FAQ

Am I in the right place here?

It is helpful to acquire the right information about therapy, psychotherapy and counseling, even in advance. This enables one to get the necessary and adequate help more rapidly.

It is quite easy to determine whether therapy, counseling or coaching is necessary for yourself or for others. In a personal conversation or exchange, a suitable solution for the current situation can then be found. 

If my services do not cover your individual needs, I will be happy to provide my specialist knowledge and experience to find alternative offers from another field of expertise or recommend qualified colleagues.

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Difference between Psychologists, Psychological Psychotherapists (PsychThG) and Heilpraktiker-Psychotherapist (HPG) in Germany?

 

Psychologists ≠ Psychological Psychotherapists (PsychThG) ≠ Heilpraktiker-Psychotherapist (HPG) 

I am a M.Sc. clinical psychologist and psychotherapist in training. I'm in the last part of my training.

 

In Germany, the terms Psychologist, psychological psychotherapist, and Heilpraktiker for psychotherapy refer to distinct professions with different training and regulatory standards.

Psychologists hold a degree in psychology (Bachelor's or Master's) and are trained in various psychological theories and research methods. They are not licensed to provide psychotherapy but may work in research, consulting, or psychological assessment.

Psychological psychotherapists (nach PsychThG) have a psychology degree (≥ 5 years) plus additional postgraduate training in psychotherapy for usually +5 years, culminating in state licensing (Approbation). This allows them to treat patients covered by statutory health insurance and use a range of regulated therapeutic methods.

Heilpraktiker for psychotherapy (nach HPG) do not require a psychology degree but instead complete a shorter, less regulated training and pass an examination with the health authorities. They are not licensed to offer traditional psychotherapy, nor treat mental disorders according to ICD-10/11 or DSM-5. Many present themselves as "Psychotherapist" falsely.

 

Despite my 5+ years of experience in this field and almost +10 years of training, I am pursuing this path not only in order to become a state-recognized psychotherapist (PsychThG) but also to further nourish my expertise and facilitate the best treatment for people in need of psychological support. 

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How long does a therapy session last?

A session usually lasts 50 to 60 minutes - see Procedure & Prices

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How do you get an appointment?

The best way to do this is to contact my practice directly by email. Since I am often in ongoing meetings, please state your request and a callback number and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

 

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What happens during the first meeting?

How the first meeting goes depends mainly on the subject. Some therapists will first listen carefully and let the patients report freely. Others will ask more structured questions about symptoms, triggers, and therapy motivation. However, there should always be enough space during the initial conversation for the patient's questions. For me, the first sessions are there to understand how and what we want to work on together and to start a trusting working relationship. In this context, it is useful to talk about one's wishes, goals, and the time frame of the collaboration as well as to ask any arising questions. Please note that the first three meetings/sessions are not free of charge, but will be charged at 65€.

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What is 'psychotherapy' based on 'depth psychology'?

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Depth Psychology and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy are used as synonyms.

Therapy based on depth psychology is a flexible form of therapy that is scientifically founded. Similar to psychoanalysis, it focuses more on the origin and cause of the disorder, but one also focuses much more on the present than in psychoanalysis. The central conflict should be identified and understood, and then joint possibilities should be developed to deal with these difficulties to enable the reduction of mental and physical suffering. As with behavioral therapy, the patient and therapist sit across from each other and usually meet once to twice a week.

"The time machine of therapy"

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What are the other forms of 'psychotherapy', e.g. based on 'cognitive based' or 'emotions-focused'?

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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy [CBT] focuses on current observable behavior and less on clarifying the underlying cause. This is done to resolve present emotional and behavioral issues. CBT can help you to optimize your human potential and to make rather spontaneous and automatized behavior conscious, and daily self-reinforcing behavior.

CBT is a goal-oriented, systematic, and problem-solving-oriented approach to solve emotional problems.​

"How you feel, is how you think"

 

Emotions-Focused Therapy [EFT] recognizes the importance of emotions and places them in front and center in therapy sessions.

Emotions are not only an important part of our daily lives, they contribute to our identity, our perception of the world, our judgment, and our behavior.​

EFT works on 3 principles:

1) Increasing awareness of emotions

2) Enhancing emotion regulation 

3) Transforming emotions [maladaptive emotion into another, adaptive emotion]​

Especially emotion regulation is a vital part of EFT and is also a central part of mental disorders and well-being. It helps to reach our goal and cope with difficult or intense emotions.​

"How do I feel, how can I cope with this feeling and change it?"

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When is psychological therapy recommended?

Did you know that one in four people will develop a mental disorder within a year?

