Counseling

Years of study and experience have really proved to me that the path to well-being is to nourish and balance our "body, mind, and soul". Therefore, the approaches that I use in my group courses, and the individual sessions are based on this notion combined with my knowledge of CBT therapy, EMDR therapy, acceptance therapy, life coaching, and the wisdom of spiritual teachings. Being a trauma-informed coach, I have especially studied and worked with post traumatic symptoms (PTSD) that reside in our mind and body and make the day to day life difficult, because our body and mind still live and respond to things happening now as they are in the moment in the past that we experienced the distressing events. 

 

Our body, mind, and soul are highly interconnected. They need to be in balance separately and in relation to each other. Moderation and balance are, indeed, the keys to having a flourishing life. Balance, here, means having the ‘right measure’ for everything we do. The right measure, however, is different for each person regarding wellness and mental well-being. This is because people have different histories, mental constitutions, genetics, etc. My rule for wellbeing is pretty straightforward: We nourish and keep our body in balance through physical movements, what we feed it with, and by allowing it to heal when it needs under the supervision of a skilled physician. We nourish and balance our mind by being on the path of lifelong learning and education, using it in work, meditations, training our brain, and allowing it to heal when it needs. We, of course, nourish and balance our soul through daily mediation and prayers, serving others, connecting to others and to nature, and allowing it to heal when it needs. Additionally, I believe that, due to our nature as humans, our true well-being and wellness come from a mix of practices of self-care and caring for others. Caring for others is indeed important: We impact and are impacted by our environment (the physical environment, as well as the social environment e.g. friends, family, and community). The growth of our character and innate capacities gets its meaning when we come in relation with others. Thriving individuals constitute a thriving community and thriving communities create thriving individuals. We can only grow and thrive as individuals when we help others to do the same.

 

Of course, my views and approaches to mental well-being are not radically different or new from all the existing current methods that aim to help us to maintain and improve our wellness and mental wellbeing. It is based on the existing knowledge and sciences that many other educators, coaches and counselors, and wellbeing promoters use. The difference, however, is that we are all unique in the ways we perceive and use the same knowledge. Because it is based on our unique experiences, personalities, and frame of reference, just like artists. The art students in a specific major that are studying in the same university, study mostly the same subjects. However, their work is not only the expression of the methods and techniques that they study (although it is within that framework), it is also the expression of their creativity and personality, and years of experience.  As a coach and counselor, I do NOT see myself as the one that fixes or reshapes those that come to.  My role and goal are to be a genuine and informed supporter and companion for them in their challenges in inquiries about living their authentic selves to the best of my abilities by using various coaching and psychosomatic approaches and the wisdom of spiritual teachings. Having a holistic approach to wellbeing, I rely on my knowledge from studying learning processes from a social-cultural perspective during my Ph.D., in addition to cognitive-behavioral techniques, trauma-informed coaching techniques, and EMDR therapy. I scan what are their needs and what are their challenges and try to non-judgmentally and compassionately guide them based on the notion of ‘balancing body, mind, and soul’ for mental wellbeing and wellness. My time capacity for seeing individuals in 1:1 sessions is limited. So, in my passion to be able to help and be in touch with as many fellow human beings as possible, I also designed and have group sessions and workshops, where I can help and support a larger number of individuals using different approaches.    

 

The price for one consultation session is 120 USD. To book your session please scroll down.

 

A personal recommendation: If you feel like you are experiencing too much daily stress in areas that many of us do in today’s society, for example, your work is stressful or its environment is, you have to juggle between work and taking care of children, you cannot sleep well or you have pains in your body but you are examined and have no diagnosed illness for that (chronic pain), but financially you cannot afford a consultation and are not eligible for free services that are referred by your physician or your nearby social system, I would like to ask you to join my FREE meditation courses.  Meditation is a great tool in going through the challenges of our life. I suggest you practice daily meditation twice a day in the mornings and in the evenings. You can also check the events page to receive information about FREE events that are organized online or in-person including free trauma-sensitive medicine Qigong weekend workshops, art therapy group courses, wellbeing workshops, or meditation gatherings. 
 

Disclaimer: PLEASE NOTE, I am NOT a clinical psychologist, if you are experiencing severe depression, having thoughts about suicide, or thoughts about somehow hurting yourself or others, please ask for help from your nearest community mental health support or your general practitioner. In the first sessions, I evaluate all my clients’ symptoms and I may suggest or refer them to a clinical psychologist, based on my evaluation.