How

I provide individual therapy, workshops, groups and consultations for English- and Dutch speaking adults. The group, workshop and lecture options will vary depending on time of year and demand. They are posted in the c2 (Caring 2gether) events Calendar. Please contact me if you have any requests or questions.

Please Note: Due to the Coronavirus, I am also meeting virtually. You can e-mail or SMS me to coordinate which method works best for you.

Individual Therapy
In the beginning I take the time to hear your story. This allows me to gain a sense of what you most want to explore, possible specific steps to work on and how I can support you as you work through them. Sometimes I also invite partners in for a session, to help gain a fresh perspective, discuss difficult issues, and increase support.

Workshops
I am part of C2:Caring2gether aiming to connect, empower and support English-speaking non-native Swiss residents. We provide monthly workshops on various relevant themes. We also have regular Mindfulness Retreats. More information can be found on our Facebook page and Website for C2: Caring2gether.

Groups
I also provide group therapy, as a wonderful way to augment individual therapy or for those who are shifting out of individual work but still want a supportive network. Currently there is a Woman’s Group meeting once a month on Thursday evenings from 19:00 till 20:30. You can read more about it here.

Are you moving towards or away from how you want to be as a person?
In our work, we explore your thoughts, feelings and actions in current distressing situations. We use this to identify patterns and how they help or prevent you from moving towards what is important to you in your life.

Are you letting your past and future fears define you?
Sometimes we may lose ourselves in the pains of the past or be swept away by the fears about the future. Being aware of these past negative experiences and their impact, and then learning to give them a place in our story helps decrease their ability to derail us in our current life.

My areas of expertise include: women’s life cycle issues, cultural adjustment/identity, eating difficulties, anxiety, depression and trauma. I would be willing to work with you in any of these areas. To guide the therapy process, I combine Mindfulness, Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) approaches. These processes can help keep things in perspective… something so easily lost in our busy lives as adults, parents, partners, friends and colleagues.

Mindfulness is a way of paying attention in the moment to what’s happening within and around us without judgement (Tara Brach). Being mindful provides us with more space and awareness to make different choices in life, rather automatically default to our common reactions of trying to avoid or decrease our discomfort. Read more information and a mindfulness exercise by Tara Brach as well as by John Kabot Zinn. My colleague Dr. Elizabeth Frei provides additional resources around Mindfulness. Information can be found on her website.

ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) draws from behavioral and mindfulness practices to help us become aware of our experiences, our layered responses to them, and if they are helpful in the long run. Often our responses to, or avoidance of, uncomfortable experiences can lead to rigid and unhelpful patterns that worsen problems in the long run. ACT encourages psychological flexibility to help us to connect with a willingness to engage life in ways more consistent with our values, even as we encounter difficulties. read more…

EMDR uses standardized procedures to focus simultaneously on spontaneous associations of traumatic images, thoughts, emotions and bodily sensations while providing bilateral stimulation, such as repeated eye movements, tones or vibrations. (based on definition by Geneva World health Organization). EMDR aims to engage natural healing processes to allow for a more adaptive and helpful placement of the traumatic event in our life history, without detailed verbal descriptions of, direct challenging of beliefs or extended exposure associated with the traumatic events.

If you have any questions feel free to contact me. The first brief telephone consult is free.