Michael Röder

I am working in counseling & psychotherapy since 2014, with individuals, couples, expats, binationals, international students and academics in Germany and in China. My main approach is psychodynamically oriented Gestalt therapy. I have been practicing psychotherapy in my own practice in Frankfurt am Main since 2022. I strongly believe that therapy should not only be reserved for people with so-called “mental disorders”, but can be valuable for everyone! I have been interested in psychology since I was young and ever since I have wanted to understand what drives people, motivates them and influences their behavior. Why and how do we stand in our own way and fail to seize the opportunities that lie ahead of us? What hurts us and why can't we simply shake off past events and early experiences - perhaps even hurting ourselves and others? What makes people so-called “difficult” people? I have always felt close to people who were marginalized, ignored or ridiculed by their peers because they were different - and made contact with them. During my alternative civilian service and my first years at university, I supported people with cognitive impairments. Through my studies - particularly in intercultural communication and psychoanalyis -, my work experience with the staff council, I came to practical courses in humanistic psychotherapy, including a 5-year training in Gestalt therapy. From 2006, I went to China three times as a university lecturer and have lived there for over 12 years in total. My counseling work focused mainly on issues of intercultural communication and dialogue and on the personal and professional development of students.