BIRGIT BULLER
METHODS
Every person brings their own story, personality and life circumstances with them – which is why there is no single therapeutic path that suits everyone. Most psychologists today however agree on the core statement that healing comes from genuine relationships.
Nevertheloss combining different methods allows me to address your individual concerns in a flexible and holistic way. This page provides an overview of the approaches and their respective areas of focus.
Humanistic
Psychotherapy
Humanistic psychotherapy comprises several therapeutic methods (Gesprächspsychotherapie nach Rogers, Gestalt therapy nach Pearls, etc.), all of which are underpinned by a shared view of human nature and understanding of therapy.
Humanistic psychotherapy invites people to explore themselves, become more aware of themselves (their potentials and resources as well as their „unloved“ sides), and learn to understand themselves and their patterns of behaviour better.
This leads to greater ‘authenticity’, (to become the person you really are), greater inner freedom of choice and flexibility in feeling, thinking and acting. Healing begins when people recognize, that they have a choice.
The fundamental principle is a positive view of human nature, namely that people possess everything within themselves to realise their full, individual potential, provided they find the right conditions.
This has implications for the therapy.
As your therapist, I do not impose advice or solutions, but support you on your very own journey. I try to understand you in your uniqueness, to resonate with you, and to share my observations with you.
Particular emphasis is placed on experiencing the here and now. Feelings are not merely discussed; they are experienced.
A person’s past is relevant where it influences their thoughts, feelings and behaviour in the present, or where issues, conflicts or situations from the past have not been satisfactorily resolved and brought to a close.
ACT – Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
The name says it all: this form of therapy focuses on accepting painful experiences and acting in line with your values.
Everyone experiences unpleasant thoughts, feelings and physical sensations. This is a profoundly human experience, and we all have the desire to eliminate anything painful as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, however, our experience shows us that pain cannot simply be made to go away; that fear does not disappear simply because we do not want it to – on the contrary, it grows; that grief needs to be felt, and so on.
So what might a different way of dealing with problematic thoughts and feelings look like?
The ACT approach sees the solution in a willingness to accept and allow unpleasant thoughts and feelings, and to develop psychological skills to deal with them in such a way that they no longer exert a major influence on us and do not prevent us from leading a fulfilling life.
This leads to the second major aspect of ACT: how can we lead a fulfilling and contented life?
The aim is to discover what is truly important to us in life, what gives us a sense of purpose, and what we want to stand up for in life. (VALUES!) This then leads to behaviour guided by our values, enabling us to lead precisely this fulfilling and satisfying life.
The word ‘act’ means ‘to take action’, and so we’ve come full circle.
To illustrate and set this process in motion, see…
Systemic
Counseling
Systemic therapy/conseling has its roots in family therapy, but is also used with individuals, in groups and within organisations.
The basic principle is that every person exists within a network of relationships, and that a person with a ‘mental health condition’ is regarded as the bearer of symptoms within a dysfunctional system. If one part of the system changes – much like a mobile – the whole system changes as well.
The focus is on finding solutions rather than on what led to the problem in the past.
Other key elements include a focus on resources, clarifying and agreeing on short-term, medium-term and long-term goals, a positive attitude, appreciation and value neutrality.
Body-Oriented Therapy
The more experience I gain with clients, the more I come to the conclusion that ‘talking’ is sometimes simply not enough to bring about a change in the way we think, feel and act. Often, we have gained a great deal of cognitive insight and have already ‘analysed’ ourselves thoroughly, but somewhere there is a ‘knot’, a ‘blockage’, that simply refuses to be untangled. Sometimes we need to ‘experience’ things, to feel them in our bodies (our anger, our grief, our strength) in order to bring about real change.
Today, we know that everything we experience is stored somewhere in our body’s cells, which is why it makes sense to involve the body and bodily sensations. Body work often brings unconscious sensations to the surface, surpressed feelings can be expressed, blocked energy can be transformed into positive energy which becomes available for us in a healthy way.