English
If you are currently living in Bucharest – Romania and seek counselling or psychotherapy, you may chose to have face-to-face contact with a Romanian professional versus online sessions with someone speaking your native language.
While there are several factors to consider, face-to-face interaction is generally the standard for quality and complex therapeutic work and is the most applicable to a diverse array of situations, disorders and issues.
As far as language, I am proficient in English, having used it in my work as a psychologist for more than 15 years. And while there are for sure cultural differences to be considered, I have significant experience in working with people from different countries and backgrounds, and at the same time keep a close eye on how our communication is going, using constant feedback to check and adapt our mutual understanding.
About Counseling and Psychotherapy
Counseling and psychotherapy are specialized interventions addressing personal development and/or psychological problems, both being focused on learning more constructive ways to deal with problems or issues in your life.
Generally, psychotherapy is recommended whenever a person is experiencing a state of discomfort, dissatisfaction with life, in relationships or at work, or a mental health issue which causes much concern, restlessness, anxiety, fear or pain.
Counseling and psychotherapy can support self-knowledge and personal development, changing or eliminating symptoms or dysfunctional behaviors, overcoming various tensions and conflicts in life that can affect anyone. For example, it may help to:
- change feelings of unhappiness, lack of fulfillment, lack of meaning
- resolve conflicts we have with ourselves or with significant others
- establish and maintain satisfying relationships, in both personal and professional life
- relief anxiety or stress caused by the professional environment or other situations
- restore balance after major life changes such as divorce, loss of a loved one or a job loss
- manage unconstructive emotional reactions such as anger or passive-aggressive behavior
- find approaches to physical health problems such as diabetes, cancer and pain (chronic)
- recover from a physical or sexual abuse
- treat specific problems such as insomnia, panic attacks, anxiety, phobias, depression etc.
- treat substance abuse and addiction, such as drug, tobacco, alcohol addiction, eating disorders (bulimia, anorexia) etc.
In some cases, psychotherapy may be as or even more effective than medications such as antidepressants. However, depending on the specific situation, it may be possible to work with a psychiatrist to ease symptoms related to mental health.
First counseling session
During the first session of counseling / psychotherapy, I will request information about you and your needs, and we will discuss the specific changes you want to make in your life.
It is possible to fill in certain forms regarding present and past health concerns, physical and emotional. It may take several sessions for me to fully understand your situation and concerns and determine the best approach.
The first session is an opportunity for you to get to know me and feel if my approach and my personality match your needs, which is very important to continue working together. We will discuss the type of counseling/psychotherapy, objectives, duration and schedule of sessions etc.
Integrative Psychotherapy
Integrative psychotherapy respects and makes use of multiple perspectives on human functioning: psychodynamic, client centered, behavioral, cognitive, family therapy, Gestalt, somatic therapy, transactional analysis etc.
Each provides a partial explanation for a person’s behavior and each can be improved when integrated with other aspects of the therapeutic approach. The purpose of integrative psychotherapy is to look at the person as a whole, with all its dimensions: cognitive, emotional, behavioral, biological, spiritual, looking at his/her specific life context.
During Counseling / Psychotherapy
Typically, meetings are held once or twice a week and last 50 minutes, but we may decide to change the duration or frequency, for example for couple sessions.
I will generally encourage you to talk about your thoughts, feelings and the things that are concerning you. Do not worry if you find it hard to talk about your feelings, trust is built in time.
Sometimes I may ask you to do some „homework” – to explore or put into practice what you have learned during sessions.
In time, discussing your concerns can help improve your mood, can change the way you think and feel about yourself, and improve your ability to cope with problems in general.
Confidentiality
All discussions during meetings and all the information you provide me is confidential.
Our interaction is protected by law, except for situations involving an immediate threat to the safety of the client or others, or if there is a qualified request from a legal authority.
Duration of Counseling / Psychotherapy
The number and frequency of counseling/psychotherapy sessions depends on many factors, including the goal of our sessions, the severity and duration of symptoms, the difficulty of the specific situation, the level of stress you are experiencing, how much your problems interfere with daily life, the support received from family members and significant others.
Counseling/psychotherapy may last from a few weeks, to help the client cope with a short-term situation or solve a specific symptom (such as fear of flying, insomnia, panic attacks), or it may take several months or years, in case of long-term problems.
The client and therapist together take the decision when and how to end.