Approach

My approach is dialogical, which is to say a “conversation” between equals. It's process oriented and driven, rather than procedure bound (as in working with a treatment plan). Instead, the aim is to gradually circle in on and clarify the client’s existencial topics and challenges, through and with the help of the therapeutic process itself, including its “detours” into the ongoings of the moment (which, in turn, feed back into and inform the process).

The therapist’s role

In a trustful therapeutic relationship, the therapist’s role is that of a partner in dialogue; as needed, that of a supportive witness to the client’s therapeutic process, or a challenging sparring partner in their fight for new perspectives and options.

Relationship

Finding the right therapist is a personal matter. There are many different therapeutic approaches and different styles within those yet. But, in the end, what counts most is building a relationship of lively trust between therapists and client — one that is conducive to the revealing and developing of the client’s core issues.

Finding one another

Quite naturally, such a therapeutic relationship comes easier between some than others. It’s therefore important that we first “try each other out” in up to four probationary sessions, to see if we are a good fit.

What is it?

This is a gestalt therapy based weekly therapy group for (not necessarily native) English speakers. It is an open group, but regular attendance is strongly encouraged. Participants mutually share about ongoing difficulties in their lives, receiving feedback in return which may be supportive, as well as challenging. The process is fundamentally group driven. However, ludic, contemplative, artistic and dramatic-expressive dynamics that facilitate self-expression and experience through enactment are introduced when appropriate. All in all, it is usually an engaging, vitalizing and often joyous encounter between human beings.

What Are the Benefits?

As the group grows more intimate over time, it provides a safe space for self-expression, experimenting and experiencing. This is enabled by growing honesty, authenticity and transparence, and hence trust within the group, leading to heightened awareness of self-responsibility and choice. The result is increased self-acceptance paired with self-enablement.

Who Is It For?

The group is open to adults of all ages who feel in any way stuck, restless, listless, or otherwise the need to ”rock their own boat“. The suitedness in case of an existing diagnosed mental health condition is determined individually.

Couples in crisis have many needs. Expectations and boundaries, commonalities and differences, fears, wants and needs all have to be (re-)discovered, expressed and mutually recognized. Often, the domains of trust and commitment are sensitive, wounded areas, good-will may be sparse, and mediation needed to assure even the most basic nonviolent communication.

During the often intense and taxing process of working through these various relational fields, the therapist has the opportunity to get to know the couple and their inner workings, and will be able reflect destructive patterns of interplay back to them. However, the outcome of couples therapy is unknown at the outset, and the process puts the couples’ courage and resolve to the test, revealing to them, if nothing else, their true priorities.

But where that priority turns out to be the renewing of their creative partnership with one another—an intimate loving relationship based on the continuous self-discovery and self-realization of both partners, where each’s individuation, the growing ownness of their responding to their being-called-upon by the world is guarded and guided in particular by their partner’s response to them—, the (re-)building of such partnership can commence.

Since each partner brings to the table their own blockages and inhibitions that prevent them from truly partaking in such creative partnership, it has proven very helpful to flexibly work with one or both of the partners individually as well.