I understand that the therapy process is hard, and I've found that it's better when the client has control of the gas and the brakes, so I work collaboratively. Usually, work with me starts with a phone call, so you can hear what I sound like, get a feel for me, and I can see if my skills could be helpful for you. You don't have to discuss anything you don't want to in the consult. The call is 30 minutes or less. If we decide to work together, the first two to four sessions are usually about getting to know one another, with less of a focus on structured treatment protocols. Then we figure out what you're hoping to get out of therapy and what strategies you think would work best for you.
Once the work starts, it usually happens in three phases. In the first, we build the capacity to have strong emotions safely. In the second, we do the emotional trauma work. This sounds scary, and can be hard. Part of my job is to keep an eye on how you're doing and to provide support when you need it. The second phase includes working directly with the trauma-based emotions or patterns that were developed to protect you. They still want to protect you; they just don't know things have changed. In this phase, I focus less on what happened and more on how you got through it. This is a validating and strength-based approach, and it's also less emotionally painful. The third phase is consolidation, to help you adjust to the changes you made, and stabilize them so they can last.
If you think I might be able to help, call for the free phone consult: +49 152 5656 1118