Isabelle Penot

My name is Isabelle Penot and I work as a systemic family and couple therapist, intercultural couple counsellor and interpreter. Growing up in a German-French family in France, I found my home in Berlin in the 90s. Multilingualism and interculturality are part of my life. Growing up in a German-French family in the banlieue of Paris, I have been living in Berlin with my Hungarian husband for over 20 years. Together we have three children who are slowly taking flight. Both in my private life and in my work, I am driven by curiosity about the foreign and mediating between cultures. But I also know the need for differentiation, the question of my own identity, the retreat to my cultural values. I know from experience what it feels like when roots strike out in all directions and I find it very helpful to be able to distinguish whether the conflicts are related to the respective socialisation and culture - or to one's own biography and the hurts that sometimes come with it. With the help of this differentiation, binational couples can find their way back to a constructive dialogue. They recognise what differentiates them in a positive way, but also what connects them deeply - across all borders. www.isabelle-penot.de