Anna Punda

Stress, anxiety, and emotional overwhelm show up differently in each of us. For some it's nervous system dysregulation — the constant inner restlessness, the irritability, the body that won't settle. For others it's a persistent sense of inner pressure, exhaustion that sleep doesn't fix, or tension that lives in the shoulders, the jaw, the chest. It might look like getting caught in mental loops with no way out, chronic worry, or a reactivity that surprises even yourself. Find out more here: https://www.anna-punda.com/integrativetherapy Sometimes it's more subtle — a sense of inner misalignment, not quite feeling like yourself, or the quiet feeling that something is holding you back from feeling fully alive. It shows up in different shades of perfectionism too: pushing too hard, avoiding, over-pleasing, overthinking. In constant self-doubt and a sense of worth that always feels conditional. Whatever shape it takes for you — it's real. And it's workable. My approach is integrative and holistic — working with both mind and body. Because stress, anxiety, and emotional overwhelm are not only experienced in the mind. They live in the nervous system, in the body, in the way we breathe and brace and hold ourselves together. I work in an integrative and interdisciplinary way, combining cognitive behavioral methods (including ACT), mindfulness, somatic and emotion-focused techniques. Rather than focusing on diagnoses alone, I tailor every approach to the full person in front of me — their patterns, their nervous system, their lived experience, and what they need right now. With an academic background in anthropology and years inside organizational systems, I bring something to therapy that pure clinical training rarely includes — a deep understanding of how the environments we work and live in shape the way we think, feel, and relate to ourselves. One Approach. Many Dimensions. At the core of my approach is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) — evidence-based frameworks that help you understand the relationship between your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, and develop more flexible, values-aligned ways of responding to life's challenges. But cognition alone rarely reaches the whole person. That's why I draw on a wider range of techniques that make the work more embodied, more emotionally alive, and more holistic: • Mindfulness-based techniques help you develop present-moment awareness — creating space between stimulus and response, and building the capacity to be with difficult emotions without being overwhelmed by them. • Emotion-Focused techniques support you in understanding, experiencing, and transforming your emotional responses — moving from emotional avoidance or overwhelm toward greater emotional clarity and flexibility. • Compassion-Focused techniques work with the inner critic and self-judgment — helping you develop a warmer, more supportive relationship with yourself, especially when old patterns feel hard to shift. Somatic techniques bring the body into the work — using breath, movement, and body awareness to help regulate the nervous system and create change at a felt, embodied level. Together these approaches form an integrated whole — not a menu of techniques applied randomly, but a coherent way of working that meets you across all dimensions of your experience: cognitive, emotional, somatic, and relational. With an international background and experience living and working across cultures, I bring a genuinely culturally sensitive perspective to my work. I especially enjoy supporting expats and internationally minded individuals navigating life transitions, identity questions, belonging, or the emotional challenges of living across cultures. Whether you're struggling with anxiety, burnout, chronic stress, low mood, emotional overload, difficult career transitions, or the quiet sense that something isn't working anymore — therapy can offer a space to understand what's really going on, and begin moving differently.

• 2014 – 2023 Over nearly a decade, I worked at the intersection of individual wellbeing and organizational systems — supporting startups and companies in developing mental health and wellbeing strategies, designing and delivering coaching and resilience trainings for individuals and teams, and facilitating mindfulness, yoga, and movement-based sessions to support stress regulation and emotional wellbeing. During this period I also designed and facilitated dance and movement therapy workshops in Berlin — integrating embodied approaches to emotional processing that would later become central to my therapeutic practice. Alongside this work, I completed my academic research in psychological and medical anthropology, which culminated in the publication of Szamanki w wielkim mieście (Shamans in the Big City) — an exploration of how ancient healing wisdom lives on in modern urban life. • Since 2024 I practice as a licensed psychotherapy practitioner and psychological counselor in private practice, working with individuals navigating anxiety, stress, burnout, and emotional overwhelm. I also work within Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), supporting professionals in organizational contexts.

Core Qualification • Licensed Psychotherapy Practitioner (Heilpraktiker für Psychotherapie), 2024 Licensed by Gesundheitsamt Schöneberg after completing studies at Paracelsus Academy, with a focus on psychotherapy and anxiety conditions. Academic Background • Master of Arts in Anthropology, Free University Berlin, 2011 Specializing in medical anthropology, holistic healing practices, and dance therapy. • Post-graduation research in psychological and medical anthropology across Berlin, Lisbon, and Guadalajara — exploring embodied emotions, prehispanic dance as therapeutic practice, and cross-cultural healing methods. • Psychology Studies, Hagen University, 2020 – 2022 Extensive coursework in psychological theory, clinical psychology, psychotherapy approaches, and mental health assessment — forming the academic foundation for the Heilpraktiker qualification. Further Training & Certifications • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) — Diploma, Holbeck College • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) • Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) • Mindfulness and Meditation Teacher Certification • Psychological Counselor — certified by the German Association for Free Psychotherapy (VFP) • Certified Yoga Teacher • Certified Master Coach — World Coaching Organization (Berlin & Helsinki)