Concepts

The global used approach is the Integrative Therapy, a movement favoring the association of theories rather than their compartmentalization. This eclectic and multi-referential process is based on many currents and waves, close or antagonistic, and on the use of techniques and tools derived from different theoretical fields, in order to understand the person as a whole, in their entirety and singularity. The patient no longer adapts to therapy practiced by the psychologist, but - conversely - it is the therapist who adapts his interventions to the patient by using, at the right time, various methods, adapted to each person, to their experiences, various situations and specific problematics and issues. It is an attitude towards the practice of psychotherapy which affirms the uniqueness inherent in each individual, in order to respond appropriately and effectively to the patient's own functioning, in an individualized and personalized care approach.
Thus, the practitioner will use, by way of example, the tools resulting from cognitive and behavioral therapy CBT and mindfulness, mind-body therapy, analytical or even systemic therapy, the humanist approach ... Each of these approaches provides a partial explanation of the behavior and the psychic reality of the patient and their joint use could allow the multiplication and the rapidity of the effects, as well as a more global - and also more individualized - understanding of the psychic functioning of the patient. Each of the approaches and techniques requires specific and rigorous training, so as to maintain a solid framework, guaranteeing an empathetic relationship and an adequate therapeutic alliance.

Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies (or CBT), which emerged in the 1950s in the United States, are based, on the one hand, on the model of learning theories and in particular of conditioning (behaviorism) and, on the other hand, on information theories, considering that dysfunctional, erroneous, biased or too rigid cognitive patterns and cognitions (thoughts, beliefs, attitudes) play a determining role in the explanation of psychological disorders.
The therapy intervenes to modify these cognitions in order to decrease the psychic suffering, to resolve the situation, to change the inadequate and / or problematic behavior by "learning" or adopting new, more adapted ones.
Scientifically validated, CBTs benefit from an efficacy proven by numerous studies targeting various disorders, and are in close and constant connection with research and scientific advances.
They aim to explain the origin, development and maintenance of disorders, symptoms or inadequate behaviors, by seeking the links between the person and his environment: why such a thought or such a behavior occurs in a given context, what are the factors of maintenance and how to make them evolve in the direction of a psychological appeasement.
Brief therapies (generally ranging from 3 months to 2 years), CBTs set a framework and a goal of therapy that can be evaluated in terms of success, and are active therapies: person-centered and action-oriented. Collaborative and part of the interaction, they entail a mutual commitment both on the part of the therapist and the patient, who work and move forward together with the same goal: the relief of suffering and the acquisition of autonomy.
The practitioner is involved and steps in a lot in the sessions, asking questions, giving explanations and information about the disorder, proposing techniques and exercises - a kind of training - that the patient undertakes to test and put into practice outside sessions. CBT is inscribed in "here and now", target the psychological suffering at the present moment, without for all that neglecting the history and the life course and journey of the person.
They are also future-oriented: based on learning new, appropriate behaviors from developing and working on thoughts that become more relevant today, for the well-being and success of tomorrow.
CBTs are available in individual, couple, family or group therapy with workshops such as self-assertiveness, emotional management, relapse prevention, etc.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), focused on emotion, belongs to the "third wave" of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies (CBT). Finding its roots in a theory of language (Relational Frame Theory - RFT), it is based on recent findings from psychology, suggesting the benefits of strategies centered on the contact with the present moment and the acceptance of what is experienced, thought and felt. ACT constitutes a new way of conceiving psychotherapy, in a movement of integrative therapies using techniques of CBT, psychoanalysis, hypnosis and existential therapies, for example, and by integrating them into an original conceptual framework, based on a functional contextual philosophy.
Thus, it is much more defined by its principles and philosophy than by the tools that it employs.
Scientifically validated, ACT aspires to produce change, with the goal of increasing psychological flexibility - or the ability to be aware of one's thoughts and feelings in the present moment without fighting them in vain, and without this struggle preventing actions pursuing one’s objectives and values.
It is a matter of promoting the acceptance of private events (thoughts, images, sensations, feelings), even the unpleasant ones, and of perceiving them only as they are, giving them their rightful place, detaching oneself from them - because the fusion with these unpleasant, painful and negative thoughts, emotions, memories (...), as well as the effort and struggle to avoid suffering - inevitably linked to the human condition - play an essential role in the development and maintenance of a wide spectrum of psychopathologies, by relying, for example, on avoiding certain situations.
ACT helps people to identify and learn more about their own values, what truly matters, and move in that direction of a rich and meaningful life. This approach therefore does not aim to change the content of thoughts, but the emotion attached to them, the context, and it advocates the ability to fully understand all the facets of the experience of the present moment, in order to increase the individual freedom of making own choices.
More than psychotherapy, ACT is a progressive method that allows and helps the learning of a new way of living with one’s own difficult thoughts and feelings, in order to fully accept the discomfort that cannot always be changed (acceptance is not resignation, but - on the contrary - an active process consisting in not wasting the energy fighting against aspects of life over which one has no control, which allows to keep the maximum of energy for the aspects that one can influence). When the attempted struggle, mastery and control have not worked - or no longer work - ACT offers a pragmatic alternative that allows to find way back to what is really important in one’s life.
A: Accept feelings and thoughts and be present;
C: Choose a direction of life in accordance with one's own values;
T: Translate into action.

