Practice for Culturally-Competent, Trauma-Informed & Women’s Psychology
*M.A. in Counseling Psychology with Emphasis in Depth Psychology from Santa Barbara, CA, US
*Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, LMFT #120399, registered with the Board of Behavioral Sciences, CA
*Gold Certified Sacred Depths Coach
*Heilpraktikerin für Psychotherapie, Baden-Württemburg, Germany
In my Psychotherapy Praxis, I see adult patients in English and in Spanish Language.
I see clients locally, in person, at my office in Oberau-Wiehre (Freiburg im Breisgau), as well as online via Skype or Zoom Video Conferencing.
What is the Purpose of Psychotherapeutic Work?
Through psychological support, developing awareness of one’s own self, thoughts, feelings, emotions, and patterns in general, thus creating sustainable change in choices, behavior, and, thus, eventually resulting in a whole new life, closer to the client’s truest desires.
Psychotherapy may be more appropriate for you at this time if….
- you find that most of your current goals are Inner
- you find that, if you do have Outer Goals, they are very much about finding Stability + Grounding in your current life
- this all sounds very confusing to you and you’re not sure what exactly you need
- you feel that working on things on your own or doing homework by yourself may be hard for you right now
- you feel you have NO sense of what is really going on for you right now & you feel that you need me (or someone) to tell you
- you know that you’ve recently experienced or remembered a very traumatic, life-altering experience and you are flooded by feelings from it
- you find it hard to cope in your day-to-day life with life-crippling feelings of anxiety, depression, trauma, and or relationship issues
- you’ve never done any kind of inner or healing work in the past before, and you feel very scared or uncomfortable…
What Qualifies Me?
I have a Masters in Counseling Psychology with an Emphasis in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. As a part of that Masters, I participated in a Practicum of 500 supervised clinical hours working with individuals, children, families, and youth. In addition, I have over 1,000 hours experience and training at a women’s trauma-informed alternative recovery center, as a live-in support. Women were recovering from eating disorders, alcohol & substance abuse, divorce, abortion and other women-specific issues, and more.
I also have additional, complimentary training & experience in:
- Graduate Work in Women’s Spirituality
- 2 x 200-hour certifications as a Yoga Teacher,
- Mindfulness training,
- Gold-Certified Sacred Depths Coach,
- Empowerment Coach for Women,
- Training from Psychotera Heilpraktikerschule
- and much more (See About Page for more info)
I may use the following Methodologies in my Psychotherapeutic Practice, on a case-by-case basis:
- Humanistic, Client-Centered Approach– the approach I use to build the relationship, using the tools of: Active Listening, Empathy, and open-ended questions.
- Depth Psychology & Psychodynamic Approach– Psychoeducation supporting the client in understanding her/his situation through developmental & attachment-based theories; this supports the client in building awareness and identifying the patterns occurring in his/her life. These patterns show themselves through the connection between what is happening now and what has happened in the past, as well as through free association & observing thoughts, dream work, fantasies, etc. Jungian, Freudian, Somatic, and Dreamwork make up methodologies used here.
- Cognitive & Behavioral Therapy– Mindfulness, body-based methods, relaxation techniques, and thought-belief-behavior analysis & modification
- Resource Activation – acknowledging & building up from current strengths; building up the toolbox of ways to respond healthily to situations. Self-Esteem Training. Mindfulness.
- Problem Management—building self-esteem & confidence in future-decision making.
- Expressive Arts / Creative Therapy – drawing, painting, movement, really support inner child activation, integration & healing.
- Family Systems – this theory considers who you are within the greater context of your family system (as well as other & even greater systems—such as, for example, at work in your work culture as well as in the greater collective)
- Trauma Awareness* — see more below
HOMEWORK:
I assign homework, depending on the Client, to help you integrate the work we do in the session into your life.
Assignments may include, but are not limited to:
-Journaling
-Observation of Thoughts, Feelings, Behaviors & their Triggers
-Meditation and/or Yoga
-Physical Movement/Exercise and/or Food/Nutritional Awareness
-Baby Steps towards Goals
-and more.
If this sounds aligned for you, please click the button below for a complimentary call where we’ll discuss your particular situation, what your empowered next steps are, and, if we both feel it’s a good fit, how I could possibly support you in your process. Book your complimentary call with me here.
I don’t exclusively see women, nor do I exclusively work with people who identify as bicultural, however, these could be seen as my main areas of interest & focus. These can help acquaint you with my specialty. They are:
3 Main Focuses—important to name:
- Multicultural Competency
A topic near & dear to my heart for both personal & professional reasons. I myself immigrated my whole life: at 5 years old I moved from Mexico City, Mexico to California, USA. I had to learn English. But I was always traveling back & forth between Mexico & California. Lots of growth has taken place from this experience. Since my life in the USA, I have felt inspired to support immigrants & have experience working in culturally-sensitive workplaces for over 10 years. I am grateful to, in addition to my personal experience, have received training in this area at work and in my MA in Counseling Psychology. A therapist needs to be sensitive to & understand the client’s cultural experience, concepts, and goals. This is proven to improve the outcome of therapy.
Then, in my 30s, I moved from USA to Germany, once again learning a new language & adapting to a new country. I feel very inspired to now support people who consider themselves migrants or multicultural explore their own self, integrate their own experiences, build resources & support, and open themselves up to the new opportunities available to them.
