English Language Counselling in Hannover
Integrative Psychotherapy Hannover-Kleefeld
Frequently Asked Questions
Very often the very issues, which bring us to therapy makes it difficult to start. During the process difficult and painful feelings may be brought to the fore whilst offering insight and ultimately relief of your pain. The success of treatment depends to a large extend on the quality of the relationship we are going to build. This is partly (but not solely) facilitated through language.
A counsellor (or a psychotherapist) is not a friend, a colleague or an acquaintance but someone who will support and guide you.
In a safe place it is possible to talk about experiences you may have never been able to talk about before. A psychotherapist (counsellor) will listen to your truth and help to speak the unspeakable. She will help you to bear the unbearable. Counselling/ psychotherapy will help you to be more fully alive.
New parents are expected to be happy. However many parents feel overwhelmed and angry or sad. The truth is that becoming a parent reactivates your own childhood experiences. It can be difficult to deal with some of these feelings.
It can be very helpful to talk to someone about what you remember and what if feels like to be a new parent.
As human beings we need to talk about what is happening to us. We need to share our stories and make sense of our life. If you feel more comfortable speaking English than German it is worth considering seeing a therapist who can also work in English even when English is your second or third language.
You are of course free to leave therapy at any time. Sometimes an ending is agreed from the outset of treatment but if not, it is good practise to agree on an ending and to work towards that ending together.
Effective treatment will also be attentive to what is happing on a bodily level. We cannot separate our physical from our mental experiences. Traumatic experiences, in particular, affect our physical and as well as our mental well being. Psychological stress can make us physically ill and serious physical illness may affect our mental well being. The two are interrelated. Whilst it is essential always to seek out medical treatment for physical illness psychotherapy can help to look at underlying causes (if they exist). Counselling may also help you to live life with an illness.
Famously psychoanalysis began with the idea of the unconscious. Our feelings and actions are directed by beliefs we are not even aware of. In the therapeutic relationship you will become aware of some these unconscious beliefs, assess whether they are still valid and gain greater freedom.
You may not know how many sessions you need when you start therapy/counselling. We will discuss that in the first session as well.
Short-Term counselling has the ending in mind from the beginning. We will agree on a set number of sessions and a particular focus for the work.
Long-Term therapy is open-ended and therefore less structured time wise. It offers the opportunity to work at a deeper level.
Integrative psychotherapy (as well as counselling) combines theoretical ideas and practical interventions from different therapeutic models in order to meet the needs of individual clients. In my work I am drawing on analytic as well as humanistic approaches. I am using attachment theory as well as psychodynamic and relational theory. Most importantly I will aim to be attuned to your process.
Trauma is an experience, which disrupts healthy functioning in the 'here and now'.
It can be caused by a single incident - e.g. a road accident - or through repeated adverse experiences - e.g. childhood neglect. Trauma therapy offers tools to heal traumatic wounds.
The very problems that bring us to therapy can make it equally difficult to seek help. It can be very hard to trust another human being to be willing to treat you with respect and compassion. I can only encourage you to take the first step.
As human beings we need to find meaning in what happens to us. As someone with a religious background I am fully aware that faith can be a source of great comfort as well as great pain. It is important to consider both during the therapeutic work. I am open to explore existential as well as spiritual and religious questions. In doing so I will support you to find your own path in life and will strive to be respectful of your choices.
A lot of suffering is caused by thriving for perfection but attaining perfection is humanly impossible. The therapeutic session is where we can learn to live with our imperfections.
Being able to reflect on our actions is partly what makes us uniquely human but ruminating - becoming excessively preoccuied - is unhealthy and can make us feel bad about ourselves. Counselling can help to disrupt unhelpful thought processes.
No! To be fully human we need to be able to feel - as well as think about our feelings. Anger, anxiety, shame, joy, sadness, disappointment, happiness. What does it all mean? None of these emotions can be avoided if we want to live a full life.