Meditation and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), resulting from ancestral transmissions which find their origins in the Eastern Buddhist philosophy, is less a technique than an intention, a way of being; a state, not a trait.
This practice of mindfulness - defined by John Kabat-Zinn as the awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally - was introduced in the Western world, in the movement of "third wave” of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies (CBT), focused on emotion. Whilst it might be promoted by certain practices or activities, such as meditation, it is not equivalent to or synonymous with them.
Learning Mindfulness skills consists of regular practice and exercises aimed to develop the attitude of moment-to-moment awareness, in order to step out of the automatic pilot mode of one's life, characterized by the ruminations of the past, projects and fears for the future and judgments in the present, which slow down or prevent the fulfillment of the person.
This rhythm and these behaviors, often a source of stress, can lead to suffering and to many symptoms and pathologies, including tension, conflicts, impulsivity, irritability, morose and gloomy mood, troubles concentrating, fatigue and exhaustion, sleep disorders, even depression, self-depreciation, addictive behaviors and many other disorders.
The practice of the state of Mindfulness through meditation does not aim at changing the experience of situations, nor the uncomfortable and sometimes painful events, specific to each existence. It does not seek to suppress or deny emotions, but to modify and influence the relationship maintained with them. To take some distance. To concentrate on the present moment and to live it, experience and feel it, to be aware of it, because it too will end… To live each experience fully. This is how the quality of life improves, the self-knowledge deepens, as well as the discovery of others, in order to find mind peace and serenity.
The main point of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy or MBCT is teaching meditation through adapted, structured, formal and informal exercises, with the aim of improving the condition of the patient, who himself becomes his own therapist. Regular practice is essential, which places the patient in an active position, as an actor in his care and guarantor of his development. The clear and measurable benefits of this form of therapy, which has been shown to be effective in a wide spectrum of disorders and difficulties, have been proven and widely documented in scientific and media reviews.

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is part of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies (CBT). Resulting from the work of Albert Ellis, it uses the ABCDE model and the constant back and forth between its components: A - Activating event (the facts, the triggering event); B - Belief (beliefs about the event or situation); C - Consequences (emotional response to this belief); D - internal Dialogue (questioning the situation, in a didactic way, or "disputation" to change irrational beliefs); E - the Effects of filling in column D (the effects of internal dialogue on understanding the situation and on changing feelings, thoughts and behaviors: effective new beliefs replace the irrational ones).
Brief therapy, focused on a particular problem - generating anxiety or suffering - and based on concrete interventions, REBT emphasizes emotions and cognitions (the thought system) and teaches patients to assess their own inadequate beliefs and actions, in order to replace them with alternative thoughts and behaviors that are more adequate and in correspondence with reality, with the aim of producing lasting changes.

Hypnosis is a natural state of altered consciousness, which can be induced by focusing of attention or concentration, for example during a particularly interesting reading, during which the person is completely "caught" by the story, and the outside world seems to have no more implications. Using this natural process, hypnotherapy plunges the patient into a state of vigilance between wakefulness and sleep, to address his unconscious part and treat a chosen point, object of focus, and modify certain associations between harmful thoughts.
The patient takes part in the induction of the hypnotic condition.
The therapist uses metaphors to make the subject's subconscious choose solutions to their own problems.
A form of hypnosis, a conversational one, can be induced through discussion and communication. The emphasis is on the person and the relationship with their therapist.
Hypnosis, a technique whose effects have been scientifically evaluated, is subject to rigorous and long training and not to a particular gift. It creates openness and sensitivity to suggestion, but – in no instance - a loss of control over behavior.

