Connect with me on Instagram for updates.
Services
What I do.
As a certified mediator and systemic therapist I offer services for individuals, couples, families and groups in friendly private practice rooms located in the north of Hamburg (Ohlstedt) or in the center of Hamburg (Hafencity), or online.
Disclaimer: This is a private practice. I do not offer psychotherapy for mental health problems.
Everyone welcome
​I passionately support diversity and am proud to serve LGBTQIA individuals and couples, polyamorous, trans, and non-binary folks, people of color, (POC), and people of any cultural, religious and socio-economic background
Attitude
I bring a basic attitude of curiosity, openness and acceptance to each client I meet. I work with my clients on eye-level, co-creating new perspectives and custom-made solutions for their personal situation. Each Person has resources that can be accessed and put to work for their personal well-being and growth.
Style
I have an intuitive, empathic, customer-oriented counseling style that comes with lots of energy and focus. For my work, I draw on my expertise from educational science and psychology. My qualifications have provided me with specialized training that focuses on helping people resolve conflicts and improve their most important interpersonal relationships, and above all, their relationship with themselves. Within the counseling process, I use a variety of creative methods, depending on the topic at hand
Couple Therapy
Systemic Couple Therapy is useful for couples
Who want to rekindle their love and affection.
Who want to improve their sex life.
Who are experiencing relationship problems, crisis and dissatisfaction.
Who are suffering from communication problems, conflict, or speechlessness with each other.
In separation and divorce.
In phases of change or transition, for instance when a child is born or moves out.
When dealing with questions of boundaries.
Who are thinking about opening the relationship.
In consensual nonmonogamous relationship.
In conflict about closeness and distance in their relationship.
As a systemic couple and sex therapist, I do not see myself as an expert who diagnoses and prescribes the solution. I also do not act as a judge, deciding who is right or wrong, and who is to blame. Instead, I engage in a curious and respectful dialogue with my client couples to support them in unblocking their developmental dynamics and in developing new perspectives and more satisfying patterns of sharing their lives.
Learn more about the systemic approach here.
Counseling & Coaching
Systemic counseling & coaching is helpful for many issues and a broad variety of topics.
Systemic counseling & coaching is useful for individuals...
Who want to resolve a conflict, but the others involved in the conflict should not or do not want to participate (yet).
Who desire to improve their feeling of self-worth.
Who want to improve their situation at work.
Who feel stuck or don't see the way out and want to change this feeling of helplessness.
Who want to unfold their personality and potential and have a desire for more joy in life.
Who are at a turning point of their life.
Who need support in making a decision.
Who feel dominated by fear, anger or resignation and want to change this.
Who carry burden and strain from their family of birth.
Systemic counseling & coaching is useful for families...
Who are fighting or experiencing communication problems.
Who are in conflict with extended family members.
In separation or transition situations.
In patchwork constellations.
In rainbow constellations.
With a single parent.
Systemic counseling & coaching is useful for groups...
That are experiencing conflict and dysfunctional relationships.
That are interested in developing and building their team.
Experiencing problems between employees.
Experiencing problems between employees and managers.
In phases of change, for instance, due to organizational shifts.
About the Systemic Approach
Rooted in family therapy, systemic counseling is inspired by system theoretic principles that recently developed simultaneously in diverse disciplines such as biology, physics, psychology, mechanics, and sociology. These principles have transformed traditional ways of counseling and therapy and are increasingly influencing the classic therapeutic schools.
Contextual thinking
Systemic counseling does not view human behavior as an isolated result of their inner qualities and traits, but as something that is very strongly linked to relationships and social environment. Thus, systemic counseling is very useful in working with several persons at the same time (such as several family members), but it is also extremely helpful for individuals. Systemic counseling helps clients to expand their range of perception and behavior. Systemic counselors are tuned to the context of clients seeking assistance and hold their resources and their autonomy in high regard. They aim at a respectful dialogue at eye level with their clients.
Systemic Counseling & Coaching in Action
Practitioners interpret and conduct their work in many different ways. I find the following "ingredients" particularly valuable for my counseling practice:
Solution focus. When we begin the counseling process, we take time to form a sound joint agreement on the issues at hand and the goals we want to achieve together. Depending on your concerns and topics, different kinds of interventions and counseling formats may be suitable. Then, together, we set out for finding individual solutions and new perspectives. I make sure that I stay attuned to the needs of my clients, for instance by doing regular interim checks if we are on the right track. My emphasis is on your self-discovery, interpretation, conflict resolution, and life approach.
