Client-Focus

My work focuses on individuals in their 50s, 60s and 70s because that is where my strength lies. I am in my 60s myself and I am looking back at a life full of experiences, successes and, yes, also failures to the table. That is how I forged my own resilience. It was not an easy road to get to where I am now. But now I am at a place where I can focus on your pain. And I bring sincere compassion, much experience and an awful lot of education to the table.

My work’s overall purpose is to help you experience less pain and more joy in the short run. In the long run my purpose is for you to no longer needing my services.

And as much as I wish I could say that all this can be achieved quickly, all the time, and that there is no emotional or psychological discomfort or pain involved to achieve any of this, I cannot realistically say that.

I focus on relieving my clients’ pain in the short run and long run. I focus on their increased ability to experience less pain and more joy. I focus on their ability to maintain a contentment equilibrium.

 So, how do we get there?

My primary go-to therapeutic approach is called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).  This is currently considered the gold standard in psychotherapy.  It is focused on identifying and changing what keeps you from thinking, feeling, and living in a more satisfying and joyful way.  It also focuses on relieving your pain in the here and now.  This is achieved by insight into thinking patterns, believes, and belief systems and can—depending on your focus, scale and scope of your goal—result in fast symptom relief.

At the same time, different people need different therapeutic approaches.  Not all of us are woven with the same pain patterns.

Therefore, I am using several theories and therapies. The choice of one or several approaches depends on my clients’ personality, lifestyle, lifetime experiences, worldview, as well as the area and level of pain. When we start working together, I will offer options of therapeutic approaches. Then I support my clients in their decision making of what the right approach for them might be and how we achieve the desired outcome in the desired time frame.

In addition to CBT, I inform my therapeutic approach with Positive Psychology, which focuses on psychological and emotional pain relief as well as on identifying, building, and facilitating existing strengths patterns to increase joy and satisfaction in life. The exploration of the three bases of happiness in Positive Psychology is always a good starting point to explore therapeutic goals.

I am also partial to Individual Therapy where we focus on insight to overcome obstacles and reorientation to live a more satisfying life. Individual Therapy has similarities with CBT, but it was developed long before insurances determined the focus, length, and depth of therapeutic work and thus entails a more holistic approach of assessing and resolving our lives’ roadblocks.

Equally holistic is Victor Frankl’s methodology as it focuses on issues of life’s meaning. These questions tend to come up regularly in my clients’ thoughts, like “What is it really all about”? Victor Frankl’s approach is part of Existentialism which is part theory, therapy and philosophy. Not all of my clients take to this approach and that’s fine because it is a pretty specialized approach.

In addition, I offer Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR). This is a special theory and therapy developed by an American Psychologist, Dr. Francine Shapiro. It is focused on helping people process traumatic memories. And with successfully processed trauma come post-traumatic-growth. Treatment includes following a standardized protocol, cognitive components, and engaging in bilateral brain stimulation.  If this sounds a bit unfamiliar, check it out some more on the EMDR website: http://www.emdr.com/

Lastly and probably most importantly, I would like you to know that our work will include humor and encouragement. Even, in fact, particularly, in the most trying sessions.

I am a therapist who appreciates the challenging. 

My work focuses on alleviating pain, no matter what hurts.

My work focuses on 50/60/70s adults because that is where my strength lies.