About my approach
My approach is rooted in evidence-based and integrative practices, ensuring that each intervention is tailored to the needs and goals of my clients. With a holistic perspective, I focus on multiple experiential domains, including:
- Personal Identity (e.g., self-esteem and self-concept; individuation)
- Schemas/Worldview (personal beliefs about the Self, others, and the world)
- Personal and social relationships (e.g., attachment and communication patterns)
- The mind-body connection (the importance of being in tune with our own body)
- Ecological and situational factors (e.g., resilience and risk factors)
I integrate various psychological models and techniques into my practice, fitting my approach to each client.
Below is a generic description of the primary models I rely on.
Psychodynamic Approach
From this perspective, psychological functioning is seen as dynamic, and internal conflicts (many of which are unconscious) often play a significant developmental role in the human psyche. This means early relationships and interactions with significant others are often internalized (object relations) and later acted out in unconscious ways. Therefore, the focus primarily falls on the person's past experiences and how these shape their psychological functioning in the present.
Schema and Modes Approach
This model focuses on the repetitive and patterned thoughts, feelings, and coping mechanisms that negatively impact a person's life. The goal is to raise awareness of disruptive schemas (more or less conscious narratives about the self, others, and how the world works), reduce their impact and activation, and promote more adaptive functioning. Experiential techniques (e.g., empty chair work) can be used to facilitate the expression and integration of emotional experiences.
Existential Phenomenological Approach
This perspective emphasizes existential aspects inherent to human beings, addressing often neglected topics like mortality, temporality, bodily existence, existential isolation, and the meaning of life). Emphasis is placed on the personal meanings of each experience, and the human capacity for making choices (freedom vs. responsibility). Interventions often center around the present and the future (the project of being), aiming to help the client develop their authenticity.
Constructive Therapies Approach
This approach integrates various modalities, posing that individuals are inherently driven to construct meanings and personal understandings from each experience. As such, a substantial value is placed on each person’s subjective perspective. The client is regarded as an active participant in their own therapeutic process, fostering psychological transformation and growth by collaboratively creating new meanings with the therapist. Experiential techniques, such as guided imagery exercises, are frequently utilized to support this process.