My therapeutic orientation
My therapeutic orientation is integrative. My training in counseling and clinical psychology gave me the opportunity to train in several theoretical orientations, which I like to combine based on the needs of each individual. My work is mostly driven from the systemic, cognitive-behavioral, interpersonal and feminist approach. I am also trained in mindfulness techniques, which I find especially useful with individuals with chronic anxiety and panic attacks.
About me
My training in clinical and counseling psychology helped me develop a holistic therapeutic approach. I believe that therapeutic work is a dynamic process, and not a result of a certain “recipe” Because people create unique therapeutic relationships based on their distinct idiosyncrasies, values and dreams. However, I do believe in the importance of using evidence-based practices, in a creative and unique way and tailored to the needs of each individual. I worked in several mental health organizations including the counseling center at the University of Texas at Austin, Ball-Memorial Hospital-Cancer center, and other community mental heath centers in the US. Furthermore, I worked as a clinical psychologist for Doctors Without Borders in Samos, Lesvos, and Athens in Greece. Currently, I teach psychology classes at the American College of Greece and provide clinical supervision for psychologists in training.
Brief Curriculum Vitae
- BS in Psychology, University of Cyprus, Nicosia
- Μ.Α. in Clinical Psychology, Roosevelt University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, USA
- Μετα-διδακτορικό στο συμβουλευτικό κέντρο του Πανεπιστημίου του Τέξας (University of Texas, Austin, USA)
- Άδεια άσκησης επαγγέλματος ψυχολόγου σε Ελλάδα (αρ.αδείας 76141/15735, Εκδ 30/03/16) και Indiana-USA: 20042988A Issued: 09/09/16)
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
What is your expertise?
Η κλινική εκπαίδευση και εμπειρία μου είναι ευρεία, με ιδιαίτερη έμφαση στην αντιμετώπιση του ψυχολογικού τραύματος, σε θέματα που σχετίζονται με διαπροσωπική βία και στην εποπτεία ψυχολόγων και επαγγελματιών ψυχικής υγείας. Την τελευταία δεκαετία εργάστηκα με ανθρώπους που αντιμετωπίζουν σοβαρά θέματα ψυχικής υγείας όπως αγχώδεις διαταραχές και επίμονες κρίσεις πανικού, κλινική κατάθλιψη, μετα-τραυματικό στρες, διπολική διαταραχή, χρόνια προβλήματα υγείας, θέματα σεξουαλικής ταυτότητας, αυτοεκτίμησης, διαπολιτισμικά θέματα, θέματα διάκρισης και γονεϊκούς προβληματισμούς. Από το 2017 δραστηριοποιούμαι επιπλέον στην ψυχοθεραπεία και συμβουλευτική προσφύγων, καθώς και στην εποπτεία εκπαιδευόμενων ψυχολόγων. Παρείχα υπηρεσίες ψυχικής υγείας σε επιζήσαντες βασανιστηρίων και σεξουαλικής βίας. Τέλος, από την αρχή της καριέρας μου ασχολούμαι συστηματικά με τη συμβουλευτική και στήριξη ατόμων και ζευγαριών που ανήκουν στη ΛΟΑΤΚΙ (LGBTQI) κοινότητα και σε προγράμματα πρόληψης και αντιμετώπισης διακρίσεων ατόμων που ανήκουν σε ευάλωτους πληθυσμούς.
I don’t live in Athens. Could we still work together?
It depends on some factors. In some instances I provide online therapy. Not all cases or problems are the same, and in some situations online counseling may not be recommended. We can have a discussion over the phone and decide whether you would benefit from online therapy.
I travel often. Can we still work together?
Many times people that travel often hesitate to start therapy because of time restrictions or major changes in their daily lives or because they may have concerns about the continuity of therapy. We can have an initial phone or in person meeting in order to discuss your concerns and whether you would benefit from online counseling.
What can I expect from the first session?
The first session usually lasts longer than subsequent sessions (70-90 minutes). One of the main goals is to get to know each other. You will learn about my counseling style and policies. I will help you identify your goals, discuss any concerns you may have and we will develop a plan about how to meet your goals.
In what languages do you provide services?
I am fluent in English and Greek. I lived and worked in US for several years and I feel particularly comfortable working in english.
