Steffi Meyer (M.A.)

My International Experience

Before establishing my private practice, I worked in crisis regions, supporting people who worked with survivors of sexual violence and helping them provide trauma-sensitive support – particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan.

My work during the Taliban takeover in 2021 was especially formative. In a time of great uncertainty, I led psychological support for women who had gone into hiding while waiting for evacuation.

In the midst of this exceptional situation, something became very clear to me: I find it natural to remain present, grounded, and able to offer support and orientation, even in extremely challenging circumstances.
This ability continues to shape my work today.

Why I Do This Work

When I began working at a trauma counselling centre for refugees in Cologne, I expected to hear mostly stories of war and displacement.

What I heard, however, were often family stories.

Experiences of shame, emotional unavailability, neglect, or violence within everyday family life.

We often associate trauma with the spectacular. Yet much of what profoundly shapes us happens within close relationships – quietly, repeatedly, and often without anything outwardly dramatic taking place.

When it comes to the development of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), it is not only a question of whether an experience was objectively life-threatening.

It is also about whether repeated experiences have undermined a person’s emotional safety, sense of self-worth, attachment security, and trust in relationships.

What can be lost in the process is a reliable inner foundation.

Through these encounters, I came to understand something that continues to guide my work: It is often within relationships that our deepest wounds develop – and it is within relationships that new experiences can become possible.

This is at the heart of my work.

Before starting my private practice in Germany, I had the opportunity to work for and in conflict-affected countries – especially as a trauma advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan.

In 2021, following the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, I both provided psychological support to Afghan local staff and coordinated the team involved in this effort. That experience touched me deeply and confirmed what I carry at the heart of my work: to be there for people when they are going through their hardest times.

I hold a state license to practice psychotherapy (Heilpraktikerin für Psychotherapie) and have completed over 1,000 hours of advanced training in trauma-informed and integrative counseling and therapy approaches. These include, in particular, the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM®) developed by Dr Laurence Heller and Psychodynamic Imaginative Trauma Therapy (PITT) developed by Prof Luise Reddemann. In addition, I am qualified in trauma counseling, systemic coaching, and conflict counseling. My Master’s degree in Conflict Studies provides a strong foundation for my deep understanding of both internal and interpersonal conflicts.