Humanistic and Existential Therapy, developed in the 1950s in the United States by - among others - Maslow and Rogers, is an approach based on existential philosophy and phenomenology, in particular on the thought of Heidegger and Sartre.
Considering each human being as unique and free to make his own choices, it is based on a positive vision of a Man, capable - when he is put in conditions of trust and respect - of autonomy and of achieving his full potential.
This form of therapy, the objective of which is the identification and development of internal resources for their own development, is centered on the person, on their background, personal history experience and their subjective experience inscribed in the present.
Suggesting that not being truly yourself, not using one's own judgment or not making very own choices are the sources of symptoms or difficulties, the therapeutic interventions invite to work on the meaning and the stakes embedded in the human condition and existence, and accompany and guide patients in their quest for a philosophical meaning.
The key concepts of this approach are the authenticity, the empathy and the unconditional positive consideration (humanist approach), as well as the responsibility and the personal freedom, the importance of choosing (existential approach), and therapeutic relationship represents the main tool.

Psychoanalysis, theorized by Freud at the end of the 19th century - and developed and deepened by numerous specialists during the 20th century, including Jung and Lacan - integrates the notions of the conscious, unconscious and preconscious mind, of defense mechanisms, as well as those of the Id, the Ego, and the Super-ego, which are all part of everyday language today.
With the objective of understanding the origin of the symptom and of re-mobilizing the energy blocked or imprisoned in the unconscious psychic confits, the Psychoanalysis is based on the postulate that the symptoms are the result of early traumatic experiences, unsolved and buried in the unconscious mind, and whose resolution will occur upon awareness by the verbalization of one’s feelings, emotions, desires ...
This approach uses the relationship between the patient and the therapist, called transference - the set of attitudes and positive and negative emotions that the patient feels towards the therapist and “shifts” onto himself, the therapist then taking the role of “support” to bring out the associated experience and the emotions. The analyst therefore relies on the patient's transference, but also on his own experience during the sessions, called countertransference.
Psychoanalysis, a long-term process, often spanning several years, uses the free association of ideas, allowing and inviting the patient to tell whatever goes through his mind, in a lying position on a couch, whilst the therapist (most often) places himself out of the patient’s sight, in a neutral and benevolent listening.
The central place is given to repression, i.e. to experiences, thoughts and fantasies buried in the unconscious mind, which return or appear in the present time in the form of dreams, Freudian slip or parapraxes, subconsciously deliberated mistakes.

Psychotherapy of Analytical Inspiration has a broader indication than the typical cure (Psychoanalysis), from which it derives and uses the theoretical basis. It is based on the discourse and the interpretation proposed by the patient, and it establishes links, provides an explanation of behaviors and affects, with the aim of eliminating disabling or annoying psychic conflicts. Of a shorter duration in time, and practiced in the face-to-face position in order to promote exchanges, it calls for a more active and direct attitude of the therapist, who intervenes more, abandoning his neutrality, to replace a benevolent and structuring parental image.

Relaxation, a method drawing its origins from ancestral Indian history, is nowadays part of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy techniques, CBT, with the aim of relieving the tension that accompanies many mental disorders. It allows the patient to become aware of his body - by apprehending it during the exercises - and of the reactions of this body to the psyche.
Certain therapeutic relaxation techniques, and in particular Schultz's autogenic training, practiced in a lying position, aim to achieve a state close to self-hypnosis, which allows a reduction in tension and stress.
Other methods, including Jacobson’s neuromuscular or progressive relaxation, call on the influence of somatic control on psychic response, muscle relaxation leading to mental relaxation, thus demonstrating the relationship between emotions and muscle tension. From this perspective, the use of learned muscle relaxation can reduce or prevent the emotional activation caused by an important event (examination, interview, sports competition, etc.), because there is a correspondence, or a similarity, between a mentally thought movement and the physically produced one: the nervous pattern is activated in the same way, whether the gesture is carried out or only imagined. The training targets, hence, the visualization in imagination of a technical movement, which allows it to be broken down and analyzed, rather than implementing it in a rapid and hasty and / or repeated manner, without taking the time to do it correctly.
Numerous works, conducted on the application of Jacobson’s relaxation in environments where performance plays a key role, have proven its effectiveness in reducing competitive anxiety and improving performance.

Life is made of moments, sometimes short, sometimes more lasting, some joyful and others more painful. Certain periods are filled with questions, wondering, sometimes with doubts, with loneliness. And, at these times, we can be listened to, heard, accompanied, understood, helped - and reconnect with ourselves and what really matters.

- Depression, feeling of emptiness, loss of motivation, negative vision of oneself, of others, of the future.