- Trauma-Informed / Trauma-Awareness
I am grateful to have received training at Shakti Rising, a non-profit organization in San Diego, California, one of the very first organizations to have ever been considered trauma-informed (before it became trendy!). I not only theoretically-learned, but was seeped in the practices that make up “trauma-informed”.
What does this “trauma-informed” mean? It means that as a Psychological Practice, I take into consideration a person’s experience of what has happened to her/him. Based on what she has experienced and HOW she has experienced it, she may be carrying trauma in her body, which may not be immediately recognizable, nor by her nor by the therapist or service provider.
With this understanding, recognition, and response, the therapist or service provider is taking certain precautions & measures to ensure that clients are & remain emotionally, physically, and psychologically safe, and to help them rebuild a sense of control, empowerment, and connection with their own bodies & full selves.
- Women’s Psychology
Very connected to the topic of trauma awareness, comes the awareness that there are certain situations that are specific to women, such as pregnancy, and the way that our unique brains are wired, that require a unique approach to our issues. Rather than only follow the contributions of great yet strictly male psychologists (Freud, Jung, Erickson, etc.), the effort is made to understand from the perspective of the female: Is there a difference? If so, how can this be addressed?
Using the theories & ideas from women psychologists like Jean Baker Miller (author of “Towards a New Psychology of Women,” Karen Horney, and other academics, like Marija Gimbutas, I keep my Praxis inclusive of women by keeping their issues & uniqueness at the forefront while working with them. One example is that, for women, relationships (conserving & building relationships) may be just as important, if not more so, than achievement or accomplishment. This can affect the client practically when speaking of the experience of Motherhood, Career Building, Relationships (Partner/Husband, Wife) & Family. I also invite my clients to consider the bigger picture of women in the world, and the collective issues women face; the realization that the themes are not just individual can help break the client out of solitude or isolation, all too common in motherhood, especially immigrant mothers, and foster a sense of being part of a greater network.
Specifically this work can entail: activating resources, building up the self-care toolbox, creating time for herself, saying “no” to others, setting boundaries, facing existential questions of who she is & what she wants to do with her life after or besides children, or besides her role as Partner/Mother, and much more.
If this sounds aligned for you, please click on the button below to set up a complimentary call, where we’ll discuss your particular situation, what your empowered next steps are, and, if we both feel it’s a good fit, how I could possibly support you in your process. Book your complimentary call with me via the button below.
I especially see clients, but not exclusively with the following issues, in English or Spanish:
*Addiction/Codependency—questions like “Do I have an addiction? Do I need to be treated? If so, how? ” Dealing with relatives with addiction.
*Support through difficult transitions—such as, adjusting to a move to a new country, culture, adapting to motherhood, a new marriage, divorce or break-up, etc. (Adjustment Disorder/Anpassungsstörungen)
*Anxiety
*Fears
*Self-Love/Self-Worth/Self-Esteem/Self-Confidence Issues
*Body Image Issues
*Relationship / Marital Issues
*Eating Issues
*Breaking Bad Habits
*Relationship Issues
*Depression
*Sexuality
*Grief & Loss
*Attachment Wounds
*Trauma
*Working through Past Trauma
If this sounds aligned for you, please click on the button below to set up a complimentary call, where we’ll discuss your particular situation, what your empowered next steps are, and, if we both feel it’s a good fit, how I could possibly support you in your process. Book your complimentary call with me via the button below.
Diagnoses I most work with:
–Adjustment & Stress Disorder = Anpassungs- und Belastungsstörung
(& what is underneath that, which can be Grief=Trauer & Trauma)
–Attachment Disorders = Bindungsprobleme, stemming from early childhood (& how currently affect entire life, such as career, motherhood, and partnership)
–Affective Disorders = Affektivestörungen–this means Depression, Dysthymia, Zyklothymia, and Bipolar (not severe, unless it’s accompanying other treatment or relatives of those affected
–Personality Disorders= Persönlichkeitsstörungen (not severe)
–Neuroses, Anxiety, Fear, & Somatoform Disorders= Neurose, Angst- und Somatoform Störungen
–Addiction – Abhängigkeit- accompanying treatment or not in acute phase
–Relatives of those with Severe Mental Disorders or Addiction
If this sounds aligned for you, please click on the button below to set up a complimentary call, where we’ll discuss your particular situation, what your empowered next steps are, and, if we both feel it’s a good fit, how I could possibly support you in your process. Book your complimentary call with me via the button below.
Practical (vs. Essential) Differences between Coaching & Psychotherapy
| Coaching | Psychotherapy |
| No Diagnosis required | Diagnosis required by law |
| Must be paid for out-of-pocket |
Possibility of having a part of the fee paid for by health insurance; however, I currently do not accept payments through insurance companies. |
| Must pay Sales Tax (19%) on Services Rendered* | Does not pay Sales Tax |
| No Diagnostic Report (Bericht) necessary | To have it paid by the Insurance, it Requires I write a Diagnostic Report (“Bericht”) & other paperwork to Insurance company, letting them know the Diagnosis & reasoning behind it. (irrelevant at this time, I do not currently accept payment by insurance companies) |
| Includes Email Between Sessions | Does not include email between sessions |
| Requires very little, if any, paperwork | Requires Client send in paperwork to Insurance, to have it paid for. |
*Sales Tax or Mehrwertsteuer, usually abbreviated to MwSt, is the German for “VAT”. It is 19% in Germany.
For more information on Coaching, click here.
Fore more information on Psychotherapy, click here.
To see my Current Group Programs, visit here.
