Possible topics for psychological counselling are:

• Fear and Anxiety
• Obsessive-compulsive behaviour
• Stress and burnout
• Relationship and family conflicts
• unfavorable relationship patterns
• Sleep disorders
• Issues related to low self-esteem
• Identity issues
• Topics related to life as an expat abroad
• Work-life balance and increase in quality of life
• Clarification of personal goals
• Decision-making
• Dealing with chronic pain or chronic physical illnesses
• Grief

Psychological Counselling

Do you suffer from concerns, fears or difficulties in decision-making? Are you in conflict with others, whether in professional or private life? Do you keep getting to points where you seem stuck?

Even if there is no mental disorder, there are many areas in which psychotherapeutic support can be helpful and the right way to go.

My work focuses on professional psychological counselling based on cognitive-behavioural therapy. This means that the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy come into play in the counselling sessions. You determine the goal of the psychotherapeutic counselling yourself: conceivable are for example the clarification of inner conflicts, getting through a decision-making process (private or professional), or emotional relief in unchangeable situations.

At the beginning of the counselling process, we examine the current situation and the one situation you aim for. What exactly is it that brings you out of balance at the moment? And what would help you to regain the balance? Sometimes the psychological counselling can already be completed after this focus. In many cases, however, psychological counselling is a longer process in which I love to accompany you.

As a therapist, I use methods of cognitive behavioral therapy in the context of psychological counsellling. Nevertheless, psychological counseling is not a curative treatment in the sense of German psychotherapy regulations. As a result, the costs for psychological counselling are usually not covered by German health insurance (see Procedure & Costs ).

Psychotherapy in Terms of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a therapy method that is based on scientific knowledge. One of the basic assumptions of cognitive behavioral therapy is that our thoughts, feelings and behavior are inseparable and influence each other. Cognitive behavioral therapy makes use of these relationships. The starting point in therapy is the present: in the analysis of current situations, one's own thoughts, feelings and the resulting behavior can be examined in order to influence future experiences.

An important point is also the learning experiences in the past, which "radiate" into the present. In cognitive-behavioral therapy, these learning experiences are considered in order to better understand and classify one's own feelings, thoughts and behavior. However, the change takes place in the present.

At the beginning of therapy, the focus is initially on understanding the illness: How did my mental illness come about? And what keeps it up? When these two questions are answered, it becomes clear which screws can be turned in order to change the disease and/or its effects.

The adjustment screws are usually moved via feelings, thoughts or behavior. Since these are connected to each other, as described above, each of the three areas can be addressed in order to achieve effects in the other areas. During the therapy process, we regularly pause to check whether we are still working in the right direction or whether we need to make adjustments.

The end of therapy includes a summary of the newly learned useful strategies, which are tied together in an (emergency) plan for the future.

Of course, just like our lives, therapy is not a linear process. It includes steps forward and back, back roads and detours. This parallels the psychological counselling I offer. The main difference is that psychotherapy is used as a treatment for mental disorders. Psychological counselling, on the other hand, does not constitute curative treatment in the sense of German psychotherapy regulations. Even if the methods are similar, it is not sufficient for mental illnesses.



Cognitive behavioral therapy is used to treat, among other things:

• Adjustment and stress disorders
• Depressions
• Fears and anxiety disorders
• Compulsions and obsessive-compulsive disorders
• Somatization disorders
• Difficulty coping with chronic physical illness
• Recurring interpersonal conflicts in the context of personality disorders
• Coping with trauma and trauma-related disorders