Alexandru Antonie
Counsellor
I specialise in:
About me
Having moved to Germany 15 years ago, I myself have experienced the challenges of life as an expat and the intercultural differences that come with it.
It took me a while to find my way. Before I started my training as a psychotherapist, I worked for several advertising agencies. Then I wanted to work in the social sector and worked with disadvantaged children and young people in outpatient youth care. I have learned more about therapeutic work through further experience in Closed Acute Psychiatry, in Open General Psychiatry and in the Day Clinic for Depression and Psychosis.
I have also met very different people in a variety of environments, so that I am not just speaking "from books" when I get to know different life stories. I finally understood what I find most fulfilling - both professionally and personally -: helping people to recover as quickly as possible during difficult phases of life and to stand on their own two feet again.
More information on: alexandruantonie.com.
I speak:
Location:
Approach
Anyone can develop mental illness under certain circumstances. I don't see mental symptoms as a sign of personal weakness, but rather as a temporary attempt to deal with difficult situations or inner conflicts. These strategies may have worked well in the past, but they are no longer sufficient in the current demanding situation. Symptoms may provide short-term relief, but they are often dysfunctional because they do not solve the problem in the long term or even make it worse.
In therapy I help you to understand the function of the symptom in the context of your individual life and relationships, to identify dysfunctional coping mechanisms and to replace them with alternative, more functional coping strategies.
I work in an integrative and cross-procedural manner: in addition to the classic cognitive-behavioral therapy methods, my approach is strongly inspired by the “third wave” of CBT, where I use schema-therapy, resource-oriented therapy, body-centered and emotion-focused methods, with the help of evidence-based approaches such as:
- Mindfulness
- Self-Compassion (Compassion Focussed Therapy & Mindful Self-Compassion)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT, Greenberg)
- Schema Therapy (Young)
- Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT, Linehan).
Further specializations: Psychotherapy, psychological counseling/coaching (also online) for:
- Expats/ intercultural psychotherapy
- LBTQIA+/ "Queer Affirmative Therapy", coming out counselling, discrimination and minority stress, etc.
More information on: alexandruantonie.com.
