Psychotherapy
Adults
Starting therapy is often a pivotal moment in one’s life. It may be your time to start therapy if:
You realize that the way you are dealing with problems is not working out for you anymore. In other words, your defense mechanisms are out of date or overused, and instead of alleviating your pain, they are adding to your suffering.
You have suffered long enough. Most of us have spent considerable time suffering (e.g., feeling depressed or anxious, caught up in dysfunctional relationship patterns, feeling ‘not like oneself’) before we finally ask for professional help.
You are going through something difficult (e.g., loss, illness, migration, divorce,...) which generates difficult feelings. You might feel lost, overwhelmed, and you are looking for someone to think together and make sense of it all.
You have been feeling lonely and isolated. Sharing painful feelings with a therapist can be the first step to break through the wall of isolation.
You feel like you have lost control of your life and you want to begin to take charge again.
You feel disconnected from your feelings and you want to connect.
You are ready to make a commitment to yourself and make a change in your life.
You want to get to know yourself better.
Psychotherapy is a process of expanding your self awareness, in which together we look at your ways of thinking, feeling, relating, and moving in this world, so you can make more conscious choices in your life.
Adolescents
As a society, we tend to forget how difficult adolescence was. We forget the feelings of awkwardness that our changing body creates, feeling like no one understands us, the difficulties of navigating friendships, the first disappointments, betrayals, and heartbreak.
Suffering can take many forms, and teenagers often try to hide or downplay their struggles from friends and family. They may also feel ashamed of what they’re going through—whether it’s experiences like bullying or traumatic events, or struggles with mental health challenges such as OCD, eating disorders or self-harm. If your child expresses a desire to see a specialist, it’s important to take their request seriously and offer support as soon as possible. Reaching out for help is a courageous step, and having a caring response can make all the difference.
Consider psychotherapy for your child, if:
They have been sad, anxious or irritable, and these feelings don’t seem to go away
They have detached from family or friends
Their academic performance has declined significantly or they are refusing to go to school
They’ve been aggressive or they have engaged in risk taking behaviors (e.g., stealing, dangerous physical activities, substance use, sexual risk-taking)
Difficulties with body image or self-esteem
You’ve noticed important changes in their eating patterns, preoccupation with food, significant weight gain or loss that might cause health issues
They had to face traumatic experiences, including bullying or loss
Your adolescent is “perfectionist”, over-achieving at school, and displays high levels of distress due to exams or less-than-perfect marks
You have moved to another city/country and your teen has had difficulties adapting
Your teen is neurodivergent and has difficulties reading social cues, which makes it difficult to navigate relationships with friends, classmates, teachers, etc.
Dance Movement Therapy
Dance Movement Therapy has in its core the central role of the body in our psychic life; the body’s memory, knowledge, and creative potential.
Individual sessions take place in a comfortable room with an adequate floor that invites connecting with the body and exploring through creative movement. Sessions include a verbal check-in, a warm-up to get ready to do deep work, exploration in movement, and a verbal check-out to discuss and make meaning of the movement experience.
Engaging the body in our therapy process has enormous potential both for unlocking the unconscious, as well as promoting tangible change.
You may consider Dance Movement Therapy as a treatment option if:
Your symptoms are directly related to your relationship with your body (e.g., eating disorders, body image issues, psychosomatic symptoms, post-traumatic stress, sexual difficulties).
You have a good relationship with your body, but words don’t come easy to you. You feel like you’d rather dance your way to healing rather than (just) talking.
You have a physical disability and you want to improve your connection to your body in this context.
Talk therapy is not accessible to you (or your child/ward) due to language or learning disabilities. You are looking for a meaningful therapeutic relationship that does not depend on verbal language.
You are suffering from depression and/or anxiety, and you want to try out a bottom-up approach to feeling better. You want to learn to relax and/or energize through your body.
You have a tendency to intellectualize your feelings. Words are your refuge. You might be a great thinker and you might even have a theoretical understanding of your suffering, but somehow it doesn’t translate into feeling or tangible change.
Dancing is a way in which you express yourself, and you want to better understand the feelings that emerge when you dance.
Dance Movement Therapy is an option as a stand-alone treatment as well as complimentary to talk therapy, depending on your needs. Contact me if you have any questions about this.
To find out more about this treatment modality, check out my blog article:
Online Therapy
All of the above options are available for online therapy as well. Clients might choose this option for a number of reasons:
Difficulty moving from the house (due to illness, disability, caretaking responsibilities,...)
Not finding the kind of therapy that you are looking for in your area
Not having access to therapy in your language where you live
Having a busy work schedule and/or other responsibilities
Travelling frequently
Online sessions take place on Skype. Access details will be sent to you once you have booked a session. If you are opting for online therapy, make sure that you can have the sessions in a room where you have full privacy. It is important that you feel safe and free to share whatever comes to your mind, without worrying that someone in the next room might overhear you. Also consider the logistics such as good internet connection, audio and video equipment.