c2gether Podcast

Former HR professional Karina Schneider talks with Elizabeth about how her experiences shaped her work as a re-integration specialist for clients returning to work after a prolonged mental health absence. Her work is informed by compassion, strategy, and practical expertise and is grounded in her value to make the working world a more mentally-friendly place.

For more information about the work that she does with clients and companies, you can check out her website:

https://www.karinaschneider.com

Or contact her on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/karinaschneider-hrandwellbeingpartner/

There is a growing emphasis on the power of complementary body work to help people access and process emotional experiences. Psychologists are beginning to encourage clients to move beyond simply understanding and relating to their experience and into feeling their experience. As part of digging deeper into the potential of body work, Elizabeth speaks with Nadya Seeberger, a Breath Work facilitator and hypnotherapist in Biel-Bienne/Nidau.

More about Nadya: nadya-seeberger.com

More information about the practice of Breathwork:

www.mrjamesnestor.com

www.breatheology.com/about-stig-severinsen

Elizabeth speaks with her colleague, Laura Wadhwa, about her research on blended families. Laura shares some ways to talk to kids about the changes to the family constellation, and how to give space for kids to discuss and share whatever feelings they have. The importance of validating their reactions to avoid the destructive effect of shame is described.

For more information, Laura recommends the following book:

Van Deurzen, E., & Iacovou, S. (2013). Existential perspectives on relationship therapy. Bloomsbury Publishing.

You can also contact her via email: https://c2gether.ch/professional/laura-wadhwa-msc/

Elizabeth interviews her own father, Richard Wack, about his ADHD history. He reflects on the ways that it affected his relationship with his peers, family and himself. Despite having a successful legal career, he shares how undiagnosed ADHD affected his anxiety and addiction. He shares feedback that might be helpful to others who are discovering the ways that their brains work at a later age.

You can learn more about Richard here: https://nadn.org/pdf/Rick-Wack.pdf

Many of us no longer live in the same community as our parents. Often we live oceans away. This conversation is dedicated to discussing a topic that brings up many emotions and involves many complicated variables but in the end, is the most human of experiences to have.

For a recommended article that touches on some of these themes, we could recommend starting here: https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/health/a45665678/caregiving-for-aging-parents/

We are grateful for the contributions of Aoife, Patricia, and Diana in sharing their experiences in this important episode.

Aoife Hoitink has lived internationally for over 25 years. She has been living in Lausanne for the last 10 years. Aoife's parents are in Ireland and her in laws live in The Netherlands.

Patricia Vriesendorp is an American and Swiss trained psychologist & psychotherapist who has often had family spread out across borders.  She currently lives with her immediate family, husband and 2 teen sons in Biel, while her extended family, mother and brother live in the Netherlands.  The deterioration and eventual death of her father more than 2 years ago highlighted the challenges of navigating care for family while abroad.

Diana Rusen is a body work therapist who works with her clients in Biel-Bienne. She grew up in Romania.

Patricia and Elizabeth discuss the particularities of the process of applying for foreign training to be recognized in Switzerland to practice as a psychologist or psychotherapist. We talk about the important things to know, the differences between the BAG, PsyKo and FSP, and the pros-cons of working as a psychologist vs. a psychotherapist. We get lots of questions about this from mental health clinicians new to Switzerland so we hope that you will find this to be a handy resource as you navigate this complex and often frustrating process.

The c2 website gives more information and links: https://c2gether.ch/working-as-a-mental-health-professsional-in-switzerland

Contact:

Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH)
Psychology Professions Commission (PsyCo)
Schwarzenburgstrasse 157
CH-3003 Bern
Phone: +41 (0)58 464 38 18
E-Mail: [email protected]

Elizabeth talks with Patricia about the importance of grief and grieving, and the particular ways it may impact people living away from their home countries and cultures. The collective experience of grief from the period of Covid is also discussed. Ways to navigate the experience of grief within yourself and with others were explored. 

To find more information on the topic and additional resources, you can check out Patricia's blog post: https://c2gether.ch/grief-and-loss/

To join the virtual Grief Circle scheduled for 2 February, you can register here: https://c2gether.ch/event/grief-circle/

You can email Elizabeth or Patricia at: [email protected]

Elizabeth and Patricia outline and discuss the upcoming changes to how psychotherapy will be covered by the insurance in Switzerland starting in 2023.

This episode is for:

Any existing psychotherapy clients curious about if and how their services will be reimbursed, 

Anyone considering starting psychotherapy in the future, 

or any mental health practitioners who may be curious about how these changes might impact how they interact with the healthcare system, and how this might contribute to the current demand crisis in healthcare.

For a written outline and more information, you can check out c2's website: https://c2gether.ch/c2-news/

There is also additional information via the Federal Office of Public Health: https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/de/home/berufe-im-gesundheitswesen/psychologieberufe.html

We encourage you to talk with your healthcare and insurance providers about how these changes might impact you and your family.

Elizabeth chats with Meltem Kusku, a mental-health counselor who talks about how her own experience with psychedelics has reduced her suffering and avoidance of a traumatic childhood experience that shaped her life. They discuss current research that suggests the efficacy of psychedelic-assisted therapy for healing trauma, and the proposed uses of psychedelics in the treatment of other mental health conditions. She encourages people who are curious to talk openly about next steps with their medical and mental health providers.

If you want to get in touch with Meltem for more information, you can reach her via email at [email protected]

MAPS - A leading non-profit organization in psychedelic research, information and education.

https://maps.org

Clinical trials that are going on in Switzerland for people to get an experience by participating in research.

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results/map/click?map.x=603&map.y=876&term=psychedelic&recrs=a&map=EU&mapw=1203

A retreat center in Holland that legally offer integrative psychedelic experiences. There are many others.

https://www.kiyumi.org

Professional journalist and writer, Tara Giroud, shares her experience of writing for her mental health and her current inspiration to help others use this medium to support their own well-being. She discusses the importance of reflecting on our experiences and communicating with ourselves and others. Tara gives a number of practical tips to help when self-criticism shows up in your writing.

c2 will host Tara's workshop on this topic on 11 June at 10-12:30. To sign up, please contact Tara directly via email: [email protected]

You can check out her website: https://taragiroud.com/

or find her on Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn

You can also see more about the details about the workshop via the c2 website: https://c2gether.ch/events/