- Addictions, to legal substances (alcohol, tobacco, medicine misuse), and illicit drugs (cannabis (THC), cocaine, psychedelics (LSD, psilocybin, ayahuasca ...... - integration of the mystical experience), amphetamines and derivatives (ecstasy, MDMA…), new psychoactive substances (NPS / research chemicals (RC), also known as “designer drugs”, “legal highs”, “party pills”…: 3-MMC, 4-MEC, GHB, Tina…), opiates/opoids (heroin, codeine…). Non-substance addictions, aka behavioral addictions: sexual addiction, chemsex, emotional dependence, cyber dependence, video and online games, gambling, compulsive buying.

- Eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia, binge eating).

- Stress and Burn Out, personal and professional exhaustion, important mental load, high pressure.

- Anxiety, fear and excessive anticipation of possible difficulties that might arise, even before they have arisen or been identified, a diffuse, unpleasant, vague sense of apprehension.

- Anguish, torment, sometimes leading to panic attacks, the feel of losing control, of imminent danger.

- Unease, malaise, often diffuse, or related to a specific situation, feeling of being lost, of not being connected to oneself.

- So-called simple phobias - excessive fear of an object or situation, agoraphobia (fear of being in public places where it seems difficult to escape), social phobia (fear of being observed and judged by others or of being embarrassed or humiliated by their own actions).

- Obsessive and Compulsive Disorder (OCD), in the field of dirt and contamination, sacrilege, sexuality, disorderliness, fear of being responsible for catastrophes or the death of others ..., often accompanied by rituals of washing, checking, tidying, counting, prayers, repetitions ...

- Sleeping disorders, difficulties to fall asleep, waking up frequently.

- Low self-esteem, lack or loss of self-confidence, assertiveness.

- Relational difficulties, in the personal, social and friendly sphere, and/or within the family, couple, group, professional situations.

- Emotion management, hyperemotivity, outbursts of anger, difficulty controlling desires, excessive fears.

- Personality disorders, borderline, histrionic, narcissistic, avoidant, dependent, obsessive, antisocial...

- Attention Deficit Disorder, with or without Hyperactivity (ADHD).

- Situations of mourning, separations, particular difficulties, changes disturbing the balance of life.

- Trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - due to events in relation to terror attacks, aggressions, insecurity, crisis, war situations and conflicts, or early trauma.

- High Intellectual Potential (HIP) and its specificities, adaptation of gifted people, zebras.

- Life Coaching, personal and professional.

All consultations, interventions and sessions are offered in French and English, as well as in Slavic languages, so as to be able to respond to people with fluency in French as well as to those who would like to communicate in English, expatriates and international students or professionals, multi-ethnic and intercultural couples, bilingual children and adolescents.

-Individual Therapy, to (re)discover oneself, (re)connect, and move in the direction of a meaningful life... Understand, know, accept oneself. Move forward and blossom: choose.
Life is made of moments, sometimes short, sometimes more lasting, some joyful and others more painful. Certain periods are filled with questions, wondering, sometimes with doubts, with loneliness. And, at these times, we can be listened to, heard, accompanied, understood, helped - and reconnect with ourselves and what really matters.
-Addiction Counseling and Therapy, to break the vicious circle of addiction, the pursuit of the use of substances and of the harmful behavior, repeated despite the knowledge and awareness of the negative consequences, on physical and mental health, in the private, intimate, social and professional spheres.
Change the mental habits and behavioral attitudes, break free from excesses, enter a glassy, virtuous and ethical circle, regain freedom and reconnect with oneself, people around - and life.
Specialization in addictology, with a long experience and practice of treating, care and research.
Legal substances: alcohol, tobacco, medicine misuse, and illicit drugs: cannabis (THC), cocaine, psychedelics (LSD, psilocybin, ayahuasca… - integration of the mystical experience), amphetamines and derivatives (ecstasy, MDMA…), new psychoactive substances (NPS)/research chemicals (RC), also known as “designer drugs”, “legal highs”, “party pills”… (3-MMC, 4-MEC, GHB, Tina, Ketamine…), opiates/opoids (heroin, codeine…).
Non-substance addictions, known as behavioral addictions: sexual addiction, chemsex, emotional addiction, cyber addiction, video and online games, gambling, compulsive buying.
Eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia, binge eating).

-Life Coaching, take your life in hand, decide. Make your own choices and implement your wishes and plans, while setting and accomplishing goals that match you, in line with your values, with what really matters to you and what you truly desire, in the personal, relational and professional sphere.

