Linda Ciotola is a Certified Clinical Psychodramatist, and a Certified Health Education Specialist with 35 years experience in education, group facilitation, and lifestyle counseling. She is an American Council on Exercise Gold Certified Personal Trainer and ACE Certified Fitness Instructor with Specialty Recognitions in Nutrition and in Yoga. In addition, Linda is an ACE Gold Certified Lifestyle and Weight Management Consultant, as well as a Certified Post-Rehab Fitness Specialist, and IDEA Master Trainer. Her areas of expertise include nutrition, exercise, stress management, trauma, eating disorders, women’s health, body image, and mindbody wellness.
She has designed and taught health and fitness classes at the college level, facilitated eating disorders support groups, and worked in academic, hospital, and community settings as well as private practice. She has presented widely at regional, national and international conferences.
Linda is a member of The American Association of Health Educators, The American College of Sports Medicine, a master member of I.D.E.A., (The Association of Fitness Professionals), International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals, The American Counseling Association, Academy for Eating Disorders, The National Eating Disorders Association, The American Society of Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama and The United States Association of Body Psychotherapists. She has over 1000 hours of training in counseling and psychodrama, is an accredited Certified Team Leader in the Therapeutic Spiral Model ™ of psychodrama used specifically for working with trauma survivors, and is Co-Leader and Developer of the Therapeutic Spiral Bodyworkshop specifically designed for healing body-based trauma issues, and she is the founder of the Eating Disorders Resource Network.
The Who’s Who of American Women, and the Who’s Who Registry of Business Leaders have honored Linda’s professional work and contributions to her field. IDEA acknowledged her as a Master Trainer, the highest level of recognition in the personal training profession.
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:
1) Assess individual and community needs for health education
2) Plan health education strategies, interventions, and programs
3) Implement health education strategies, interventions, and programs
4) Conduct evaluation and research related to health education
5) Administer health education strategies, interventions, and programs
6) Serve as a health education resource person; and
7) Communicate and advocate for health and health education
On-going continuing education is required to maintain CHES certification. Linda Ciotola has been a CHES since 1992.
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 C.P.?
A C.P. is a certified practitioner of psychodrama and has passed rigorous requirements established by the American Board of Examiners in Psychodrama, Sociometry, and Group Psychotherapy: a Master’s Degree in a related 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.
