The training I received from Somatic Systems Institute for my full Certification in Clinical Somatic Education was nothing short of excellent. I could go on and on about my experience, however, I'll keep it contained...
- Steven Aronstein is an excellent educator. He shared his years of knowledge in Clinical Somatics with us, holding nothing back. He took his time, made sure we understood principles, concepts and the hands on training. There was never a problem reviewing to clarify. His assistant, Patience Bousel, was also excellent, sharing her knowledge and helping us clarify and grow in our personal and professional practice.
- The clinics were a great hands on experience. Yes, they were nerve-wracking. However the learning from the clients and the feedback from teachers, trainers and peers was invaluable. There was never any harsh criticism, only beneficial feedback that we were able to put into practice immediately. Some of my biggest takeaways to apply to my work came from those experiences. You learn from feedback and the teachers that gave their time during the Trainers Clinic, were great. They know the work, so they could guide us along, letting us know what we were doing well and what could use improvement. The public clinics allowed us to do hands-on work while being observed by other teachers and our peers. Again, very valuable feedback.
- I came into the program as a Certified Yoga Therapist, very proud of what I had accomplished and what I learned from that experience. Once in the program, I very quickly started referring to my self as a Clinical Somatics Educator-in-training. That is how valuable I found the work, for myself and for my clients. Very quickly into the program I was able to apply the skills I learned to my personal practice and my clients and the results I was getting, even early on as a newbie, were so much more effective than all the training I had prior to starting with Somatic Systems and Steven Aronstein. The Yoga Therapy Certification I completed was very thorough and is a highly regarded school!
- The program is run with our results in mind. They don't want to crank out a bunch of graduates, they want us to excel and get excellent results. It was very important for us to give feedback, so Steven and Patience would know how they could improve the program and how they would need to teach us. I always felt comfortable giving feedback, even negative, as I knew it would be taken seriously and implemented immediately. The entire training felt very democratic.
- The icing on the cake, or the cherry on the top, was the friendships that developed during the training. I do believe we will stay lifelong friends and colleagues.
Yes, the training is a 2+year commitment and it may be more costly than other trainings that are out there, however, hands down, I would consider it being an advanced degree training and well-worth every penny I spent. As I said earlier, I was able to quickly apply what I learned into my business, which increased my business over what I had been experiencing. I've more than made my money back in a very short period of time. You can't beat experience and Steven has that experience. He knows the work inside out, he is excellent at the work. He still sees clients, so his knowledge stays fresh.
I highly recommend the program to anyone who is considering it. You will be so happy you did!