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There can be many, various reasons to consider psychotherapy: From the loss of a close relative or life crisis to behavioral problems or even permanent, severe mental disorders. Although many of those affected have difficulties deciding whether they should consult a psychotherapist because they aren't sure if they should because they feel like they're "not ill enough" or "get through it by themselves". However, their condition may get worse without professional help from a psychotherapist. Therefore it is important to know when it is helpful to see a psychotherapist in order to use psychotherapy to reduce suffering in the long term. Because the sooner you seek and accept help, the higher the chances of a quick and long-lasting recovery of your psyche.

Signs can be for example:

1. Having the feeling that your worries determine your everyday life and that you are subject to persistent restrictions

2. Relationships are suffering or impacted.

3. A persistent lack of fun or joy

4. Feeling regularly worried

5. Having experienced or observed a trauma

6. Attempts to get the problem under control on your own has failed

7. Being more emotional than usual, or/and can't regulation your emotions effectively

8. Increased consumption of alcohol or other substances

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How can one differentiate between psychological counseling vs. psychotherapy?

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This distinction is important both for clients and for the inner attitude of therapists. Whether psychotherapy or psychological counseling is adapted, will be decided in the individual's case.

 

Psychological counseling is more solution-oriented and can be used for limited, non-pathological problems (e.g. parenting counseling, conflict management, support for divorce, etc.). Enlightenment, psychoeducation (imparting knowledge about psychological processes), and a more directive approach are used here. 

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Psychotherapy literally means “treatment of the soul”. But it also means “treatment with psychological means” - through conversations and psychological interventions which are based on recognized theories and clinical experience. Thus, it is a treatment that starts with the soul, the behavior, and the experience of the suffering person. 

Psychotherapy offers help with disorders of thinking, feeling, experiencing, and behavior. These include, amongst others: anxiety disorders, depression, eating disorders, personality disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorders.

Other psychological stresses that people experience such as relationship conflicts, problems in the partnership, or difficulties in bringing up children, are not counted as mental disorders but can play a role or be a consequence of mental disorders. Therefore, the treatment of these (individual) areas is usually not referred to as “psychotherapy” but as “psychological counseling”. Psychotherapy is only used when such stresses result in the development of disorders, such as depression.

More specifically, psychotherapy encompasses a continuous, long-term process and aims to change deeper-lying personality traits, psychological processes, or disorder-related symptoms. Depth psychological procedures, in particular, are revealing (for example learning to recognize connections with one's own biography) and above all non-directive (for example following the client's inputs, no fixed processes). It is less about educating clients (even if psychoeducation can be incorporated), but about helping them to understand more about themselves on an experience-oriented basis and to change inner patterns and ways of experiencing. Working with the therapeutic relationship is part of it.

In Germany, there are currently four guideline procedures for psychotherapy recognized by health insurance:

1. (Cognitive) behavioral therapy [CBT]

2. Therapy based on depth psychology a.k.a Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

3. Psychoanalytic Therapy

4. Systemic therapy

Thus, it is important, for us as therapists, to have a clear picture of our role and of the approach in these overlapping but different forms of intervention. This is the only way to determine at the beginning of treatment, together with the client, which type of intervention is recommended and what the client can expect.

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What is Family & Couples Therapy?

While individual therapy focuses more on the Individual, Family and Couples Therapy examines how an individual’s behavior affects both the individual and their relationship as part of a couple or family.

This sort of Therapy or Counseling can treat physical and psychological problems, for example:

• marital or couples conflicts, 

• alcohol and drug abuse, 

• sexual dysfunction, 

• grief, distress,

• eating disorders and weight issues,

• children’s behavior problems,

• a family member's mental health issues (i.e. depression, schizophrenia) and

• issues with eldercare, such as coping with a parent’s or grandparent’s dementia.​

 

Family Therapy is a form of psychotherapy that addresses the behaviors of all family members and the way these behaviors affect not only individual family members but also relationships between family members and the family unit as a whole. As such, treatment is usually divided between time spent on individual therapy and time spent on couple therapy, family therapy, or both, if necessary.

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How does Family & Couples Therapy work?

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In couple therapy or counseling, the therapist will begin by meeting with both partners and then spend some time with each individual.

In family therapy, the therapist will also begin by meeting with the entire family and then, if appropriate, meet separately with individual family members.

The first session is generally for information gathering, so the therapist can learn about the problem that brought you to therapy, get the thoughts of everyone involved, and observe couple/family dynamics. At the same time, you should be able to get a clear sense of the therapist’s role and competency, the goals of treatment, and any “rules” to be observed in and out of sessions, such as who should attend which sessions and confidentiality of any information shared between and among partners or family members and the therapist. Over time, you will identify individual family roles and behaviors that contribute to conflicts, identify specific challenges, and explore ways to actively resolve issues.

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For further questions or information, please feel free to contact me