the positive, and savoring transformation, so that supervisees feel supported, resourced, and empowered in their own development.”
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I’ve now had the privilege of seeing Stephen work with supervisees at every stage—from those just beginning their AEDP journey, to therapists pursuing certification, to highly skilled practitioners engaged in research. In each case, Stephen meets his supervisee exactly where they are. He puts them at ease and helps them discover the next step that will bring AEDP more fully into their work.
Stephen is an exceptionally talented supervisor, and I am thrilled that his wisdom and heart are now available to the AEDP community in this new role.
If you would like to congratulate Stephen, please email him at stephen….@me.com.
With excitement,
Jenn Edlin