Some of the people I meet as a clinician are facing challenges in their lives and have the willingness and strength to turn them around into opportunities for well-being, success and wisdom. They need my guidance, but in reality they are the experts of their lives. They taught me about what it means to be Human and about Life.

I dedicated the first five years of my career working as an organizational psychologist and as a psychotherapist in my home country, before moving to Canada in 2002, where I pursued a career in human resources. I practice EA since 1998 and in Canada I became active as a qualifying psychotherapist in 2010; I have furthered my practice since then and became a clinical psychotherapist in 2013. Since August 2015 I am also a Registered Psychotherapist with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario, as we enter a new space of Psychotherapy as a regulated profession.

As a practitioner I am focusing on individual, analytical, psycho-dynamic, meaning oriented and person-centered psychotherapy.

I have trained in Existential Analysis (EA) in Austria (GLE Intl.) and Romania (SAEL Timisoara) between 1996 and 2000. I remain eternally grateful to my wonderful teachers, colleagues, supervisors and mentors: they not only shared their wisdom with me, but created the best years of my life. I would have been a whole different person, living a quite different life, if it wasn't for EA and its promoters. I trained for my self first in order to be the very best for my future clients. Even if I wasn't to practice EA at all, it was all worth it to have it in my life. Since my first encounter, EA has been a great companion in my personal growth as well as a tool to be used with those who asked for my help.

In my practice I see every day the positive results that EA brings into people’s lives.

Existential Analysis (EA) psychotherapy begins with a holistic view of a human being: biological/physical, cognitive, emotional and spiritual. For didactic reasons we split the inseparable: humans are four dimensional entities; EA also recognize the unity, the wholeness and the inseparable - we are souls with bodies and not the other way around, bodies that have a soul.

EA looks at mental illness the same ways as to physical illness: an opportunity for healing and growth.

Diagnostics are one of the clinician’s tools, and therefore help the clinician to orient himself/herself in a new “universe” and not necessarily the person who faces the challenge. EA does not rely on labels.

Becoming a good psychotherapist is hard work because you have to master the balance between empathy and objectivity, letting yourself touched by another human being's life experiences and letting go of the impulse to "fix" someone or some things in their lives . A psychotherapist aims to understand without judging and to ignite the person's  ability to find and spread serenity in the face of life's greatness. We study hard at becoming good psychotherapists and after we master everything and all in theory, we are taught to leave all theories outside the office. When the person comes in, the theories are out and we look at him or her as the exception to "the rules and dogmas." Everyone and each of my clients are unique and exceptional.

EA develops further understandings in relating every decision, behavior, feeling we experience as human beings to Meaning.

It explains that any disconnect to our values and who we deeply, really are, has the potential to make as psychologically ill, and has the power to put anyone in dis-ease.

We feel at least uncomfortable and we can even get sick when we overlook the significance of

​ being here and being able to simply exist. --- I am here. Can I be?​ The first fundamental motivation (FM) in EA. ​

​savoring life and feeling the value of life. --- I am Here and I can be. But … Do I like it? The second FM in EA.​

​      allowing ourselves to be ourselves. --- I can be and I like it. But … Can I be myself? The third FM in EA.

​ living a purpose driven life. --- I can be. I like it and I can be myself. But ... Does it make sense? What is it good for? The fourth FM in EA.​

EA teaches us:

The value of Existence. The value of Life. The value of Person ; and Personal Meaning.

Neurotic behaviors, anxiety, depression, relationship issues, controlling our anger and aggressiveness, our unhealthy projections onto others, managing the chaos that our life has become at times – all become understandable when probed with existential meaning oriented questions and all become manageable when, through analysis, the personal answers are found.

EA believes that positive changes are achieved when personal answers and decisions are put in practice and work upon in day to day life. The person involved in EA is looking for his/her own consent to life, therefore there is no healing without an authentic decision - a true "Yes" said to Life.

Freedom and Responsibility is one of the EA fundamental principles in the sense that EA explains that we are not free FROM something (situation, person, predicament etc.) but free FOR something. Between stimulus (what happened) and response (what to do now?) there is always a “space”. In that space we make our CHOICE – of attitude, of action.

As human beings we are “meaning oriented creatures”. Even if our need for meaning is not fully conscious, we are constantly pulled by our values.

There are only a few ways we create values (and many other ways to create chaos):

Work. Play. Creation/Art.

Attitude - as personal positioning, as personal response

and

Being in/ Living the moment

EA counseling and psychotherapy approach can be used both as short term and long term psychotherapy.

In my view:

·         the first 3 to 4 sessions are to assess whether you and your clinician can work together and are stimulated towards achieving your goals

·         up to 8 sessions is counseling or coaching

·         a number of 8 to 20 session is short term

·         anything over six months is long term

·         Ideally people between ages 18 and 65, should come to counseling and psychotherapy on-going. Yes, you read it right!

Some people come to counseling and psychotherapy the same way they go to their family physicians and dentists or hygienists: regularly, even when they are feeling well, just for a regular check-up and for maintenance & prevention - as it is easier to prevent than to heal.​

For many prevention and maintenance of a good mental health is a top priority in their lives.