Counselling in English – Switzerland
My name is Martina Leavy. I am an English speaking licensed psychological counsellor with a BSc (Hons) in psychology and a Master’s degree in counselling.
I have been based in Switzerland for over fourteen years. My background as an expatriate helps me focus on counselling English speaking expatriates with particular sensitivity to their unique cultural background.
I work with individuals and with couples. I see clients struggling with depression/anxiety, trauma, addiction as well as with those seeking change or growth.
My professional interest lies in working with clients on the ADHD spectrum. This is because I believe, and research shows, that psychosocial interventions play an important role in treating ADHD in adulthood, even though it is neurobiologically based (Safren, 2006). Symptoms such as distractibility, disorganisation or task procrastination may be improved by setting specific goals in areas of organising, planning, adaptive thinking (cognitive restructuring) or anger management.
Adults with ADHD may benefit from counselling in the areas of anxiety reduction, emotion regulation , psychoeducation for maladaptive strategies and self-esteem (Spain, D., Blainey, S.H., 2017).
I use methods from different psychotherapeutic approaches such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Emotion-focused therapy (EFT). As an integrative practitioner I believe in using the approach most appropriate to the client’s needs. All the approaches I use are science informed.
I am a registered member of the Swiss Association for Counselling (SGfB) and the American Psychological Association (APA).
