LINDA CIOTOLA, M.ED., TEP ~ MY STORY AND MISSION
Even as a child, I was on a mission, driven to discover the fullness of well-being. I danced, acted in theatre, played the piano, read, wrote poetry and as I grew discovered that it was – no, it is – the creative process that holds the power to heal. At the same time, I knew that the body is the battleground, holding the pain of unresolved life stories. This led me to the field of health and fitness – becoming a certified group fitness instructor, personal trainer, and health coach, with a concentration in nutrition and eating disorders.
Then, when I experienced my first psychodrama workshop, I exclaimed, “Psychodrama! Where have you been all my life?!” It was that day that I signed up for training to become a certified psychodramatist. Immersed in this field, I became a board certified trainer-educator-practitioner of psychodrama, sociometry and group psychotherapy as well as a trainer in a specialized psychodramatic trauma treatment method: The Therapeutic Spiral ModelTM. Being faithful to the bodymindheartspirit connection, I earned certification as a yoga instructor, Master Reiki Teacher and more recently a certification in Souldrama®. In collaboration with professionals from a variety of fields, I have interwoven these modalities to create a unique and wholistic strategy of healing.
Linda and Zerka Moreno, 2006 at Zerka’s home in Charlottesville, VA.
As a recipient of the Zerka Moreno Award focused on increasing utilization and awareness of psychodrama, my efforts are now to inspire and mentor others. I am passing on what I have learned through written articles, co-authorship of a book, presentations at workshops and conferences. I am deeply devoted to the words of JL Moreno, the founder of psychodrama, who once said, “No truly therapeutic endeavor can have as its mission anything less than the healing of all humankind.”
LINDA CIOTOLA, M.ED., CHES (ret.),TEP, PSYCHODRAMATIST, WORKSHOP FACILITATOR & CERTIFIED HEALTH EDUCATION SPECIALIST (ret.)
Linda A. Ciotola, M.Ed., CHES (Ret.), TEP. A Board-certified Trainer, Educator and Practitioner of Psychodrama, Group Psychotherapy and Sociometry, Linda also holds International Certification in Souldrama®, and is a certified Trainer in the Therapeutic Spiral Model (TSM). Along with her colleague, Nancy Alexander, Linda created a model for a team approach to working with trauma survivors in private psychodramas. Linda is co-author of “Trauma and Teamwork,” Journal of Psychodrama, Sociometry, and Group Psychotherapy, 62(1), Spring 2014, and co-author of Healing Eating Disorders with Psychodrama and Other Action Methods–Beyond the Silence and the Fury, Jessica Kingsley, London, 2013.
Linda is a Fellow of the American Society of Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama (ASGPP), the recipient of the 2008 ASGPP Zerka Moreno Award, and with Nancy Alexander, recipient of the 2019 ASGPP Collaborators Award. Linda is also a Certified Health Education Specialist and Lifestyle Counselor/Fitness Coach who holds numerous certifications from national fitness, nutrition, and related organizations.
She is an American Council on Exercise Gold Certified Personal Trainer and ACE Certified Fitness Instructor and Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist and Gold Certified Health Coach. She holds additional certifications in Yoga, indoor cycling, MindBody specialist, and IDEA Master Trainer. Linda is a Certified Reiki Master Teacher and Interfaith Minister. She has designed and taught classes at the college level, facilitated eating disorders support groups, and worked in academic, hospital, and community settings as well as private practice. She presents widely at regional, national and international conferences.
WHAT IS A “CHES”?
A CHES is a Certified Health Education Specialist, having passed requirements established by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, The American Association for Health Education, and The Society for Public Health Education. A CHES has demonstrated competencies in the designated Seven Areas of Responsibility:
- Assess individual and community needs for health education.
- Plan health education strategies, interventions, and programs.
- Implement health education strategies, interventions, and programs.
- Conduct evaluation and research related to health education.
- Administer health education strategies, interventions, and programs and serves as a health education resource person.
- Communicate and advocate for health and health education On-going continuing education is required to maintain CHES certification. Linda Ciotola became CHES certified in 1992 and now has CHES (ret) status.
WHAT IS A BODY PSYCHOTHERAPIST?
A body psychotherapist sees a person as an essential embodiment of mental, emotional, social, and spiritual life. Goals of body psychotherapy include conscious integration of alienated aspects of the self, and psycho-somatic integration. Body psychotherapists work with psychiatric clients; traumatized clients; clients with addictions and/or eating disorders; clients with psycho-somatic symptoms; clients wishing to enhance life skills, relationships, communication skills, or psychosomatic functioning. The goal is to help clients work toward a greater sense of self-regulation and self-determination. An atmosphere of safety, mindfulness, mindbodyspirit interactions, attention to in-the-moment experiencing, and respectful pacing are fundamental to this work.
WHAT IS A T.E.P.?
A TEP is a certified trainer-educator-practioner of psychodrama, group psychotherapy, and sociometry who has passed rigorous requirements established by the American Board of Examiners in Psychodrama, Sociometry, and Group Psychotherapy including a Master’s Degree in a human relations field, plus several hundred hours of training and supervision in psychodrama, and has passed a comprehensive written examination as well as an on-site exam in action. Linda is a fellow of the ASGPP and the 2008 recipient of the prestigious Zerka Moreno Award, given for outstanding contributions in the field of Psychodrama, Sociometry, and Group Psychotherapy by the ASGPP. Click here for Linda’s awards.