Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Shari Eliot and I are very happy to share with you that is now a certified AEDP therapist! Please join us in welcoming and congratulating her (back channel please!)
I (Eileen) entered later into Colette’s certification process after a long time in AEDP circles and supervision with the lovely Shari Eliott. Colette came prepared and focused, really wanting to deepen her understanding of and precision with AEDP. She embodies a unique combination of someone who communicates that she takes her work (and her clients) very seriously, while being very warm, with a disarmingly welcoming laugh. For her certification packet she chose two relatively challenging cases; the first with more intellectualized defenses, the other with a very limited range of affect. Colette was (and is) so patient, and met them where they were while drawing them out and simultaneously deeper into themselves. She allowed them the space they needed and also kept returning to an experiential, affectively- oriented focus, which led to very deep processing for both clients.
I will elaborate through the words of others…
(Shari Eliot) Colette came to AEDP as an experienced therapist with training in both Psychoanalytically Oriented Psychotherapy and Somatic Experiencing. From our very first supervisory meeting, her enthusiasm for learning AEDP was unmistakable. Each week, she arrived with thoughtful, meaningful questions that deepened her understanding of AEDP theory and its application in practice. In observing her work, I have consistently appreciated Colette’s authentic, collaborative presence with her clients and the genuine acceptance she conveys toward who they are. It has been a true pleasure to witness her growth—culminating in her achievement of AEDP Certification—alongside the growth of the clients she has so skillfully supported.
Reviewer 1: “I think Colette has done a wonderful job showing us what an excellent AEDP therapist she is. She also helped me see through different eyes about the nuances of working with neuro-divergent clients….(later) Colette was beautifully patient and encouraging and would pressure this client with empathy in very productive ways. It is in this tape I see the underpinnings or an excellent AEDP therapist.”
Reviewer 2: Colette’s tone and pace both serve to settle my nervous system as I sit with her recordings. Her presence is warm, steady, affectionate, and responsive, and it’s palpable how effective those qualities are in supporting her clients’ explorations of difficult experiences….I really enjoyed Collette’s sense of humor with her clients, and I could see the effect of this lightness of tone. It’s an elegant strategy for gentle defense work; combined with her steady unobtrusive persistence, both clients in their own ways seemed to glide through or past much of what might have solidified into rigid defenses.
Colette, we are all very happy for you on this achievement and so appreciate the hard, dedicated, thoughtful and open-hearted work you put into it!
Warmly,
Eileen Russell