Beatrice Beebe, PhD

Claire Rodgers, Psy.D.

Working in Dr. Beebe's lab was my first introduction to the power of mutual regulation between two people interacting. It is one thing to abstractly conceptualize "attunement" in a clinical setting; it is quite another to see it in action. Dr. Beebe's microanalyses of mother-infant interactions allow us, the viewer, to witness the transformative blossoming that can occur in a relationship when two people closely observe each other and respond accordingly, in a "good enough" manner, in what Dr Beebe calls “the optimal midrange.” The value that this knowledge adds to my clinical practice cannot be overstated; The power of noticing a patient's glance, or a picking at the fingernails, and the patient's own sense of the therapist's knowing and seeing. This subtle mutuality enhances and enriches the relationships that I am able to have with my patients.