Respect and unconditional acceptance. Every human being goes through phases of frustration, feeling stuck, sad, angry or helpless. I take the problems of my clients seriously, but I do not only see the problem. I want to see the whole person, a human being like myself, in his or her individuality and with his or her strengths. My perspective is only one of many, and the "one truth" does not exist. Therefore, I emphasize a warm and accepting approach, while "condescending counseling" is unthinkable for me.
Creativity, curiosity, and humor. Times can be tough, but laughing, dreaming and experimenting should not be outlawed. Not all new ideas should be put into practice. But sometimes, inspiration comes from unusual sources. Systemic counseling (as I understand it) helps individuals to accept reality, to change adversity, to achieve more clarity about their own capabilities and goals and, ultimately, to advance toward a heightened acceptance and understanding of self. How? With out-of-the-box perceptions, with unorthodox questions, with manifold field-tested interventions and with great respect for the individual life path of each person
Learn more
Mediation
Mediation is useful
If the issue is a concrete conflict between two or more people and
If it is conceivable (at least in principle) that the persons involved in the conflict will consider trying a mediation process.
If you have questions whether this is right for your situation, please get in touch.
About Mediation
Everybody experiences conflict - its a part of life.
But if conflicts persist or escalate over a longer period of time, they can lead to crisis and destroy relatiohsips. Why does this happen? Because conflict often comes with personal attacks that threaten our identity and our feelings of self-worth, thus rocking important foundations of our existence. In such a situation many people feel overwhelmed and are not able to resolve their conflict without external support.
The simple way out appears to be court resolution.
​The problem here, however, is that the conflict tends to escalate. This harms the parties to the conflict and also the people around them. Separated parents who argue in court about contact with their children find it harder to pull together in raising their children. Neighbors who fight in court can hardly look each other in the eye afterwards.
Mediators seek solutions that satisfy both sides.
Mediation can be very helpful in all situations where persons are still prepared to take responsibility for their own conflict. Even if the solution seems as far away as the sky. In a clear and structured mediation process, mediators assist individuals and groups that feel stuck in conflict in finding solutions. During the mediation process they do not take sides, but do everything to take the interests of both sides into account. Does this sound unrealistic? It's not. Research evidence shows that mediation is frequently successful and leads to resolved conflicts. Mediators are found in such diverse contexts as family, inheritance issues, neighborhood, politics, economics, separation and divorce, church, criminal law (victim-offender-mediation) and in intercultural conflict. Mediation works with couples and with states because it is grounded in global principles of human nature.
Mediation is a structured process with clearly defined steps.
-
In a preliminary conversation we clarify if the conflict is suited for mediation, who needs to participate, which costs are involved and other general requirements.
-
In the opening phase I give general information on the mediation process and the way it works.
-
In the positions phase both sides have equal time to explain their side and view of the conflict.
-
In the interests phase I work with all clients to describe and understand all relevant shared and individual background information, needs, goals and wishes.
-
In the solution phase I use field-tested methods to support all parties in developing mutual settlements.
-
These are documented and agreed on in the settlement phase. Here, we also take time to re-check the agreement, to talk about how to implement and control it, before it is signed by all parties.
-
In many cases it is useful to agree on a follow-up conversation to examine the success of the agreement and to adapt it, if necessary.
Learn more
Terms & Conditions
Scheduled Appointments
Consultations and the intervals between them are scheduled individually. Please get in touch with me via phone or email.
For individuals, one session usually lasts 60 minutes.
For couples, families and mediations I usually schedule 90-minute sessions.
Group sessions may have an even longer duration that we agree on individually.
Cancellations
If you cannot meet a scheduled appointment, you need to cancel it two working days prior to the appointment. If you cancel it later, I must charge you for the session, since this appointment then could not be assigned to other clients.
Fees
Systemic counseling and mediation is not psychotherapy and is therefore not paid by health insurance. It must be paid for privately. Feel free to inquire about my fee for private persons. My fee for companies is individually agreed upon, depending on the assignment. In all questions of costs and fees do not hesitate to contact me.
Confidentiality
It is understood that all information and disclosure will be handled with utmost discretion and confidentiality.
Locations
I offer my services
- either in private practice rooms in Hamburg-Volksdorf or
- online via Zoom (Info on data security when using Zoom) or
- in the friendly and centrally located rooms of a psychotherapeutic institute in the Hafencity (a modern part of Hamburg near to its center)
Psychotherapeutische Hochschulambulanz Medical School Hamburg Am Kaiserkai 1, 4. Floor 20457 Hamburg
How to get there with public transport: use the U4 and exit at station Überseequartier or use bus number 111 and exit at station Marco-Polo-Terrassen.