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Our 'true self' emerges by fully experiencing and processing our emotions in the presence of a 'true other'.
Adapted from the writings of Diana Fosha, Ph.D.
Who are we?
We are a small and growing group of UK counsellors and psychotherapists who are passionate about what AEDP can offer both therapists and clients. While AEDP is established as an evidence-based therapeutic model in the United States, it is a relatively new modality in the UK. AEDP UK is an informal group of UK-based therapists who have attended an AEDP training since they were first offered in the UK in 2018. All those interested in AEDP are invited to get in touch as your voice and feedback are both welcome and vital.
As an informal group we:
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promote the learning and practice of AEDP with clinicians
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connect AEDP therapists with their learning community
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raise awareness of the benefits of this contemporary psychotherapeutic model
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help people get in touch with AEDP therapists
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recognise the UK is diverse and actively welcome therapists from a wide range of communities.
What is AEDP?
AEDP (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy) privileges healing and growth over pathology.
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This deep, powerful approach integrates research findings from attachment theory, developmental studies, contemporary affective neuroscience, interpersonal neurobiology, and somatic therapies. AEDP practitioners explicitly draw on the therapeutic relationship to create conditions of safety that nurture clients’ innate potential for resilience, growth, and healing. Right from the start, we help our clients access this wired-in, human capacity. Together, from this secure healthy base, we explore and tend to the places that need healing. In this way we undo aloneness and restore optimal development.
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AEDP therapists recognise that change often involves letting go of strategies that people initially developed to protect themselves. Giving up familiar patterns and habits (even those which are no longer helpful or adaptive) can be scary. AEDP therapists skillfully help clients regulate anxiety in the face of change. We support clients to tune into the wisdom of their core, adaptive feelings. When experienced fully, these healthy emotions provide important information about basic needs and guide people to act in ways that better fulfill these needs. This empowers our clients to live more fully and freely, with greater satisfaction.
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This inviting, experiential approach is particularly well suited to clients who want to enhance their sense of connection with themselves and others, and to people who want to experience greater self esteem and self-trust.
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Diversity and inclusion
We strive to be aware of, and address, oppression and discrimination caused by society’s attitudes towards race, ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, class, physical ability, age, neurodiversity, religion or size.
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We recognise that the UK is a diverse and multicultural society and that this is often not reflected in therapy organisations due to systemic racism and other forms of oppression. We are inspired by the work of the AEDP Institute in trying to address these inequities and are committed to growing an inclusive and diverse AEDP community in the UK where we can learn with and from one another.
