Meet Edla Prevette | Therapist for Children and Adults and Coach for Adult Children of Aging Parents

We had the good fortune of connecting with Edla Prevette and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Edla, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
My husband and I are both from Raleigh and have lived here for most of our life. After college and a few years in Rocky Mount with his job we moved back to Raleigh and raised our two boys.

Initially I followed in my mother’s footsteps as a middle school science teacher until I realized that I was more interested in my students’ social and emotional well being than I was about them passing the state science test. I went back to school and continued working in the school system as a school counselor, trainer, and parent consultant before starting my private practice.

One of the stories that I often tell clients is that when I was a kid I got in trouble all the time for talking and staring. The irony is that taking and staring are exactly the traits that I use in my work. When those negative descriptions of me as a child were reframed as an adult all of a sudden I was observant, perceptive and a good communicator. It changed my perspective of how I think about people’s strengths and weaknesses.

So I pass that along to all of my clients….How can we reframe this negative description so it’s a positive label?

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I’ve worked as an educator, trainer and mental health therapist for people across the lifespan for most of my career.

A few years ago my adult clients began expressing concerns and overwhelm with the needs of their aging parents.

I had been my parents’ caretakers for many years and knew there was not a lot of support for the day to day challenges of caring for aging parents.

I decided to see more adult children sandwiched between their life and their aging parents but I wanted to expand my services to the online arena.

Online business was unchartered territory for me and more complicated that I anticipated.

I knew I was going to need a different kind of support.

A friend of mine referred me to a cohort of other mental health professionals that were working on similar projects and needed guidance for starting and running an online business.

They have been a valuable resource and validating of the importance of the work I was doing for caretakers.

I continue to teach and coach others about this topic because it’s important to the well-being of families.

Our population is living longer and longer and the components of caregiving are complex.

As adults have to be more involved in the support of their aging parents, it’s imperative that they can communicate and interact in such a way that the relationships with their parents and siblings stay intact under the pressure of caregiving.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Wow this is a hard question because Raleigh and NC have so much to offer!

If they came in the spring I would definitely take them to Dix Park and the WRAL Azalea Gardens.

We would go for a walk at Yates Mill then stop by Howling Cow for ice Cream…Go Wolfpack! If we could catch the Art in Bloom exhibit at the Art Museum that would be a bonus

In the summer we would hit all the summer concerts at the Art Museum, go to the Farmers Market and the State Farmer’s Market restaurant or head to the coast or mountains

In the fall there are many fall festivals with great music, food and artisans and of course football games.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I definitely need to give a Shout Out to my husband, Jim Prevette for being a steadying influence and supporting me with all of my business ideas and adventures over the years!

My mentor Alice Burrows the former Director of Project Enlightenment who fostered my strengths and ALL the visionary and creative colleagues that I worked with at Project Enlightenment.

Elizabeth Worley who trusted me enough to start our business and go into private practice

Marissa Lawton, Emily King and a cohort of amazing therapists who supported me and cheered me on as I leapt into online business

Website: https://edlaprevette.com/home

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oneeighty_edlaprevette/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eprevette

Image Credits
Kat Noland Photogrpahy