FAQ
First answers to the usual questions
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The statements below do not constitute legal advice.
How does psychotherapy work?
In the first conversation we calmly clarify whether and how working together can feel right for you. We agree the length of a session flexibly — 50 minutes is usually worthwhile, and depending on the situation 90 minutes or more. Based on the principles of inner change I shape the therapeutic process with you: the therapeutic relationship, positive goals, activating your resources, effective interventions, and integration into everyday life.
What does acute treatment for crisis intervention mean?
Life events can bring anyone into acute, psychologically demanding crises. Acute treatment offers short-term psychotherapeutic support. The aim is to relieve you, to stabilise you and to develop first steps towards coping. If more is needed, short-term or long-term therapy can follow.
What is the difference between short-term and long-term therapy?
Short-term therapy addresses a clearly defined concern in a focused way, within a manageable frame of time and cost. Long-term therapy allows more time for complex or long-standing burdens. In my private practice we adapt duration and frequency flexibly to your concern and to how the work develops.
What is family and systemic therapy?
It looks at psychological burdens in the context of relationships, family experiences and learned patterns. Virginia Satir saw each person as a unique personality with dignity, inner resources and the capacity to develop; she often understood burdensome behaviour as protective strategies learned early in life. The aims of my work are to strengthen self-worth and self-perception, to make connections within the system visible, and to develop new forms of experiencing and communicating.
Who is psychotherapy for, and what for?
Psychotherapy makes sense when psychological strain, anxiety, crises or recurring patterns affect your wellbeing, your relationships or your everyday life. It is for people who want to understand their situation better, gain inner stability and develop new ways of relating to themselves.
What is the difference between a licensed psychological psychotherapist and a Heilpraktiker for psychotherapy?
Psychotherapists hold a state licence to practise (Approbation) and, with the corresponding registration, can bill statutory health insurers. As a Heilpraktikerin für Psychotherapie I hold a state permit under the German Heilpraktikergesetz to provide psychotherapeutic treatment. My services are agreed privately, which allows the therapy to be shaped flexibly and individually.
What distinguishes psychotherapy from coaching or counselling?
Psychotherapy treats psychological strain and mental illness. Coaching and psychological counselling mainly support personal or professional questions, decisions and processes of change, without treating a mental illness. Which frame fits is something we clarify together in the first session.
Do you offer sessions in English?
Yes. Sessions are available in German and in English. Simply write to me in whichever language feels more comfortable — this website is also available in full in English at praxis-bass.de/en.