What services do you provide other than psychotherapy?
- Supervision for psychologists and Mental Health professionals.
- Training of professionals on handling crisis/emergency situations (e.g. Psychological First Aid, crisis intervention).
- Multicultural/diversity training of groups.
- Sensitivity training for vulnerable populations (e.g. SAFE ZONE training for LGBTG Allys, multicultural groups and multiculturalism).
- Mental Health Training of cultural mediators and interpreters.
Therapy doesn’t work. This is a common myth about therapy. Many times people will ask me: How is it possible to change someone just by talking? Well I get the point. But language is the vehicle for processing thoughts and emotions and developing relationships with other people. This is how we learn from young age and how we socialize. Research actually shows that people develop new neural pathways and networks after a few months of therapy. This is the goal to develop a new approach to things that will allow you to be more in contact with your own emotions, truer to yourself and able to develop honest relationships with other people. There are multiple studies that verify that effectiveness of psychotherapy on a variety of mental health problems. For example, the results of PET scans revealed significant effects on thalamus-a part of the brain that plays a role in learning, memory, sleep and consciousness, and processes all the senses, except smell.
Talking about my problems will not help me. To some extent that is correct. Only talking about problems is not fruitful. However, this is not what we do in psychotherapy. There are multiple psychotherapeutic approaches and most of them even though they may focus to some extent on problems they will also focus on the behavioral patterns that contributed to their creation and will empower the individual on trying new behaviors that will allow them to disengage from maladaptive behavioral cycles.)
Only people with serious mental health issues need therapy. This is not true. We can all benefit from psychotherapy. Some more than others depending on the issues we want to address and readiness to open up about things that may be more triggering or difficult to address.
I should be able to fix the problem myself. This is another anachronistic myth that can be quite dangerous and stems from the social stigma related to mental health issues. However, in most cases it is important to connect to a Mental health professional in order to address personal struggles and definitely more debilitating mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and Post-traumatic stress.
Therapy is an ambiguous long process and once I start it, I will have to go forever. It does not have to be. It depends on your personal goal for therapy and on the approach of the mental health professional. One to two years is usually a good amount of time to see results and stabilize them. However some individuals may see therapy in a different way and they may decide to have a more long term approach. This is something that you decide in any case and you have to discuss with the mental health professional.
Psychologists and psychotherapists could “read my mind” and thus would invade my privacy even in matters that I prefer to keep for myself. This is a very old myth! Psychologists are not mind readers they use discussion and talk in order to better understand their clients and provide the appropriate help. It is the decision of the client to share what they need to share. As with any relationship trust comes with time, that means that most clients will slowly open up to their psychotherapists about struggles or history that they may struggle to share.
Therapy is a painful process that mainly focuses on unresolved issues of the past. It does not have to be! It is part of the process to talk about thoughts, emotions and situations that occur in someone’s life. In many cases it can be difficult to share but that alo depends on the levels of trust you built with the psychotherapists. Many people see psychotherapy as an investment and as a gift to themselves.
Common myths about counseling/psychotherapy
Η ψυχοθεραπεία δεν είναι χρήσιμη. Αυτός ειναι ενας κοινος μυθος για την ψυχοθεραπεια. Πολλές φορές καποιοι θα με ρωτήσουν: πως είναι δυνατόν να αλλάξει κάποιος παρα μόνο μέσω του διαλόγου; Ωστόσο, η γλώσσα και η επικοινωνία αποτελεί το μέσο με το οποίο επεξεργαζόμαστε τις σκέψεις μας και τα συναισθήματα μας. Επιστημονικές έρευνες χρόνων έχουν δείξει πως μέσω της ψυχοθεραπέιας ο ανθρώπινος εγκέφαλος μπορεί να δημιουργήσει καινουρια νευρολογικά μονοπάτια-που αυτο σημαίνει και διαφορετικές συμπεριφορές.
Talking about my problems will not help me. To some extent that is correct. Only talking about problems is not fruitful. However, this is not what we do in psychotherapy. There are multiple psychotherapeutic approaches and most of them even though they may focus to some extent on problems they will also focus on the behavioral patterns that contributed to their creation and will empower the individual on trying new behaviors that will allow them to disengage from maladaptive behavioral cycles.)
