“Being able to feel safe with other people is probably the single most important aspect of mental health;
safe connections are fundamental to meaningful and satisfying lives.”
― Bessel van der Kolk
About Me
Born and raised in and around Munich, I grew up very close to the Alps, which laid the foundation for my love of nature.
After graduating from High School, I worked in a hospital for a few years before enrolling in University (LMU). I focused on pedagogy, psychology, and theater studies. After my Master’s degree (MA), I completed a 2-year training in family therapy.
Soon afterwards, I obtained permission to practice psychotherapy (HeilprG) and, for several years, I worked as a counsellor for youth and their families who had fled war-torn countries.
In 2006, I moved to Canada where I worked primarily for a non-profit organization that supports youth and families in their communities.
Since 2016, I have also been working in private practice as a Canadian Certified Counsellor (C.C.C.), a credential awarded by the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA). Also in Canada, I completed additional therapy training and became a certified trauma therapist with the International EMDR Association (EMDRIA).
I have since returned to Munich and continue to work in private practice, with a particular focus on the treatment of trauma.
Finally, I have always had a great interest in understanding people, myself and others. In many ways, I am very grateful to have a profession that I really enjoy and that has allowed me to develop more understanding and compassion.
At the Core: Safe Connections
When I became a counsellor in 2003, I had read many books that emphasized the importance of building a therapeutic relationship or ‘rapport’ with clients. What does that actually mean in practice?
Well, there are as many variations to a relationship as there are people, and each process that develops is unique. Ultimately, however, it’s about feeling connected.
What we share as tribal, social beings is the need and desire for connection, regardless of our background. For this purpose, we may seek connections through intimate relationships or parenting, through the occasional conversation with a work colleague, or we may seek to connect with others via the internet.
Therapy too, is about connecting: with our self, our feelings, our body, and perhaps also with a deeper purpose. The key element to connection, especially in a therapeutic relationship, is safety—because only when we feel safe are we able to truly connect, learn and change in meaningful ways.
The Three Cs in Therapy
In order to integrate and overcome adverse experiences, it is crucial to re-connect with our emotions and our body. However, this can bring up some fears. Therefore, gradually building trust in the therapist—and in oneself—plays a fundamental role in the therapeutic process.
If we can experience the therapy space as a safe place of connection, it can serve as a non-judgmental meeting space filled with warm acceptance, compassion, and insight.
Therefore, my top priority as a therapist is to create an environment where one can learn to feel safe. From there, we are able to review, repair, and release what has kept us confined within ourselves and/or isolated from others.
“As long as you keep secrets and suppress information, you are fundamentally at war with yourself…
The critical issue is allowing yourself to know what you know.
That takes an enormous amount of courage.”
― Bessel van der Kolk
Credentials
- since 2020: Certification in EMDR Therapy (Lvl 3)
- since 2019: Classified as ‘Expert Witness’ in the field of Trauma by the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta
- 2014: Training in EMDR Therapy (Level 1+2)
- 2000-2002: Training in Family Therapy
- 1996 – 2001: Master of Arts (Ludwig-Maximilian-University), Focus areas: Pedagogy, Psychology, Theater
- 1999: Certificate – Drama in Education
- 1999: Training in Psychodrama
Continued Education
For best practice, it is undoubtedly beneficial for clients if therapists continue to develop their skills throughout their careers. This is why I allocate a portion of my fee to professional development.
Listed below are some of the training workshops & courses that I have completed since 2016:
- 2024: I-Gaze Interweave for Attachment Repair in EMDR Therapy
- 2023: EMDR 2.0: An Enhanced Version of EMDR Therapy
- 2022: EMDR R-TEP and G-TEP (Recent Traumatic Episode Protocols for Individuals and Groups)
- 2022: Let’s Play EMDR: Healing the Wounds of Trauma and Disrupted Attachment in Children and Adolescents
- 2021: Memory Reconsolidation, the Flash Technique & EMDR
- 2020: Brain Story Certification
- 2019: Reconnecting the Self: Reprocessing Early Trauma and Neglect in Implicit Memory with EMDR
- 2019: ASIST – Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training
- 2018: EMDR Therapy for Personality Disorders with Complex Traumatization
- 2018: Play Therapy – The Power of Play Techniques for Child and Adult Healing
- 2017: Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT): Core Concepts and Interventions
- 2017: Suicide to Hope – Prevention and Intervention
- 2016: Healing & Treating Trauma, Addictions & Related Disorders Conference
- 2016: Understanding Traumatized and Maltreated Children: The Core Concepts
My practice is influenced by
Virginia Axline • Brené Brown • Peter A. Levine
Bruce Perry • Carl Rogers • Virginia Satir
Francine Shapiro • Daniel J. Siegel • Bessel van der Kolk