Our Mission, Work, Values & Ethos
The Mission of the AEDP Institute is threefold:
- to nurture the integrity and healthy development of the AEDP model while ensuring its widespread recognition and accessibility,
- to provide mental health professionals with high quality training and certification in AEDP therapy and supervision, and
- to uplift, undo aloneness, and foster flourishing among AEDP practitioners.
In pursuing this mission and in honoring the deeply relational and transformational AEDP model of psychotherapy, we aim to promote healing for our clients worldwide.
Our Work
The AEDP Institute
The AEDP Institute provides training and certification in the AEDP model through a structured sequence of courses and access to supervision by Certified Supervisors. The Institute also offers stand-alone seminars, as well as online educational resources, to support continued development of clinical skills among licensed mental health professionals. In addition, it facilitates professional forums in which clinicians may exchange ideas, discuss clinical questions, and engage in peer learning.
The AEDP Model of Psychotherapy
Developed by Dr. Diana Fosha, author of The Transforming Power of Affect and editor of Undoing Aloneness and The Transformation of Suffering Into Flourishing: AEDP 2.0, AEDP draws on diverse disciplines, including attachment theory, affective neuroscience, body-focused approaches, and transformational studies.
There is no better way to capture the ethos of AEDP than to say this:
We try to help our patients—and ourselves—become stronger at the broken places.
By working with trauma, loss, and the painful consequences of the limitations of human relatedness, we discover places that have always been strong; places that were never broken.
Our Values
Openness to Divergence
We embrace diverse perspectives, recognizing that differing viewpoints enrich our understanding and practice.
Commitment to Exploration
We prioritize curiosity, continually seeking new ways of thinking and working to deepen our therapeutic impact.
Growth Mindset
We value personal and professional growth by remaining receptive to feedback and new ideas in our field.
Collaborative Learning
We encourage constructive dialogue and welcome challenges from colleagues, fostering new developments in theory and practice.
Celebration of Differences
We celebrate our unique backgrounds, understanding that diversity leads to innovative solutions and richer insights.
Fostering Emergence
By embracing both our resonances and differences, we create conditions for new phenomena to emerge, facilitating growth on all levels.
Our Ethos
to Exist in Each Other’s Hearts and Minds
Our spirit of openness and connection informs all the activities—clinical, intellectual, and community-building—of the AEDP Institute community. As the worldwide network of AEDP practitioners, teachers, and supervisors grows, a shared ethos helps us remain healthy and vibrant. In particular, we are committed to nurturing and promoting:
- a healing orientation
- engagement
- connection
- shared passion
- openness of heart
- openness of mind
- rigor guided by phenomenological precision
- safe and informed therapist risk-taking
- emergence
AEDP Psychotherapy
Crisis and suffering can awaken extraordinary capacities that often lie dormant. AEDP leverages these moments for healing and transformation, emphasizing the therapeutic relationship as a safe and secure base. By deeply processing challenging emotional and relational experiences, AEDP clinicians help clients cultivate new, healing experiences.