Only people with serious mental health issues need therapy.This is not true. We can all benefit from psychotherapy. Some more than others depending on the issues we want to address and readiness to open up about things that may be more triggering or difficult to address.
I should be able to fix the problem myself. This is another anachronistic myth that can be quite dangerous and stems from the social stigma related to mental health issues. However, in most cases it is important to connect to a Mental health professional in order to address personal struggles and definitely more debilitating mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and Post-traumatic stress.. Ποιος ο λόγος; Μήπως γιατί έχεις μάθει να μην εμπιστευεσαι κανέναν, ή γιατί πρεπει να αποδέιξεις πόσο σκληρός είσαι, ή πόσο αυτάρκής. Μήπως γιατί έχεις μάθει πως δεν πρέπει να χρείαζεσαι κανέναν και να τα βγάζεις πέρα μόνος σου; Πολλοί άνθρωποι έχουν μεγαλώσει με αυτην την πεποίθηση, που μπορεί και να τους έχει βοηθήσει να επιβιώσουν σε κάποιες δυσκολες στιγμές στη ζωή τους. Ωστόσο, από ένα σημείο και μετά μπορει να γίνει τροχοπέδη στις σχέσεις τους και να τους εμποδίζει να εξελιχθούν ή να συμβάλει στο άγχος τους. Πολλές φορές οι πεποιθήσεις αυτές σχετίζονται με το στίγμα που υπήρχε (ευτυχως έχει μειωθεί σημαντικα τα τελευταια χρονια) σχετικα με την ψυχοθεραπεια.
Therapy is an ambiguous long process and once I start it, I will have to go forever. It does not have to be. It depends on your personal goal for therapy and on the approach of the mental health professional. One to two years is usually a good amount of time to see results and stabilize them. However some individuals may see therapy in a different way and they may decide to have a more long term approach. This is something that you decide in any case and you have to discuss with the mental health professional.. Δεν χρειάζεται να είναι. Πράγματι πολλές φορές η ψυχοθεραπεια είναι μακροχρόνια, αλλά αυτό εξαρτάται από πολλούς παραγοντες. Εξαρτάται κυρίως από τον προσωπικό στόχο που έχει ο καθε άνθρωπος και από την προσέγγιση του ψυχοθεραπευτή. Ένα με δύο χρόνια συνήθως είναι ένα ικανοποιήτικο διάστημα για να δει κάποιος αποτελέσματα. Ωστόσο, κάποιοι μπορεί να επιλέξουν μια διαφορετική προσέγγιση και να αποφασίσουν πως χρειάζονται μια πιο μακροπρόθεσμη προσέγγιση.
Οι ψυχολόγοι και οι ψυχοθεραπευτές μπορούν να «διαβασουν» τη σκέψη και με αυτό τον τρόπο να εισβάλουν στην ιδιωτικότητά μου και σε θέματα που θα προτιμούσα να μην αποκαλύψω. Αυτό ομολογώ πως θα είχε πλάκα και κάποιες φορές θα ήθελα πολυ να είχα αυτη την ικανότητα. Ωστόσο, απέχει πολύ απο την πραγματικότητα. Οι ψυχολόγοι δεν μπορούν να διαβάσουν το μυαλό των ανθρώπων και χρειάζεται να συζητήσουν για να μπορέσουν να κατανοήσουν τους ανθρώπους που βλέπουν θεραπευτικά.
Therapy is a painful process that mainly focuses on unresolved issues of the
past. .
Δεν χρειάζεται πάντα να είναι επίπονη η διαδικασία. Είναι λογικό πολλές φορές κάποια πραγματα να είναι δυσκολο να τα συζητησουμε. Ωστόσο δεν εστιάζουμε μόνο στα προβληματα ή μόνο στο παρελθόν. Η ψυχοθεραπεία πρέπει να είναι μια επένδυση που κάνουμε στον εαυτό μας και στην υγεία μας και αυτό συμπεριλαμβάνει την παρατήρηση πολλών συμπεριφορών μας οι οποίες μπορεί να συμβάλουν καταπόνισή της.
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Email: katerina.psarropoulou@gmail.com