What is psychotherapy?

Psychotherapy is healing through conversation. It is not merely giving advice, but rather an active process, a task involving both patient and therapist. These two become partners in dialogue. During their meetings – consultations – the patient tells the therapist about him or herself, talks about his or her current difficulties, has the opportunity to delve into areas of which until this point he or she was unaware of or was unable to discover on his or her own. Thanks to the therapist, the patient obtains not only support, but also broadens his or her self-awareness, becomes aware of his or her needs, looks into the mechanisms of his or her self-functioning and discovers their meaning.

Therapy is meant to help the patient lessen his or her suffering, believe in his or her causative power, bring about change, teach him to identify his or her own emotions and to make decisions that differ from those in his current schemes.

The experience of therapy is unlike any other experience of daily life. It can be compared neither to confiding in friends, asking for advice, nor crying out in the presence of a kind listener. The relationship between therapist and patient is unlike any other.

Who needs psychotherapy?

To put it simply: anyone who is suffering yet believes that he can find help. There is no lack of alternatives to therapy: help from a psychiatrist who prescribes medication, help from doctors in other specialties who treat somatic problems, support from a spiritual guide, unconventional medicines, massage, yoga, sport, conversation with close friends, relaxation... Often, resorting to one of these alternatives brings relief from psychological suffering. At times, however, this suffering can be so persistent and troublesome that there is a need to explore its deeper causes. For those who find themselves in such a life moment, psychotherapy is the best solution.

In many instances, patients come with very concrete problems: divorce, the death of a close person, a serious illness that is impacting family life, problems with finding employment, a traumatic experience. In other instances, it is difficult to pinpoint what exactly is causing the greatest difficulty. It is known only that life hurts, does not bring satisfaction, everyday life is weighted down by fear, that there is often irritation or disappointment. At times, the reason to enter therapy is a desire to grow and develop, to expand one’s awareness of oneself, to get to know one’s stronger and weaker sides. Regardless of whether the client is able to identify his problem, the first meeting with the therapist is a consultation. The therapist gets to know the patient’s life situation, identifies the areas in which there are difficulties, obtains a description of the patient’s troubles. It is only after a few such meetings (usually two or three) that the patient and therapist agree on a long-term mode of work.

What does a session look like?

Therapy can be short- or long-term. The former usually involves six to eight sessions, the later can take two years or longer. The duration of the therapeutic process depends on several factors, although it is obvious that important changes require time. Regardless of how long the process takes, a session’s outline is similar. The main component of the session is conversation – the patient can speak freely, shares his thoughts. The therapist at times intervenes, asking about feelings which the patient is experiencing, helps the patient identify them, connect emotions with events, add meaning to experiences. Psychotherapy depends on the client’s awareness and responsibility. He is not a child or the object of manipulation, but rather a conscious, mature partner in the therapeutic relationship, a dialogue partner with the same rights as the therapist. The psychotherapist accompanies him in the journey towards self-knowledge, helps him to make his own, authentic life choices.

Whom do we help?

In Sentima, we work with people who:

• Are experiencing difficulties at work, with family contact, in relationships;
• Suffer from loneliness or maladjustment;
• Are faced with a feeling of low self-worth;
• Have difficulty with identifying and experiencing emotions or feel suffocated by them (recurring fear, sadness, bursts of anger);
• Are dealing with culture shock or an adjustment crisis (we work with clients in English, Spanish, or French);
• Are unable to communicate with others, have feelings of inadequacy or feel inauthentic in their relationships with people;
• Feel that they are not realizing their full potential, feel blocked, suffocated by routine, unfulfilled;
• Experience emptiness, a crisis of faith, feel the need to find sense in their life or to redefine it;
• Experience crises related to ageing (adolescence, early maturity, menopause, andropause, mourning);
• Are dealing with questions or problems related to their gender or sexual identity (GLBT)
• Need assistance during illness (their own or a close person’s);
• Survived traumatic experiences (i.e., an accident, violence, catastrophe);
• Are experiencing difficulties related to motherhood, child-rearing, related to pregnancy or infertility;
• Suffer from depressed mood or stress;

We also work with couples dealing with relationship problems.

AGNIESZKA ABUGABER

• Specializes in Gestalt Therapy
• Psychotherapy Degree from INTRA School of Psychotherapy (certified by the Polish Psychological Association)
• Certificate in Couple’s Therapy from New York Gestalt Center
• Training in Group Therapy, Body Work, and Trauma from New York Gestalt Institute
• Member of New York Gestalt Institute
• Member of the Association for the Advancement of Gestalt Therapy (AAGT)
• M.A. in Polish Literature and Philology from Warsaw University

MAGDALENA HUBER

• Experience with individual clients and groups
• Specializes in Humanistic Therapy using an eclectic approach
• Experience in diagnosis and treatment of patients in the Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology
• Conducted academic research in Psychiatry Clinic
• Psychotherapy Degree from INTRA - School of Psychotherapy (certified by the Polish Psychological Association)
• Member of the Association for the Advancement of Gestalt Therapy (AAGT)
• M.A. in Psychology from the Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities

KAROLINA KUHN

• Specializes in Humanistic Therapy
• Experience in diagnosis and treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder and victims of domestic violence
• Psychotherapy Degree from INTRA - School of Psychotherapy (certified by the Polish Psychological Association)
• Life Coach degree from the International Coach Federation
• M.A. in Psychology from the Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities

KATARZYNA WILCZEK

• Specializes in Humanistic Therapy using an eclectic approach
• Psychotherapy Degree from INTRA - School of Psychotherapy (certified by the Polish Psychological Association)
• Training in Art Therapy, Body Work, and Parenting
• Experience with individual clients and groups
• Training in Psychoanalysis
• M.A. in Spanish Philology from Warsaw University

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