ABOUT THE THERAPIST

After 24 years of clinical experience I would say that hope is a central feature of my work as a psychotherapist. People who are traumatized and depressed or struggling with relationship problems often feel stuck in the dark; I understand that people need grounded hope to help them to cope with difficult life challenges.  I work with adults, adolescents and students who I see for in depth psychotherapy.  In addition, I specialize in working with trauma.  Often people who have experienced childhood trauma find themselves getting stuck in cycles of abuse.  Adults who have experienced trauma for the first time often cannot get away from troubling memories that feel like ongoing nightmares and this interferes with enjoying being in the present.  I work with survivors of trauma and help them look at their feelings and experiences in a safe and empathic therapeutic space. My experience has taught me that when people feel deeply understood it is easier for them to find new and creative paths where they are able to access some mastery.

Traumatic bereavement such as sudden traumatic loss/grief  is another area of specialization. In my PhD work with Holocaust survivors I  was privileged to research traumatic loss. I have generalised my knowledge about Holocaust survivors to understand and work with clients with different experiences of traumatic grief such as children/teens who loose a parent or sibling suddenly or parents who loose children. Within the scope of trauma and grief I also work with second generation Holocaust survivors.

As a result of my PhD research I developed a model of resilience. Resilience means how we adapt to challenging circumstances and bounce back after trauma. I use this model to teach mental health workers, teachers, students and employees in the corporate world. I adapt my knowledge of resilience to all my psychotherapy work and aim to help people to adjust and adapt to life challenges.