-Couples Counseling and Therapy, to (re) establish the communication, find solutions to get better quickly, rebuild solid foundations. Faced with a crisis, difficulties or the absence of communication, feeling of abandonment, conflicts, violence, incomprehension, loss of confidence, isolation, separation, or events, pathologies, behaviors or situations that disturb the balance of the couple, or after an exhaustion of the lightness of the relationship - promote exchanges, the expression of suffering or disagreements, and, in a non-judgmental framework and setting, reconstruct new communication forms and modalities, a more positive dynamic, a fulfilling relationship, a lasting balance.

-Family Therapy, to (re) establish the communication, find solutions to live together better, rebuild solid foundations. It can be a crisis, difficulties or lack of communication, feelings of abandonment, conflicts, violence, incomprehension, loss of confidence, isolation, or certain events, pathologies, behaviors or situations that disturb the balance of the family, such as bereavement, birth, marriage, separation, and also a pathology, delicate period, addiction, risk behavior, eating disorders, or relationship difficulties ... It then becomes important to emphasize and promote dialog, exchanges, expressions of suffering or disagreements, and, in a non-judgmental framework and setting, to reconstruct new communication forms and modalities, a more positive dynamic, a fulfilling relationship, a lasting balance.

-Group Therapy, for the Man is a social being, and during our whole lives, we are confronted with group situations. In the therapeutic context, group dynamics contribute to the improvement of the psychological state. In a secure environment, with the help of the therapist, the exchanges between the participants allow the establishment of appropriate behaviors, new and more profound developments and understandings, original solutions, support and an exchange of experiences.
-Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) programs - 8 sessions;
-Groups focused on addiction (licit or illicit substance and behavioral addiction, including sexual addiction and emotional dependence) and Relapse Prevention;
-Self-Assertiveness and Social Skills Development Groups;
-Mood Disorders Groups;
-Groups focused on High Intellectual Potential (HIP, giftedness, zebra);
-Support Groups.

-Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, to reconnect with yourself and what truly matters to you, your core values. Experience and live your sensations. And emotions. Become an actor in your life and your choices!
Mindfulness meditation session, with learning mindfulness techniques, to adapt to everyday life, in order to better accept and manage situations, emotions, stress ...

-Supervision, for the psychs also go to the psych ... Because supporting people in difficulty is not devoid of obstacles, questioning and exhaustion.
To develop your professional potential, and also your creativity. To deepen and update your knowledge, share your questions or barriers, relaunch your thinking, benefit from the outside perspective and the experience of a trained peer, reflect on difficult situations and your practice, analyze it, work on it, enrich and validate it, in order to optimize the therapeutic response to the patient's needs, and also to find (back) professional satisfaction and fulfillment.
Supervision or analysis of practices is intended for any professional providing therapeutic support and helping relationships, in health, educational or social fields: doctors - and in particular psychiatrists, psychologists, psychoanalysts, (psycho)therapists of any theoretical orientation, coaches, nurses, caregivers, social workers, teachers…, and also to any managerial professional or practicing a responsibility function with important relational dimensions.
They concern individuals and also groups, teams, companies, corporate.

-Corporate, for companies caring about the well-being of its employees and managers, motivated by the desire to build and maintain a fulfilling and attractive professional atmosphere for teams and their members.
Individual coaching and group interventions have an impact both on individuals and on teams, on intellectual availability, the development or the increase of social and professional skills, on leadership, management, performance, on the feeling of sharing and well-being within the company, for the person benefiting from the coaching as well as for his collaborators and co-workers.
Examples of interventions: Mindfulness actions and Meditation; Well-being of staff / employees; Team Building; Prevention of Psychosocial Risks; Stress Management; Public Speaking Skills; Overcoming Professional Exhaustion (burn-out); Dealing with Conflict; Affirming the Leadership...

-Schools, to allow the fulfilment of students, enable them to flourish and have a better and more significant school experience, and give them access and possibility to learn new techniques for managing emotions, possible stress, relationship difficulties, to acquire more ample social skills and provide a reassuring setting and development framework to them.
For the teaching staff, promote professional well-being, fight against burnout, develop children's education and active listening skills.
To raise awareness of bullying at school.
Examples of interventions: for students - Mindfulness actions and Meditation; Stress Management; Overcoming the timidity and shyness; Public Speaking Skills; Better Get Along with Others – relationship skills; Taking Advantage of Oneself’s Difference; Support Groups…; for teachers and leaders - Mindfulness actions and Meditation; Active Listening and Accompanying; Children with High Intellectual Potential; Academic Disengagement ...

- Consultations and appointments for the victims of terror attacks and their close relations are free of charge, because listening to you and helping you is our duty and our ethics, and because it is also a way to fight, together, against terrorism, stand against those who wish to see us give up and yield to panic, fear and sadness, resignation. NO. A few very brief words, because the essential is to act…