My path began with an incisive experience of loss in the family, which followed a long and painful illness. I was 22 years old and fell into a deep hole. The pain and sadness, the fear and anger were so unbearable that I could hardly feel them. I slipped deeper and deeper into a severe depression that stayed with me for years.

Still, for a long time I refused to admit to myself that I needed help. Instead, I tried to ignore the problem and keep the painful feelings under wraps. I withdrew more and more from friends and family. An intimate relationship was out of the question. My office job became an unbearable burden.

I realized that things couldn't go on like this. I started meditating, began psychotherapy, which lasted over 3 years in total, and took medication. The result was underwhelming: the drugs had little or no effect, but had massive side effects, and although the psychotherapy helped me to understand myself better, my deep dissatisfaction remained.

By chance I was introduced to attachment theory and started working with the Ideal Parent Figure Protocol (IPF) Dr. Dan Brown. I can honestly say that IPF is the first thing that has really worked for me and that this method has profoundly changed my life for the better.

I got to know myself on a deeper level and realized that the source of my problems was a deeply insecure attachment style. I was finally able to get in touch with feelings that were previously unbearable. To allow pain and sadness. To express unspoken anger. To heal old wounds. To shape relationships so they are supportive and collaborative instead of draining my energy. And to increasingly transform my insecure attachment style into a secure one.

I have experienced much suffering along the way - pain, loneliness, hopelessness and despair. And I also saw that it is possible to live differently. With more authenticity, liveliness and deep acceptance for the dark side of life.

The desire arose in me to share with others what has been so beneficial and transformative for me, to support them on their own journey through this often difficult territory - on their way to secure attachment, healing old wounds and opening up new perspectives on life. So I decided to change careers, gave up my job in finance and taxation and started to the get necessary training and skills I needed to be able to do just that. Now working as a psychotherapy practitioner, supporting people in their process of growth and change fills me with a deep sense of purpose.

My own path is by no means finished and I continue to work as a client with the Ideal Parent Figure (IPF) method.

My work is mainly based on the Three Pillar Model of Attachment Treatment, developed by Dr. Daniel P. Brown and David S. Elliot, PhD, both of whom I have studied with. Read more about the Three Pillar Model here. I have also studied with Dan Brown and other senior teachers in the Pointing out the Great Way lineage of Tibetan Buddhism.

I am influenced by the Buddhist meditation teacher George Haas and his organization Mettagroup. He combines traditional Theravada Buddhist meditation with extensive knowledge of attachment theory and has adapted Vipassana (mindfulness) meditation and Metta (loving-kindness) meditation to support people on their way to secure attachment. They are invaluable tools in the development of metacognitive skills and emotional regulation.

In addition, I am influenced by humanist psychology in the tradition of Carl Rogers and Viktor Frankl. I am convinced that every human being has the potential for growth and self-actualization, no matter how deeply buried it may be. I see my job as creating a space in which this potential can unfold.

• Born in 1991 in Essen, Germany

• B.A. Philosophy & Economics (University of Bayreuth, 2015)

• Certified Psychotherapy Practitioner (Heilpraktiker für Psychotherapie)

• Certified Psychological Counsellor (Psychologischer Berater, VFP)

• Professional training in cognitive behavioral therapy

• Training in client-centered psychotherapy (Carl Rogers)

• Training in the three pillar model for attachment repair (Ideal Parent Figure Protocol) with Dr. Daniel P. Brown and David Elliott, Ph.D.

• Adult Attachment Interview (AAI)-Training

• Ongoing supervision with Dr. Daniel P. Brown (until his passing in 2022) and George Haas (Mettagroup/Meditation x Attachment)

• Supervision/case consultation with David Elliott, PhD