Disclaimer: The following case is based on my professional experience. For obvious reasons, all names and any information that could be used to identify the participants have been changed.
Claire came to therapy overworked, feeling bad about herself and sleeping poorly. She wanted help to figure out her problems at work. Was her boss right? Was she really badly organized and inefficient? She was always running yet she could never catch up. Was there something wrong with her? Highly ...
Disclaimer: Names and details have been modified for confidentiality. The article below is brought to you with the full consent of the patient.
An impressive number of people have contacted me over the past few years in my capacity as a psychologist asking me to help them through a sticky situation. Some have come through the Counseling Center at the American Cathedral, others via a French public health network and others via their general practitioner or ...
Christine writes her own shows but her creativity somehow dried up years ago. She's seeking tools that psychology today can offer and is consulting with me to overcome her inhibition.
In Part 1, with Christine we did the preparation work for the EMDR treatment.
In my role as an EMDR therapist, I guide Christine so she can begin the therapy work for this session.
She selects a situation which she describes in detail where she feels the inertia ...
Make sure you don't just find any therapist close to your home or work, find one that works for you. This might take a little time and experimentation, but finding the right fit is important for your therapy to be efficient and successful.
I encourage you to consider the following ideas. Look for a therapist who:
(1) Has the training and education to help you. Degrees aren't always indicative of competency. However, just as you for a ...
Five months ago Virginia got started on changing her life. She was tired of eating so much she couldn't move, being in a relationship which was going nowhere, having lots of ideas but taking no action. Virginia wants to have children and time is running out.
Like many who come to see me in my psychology practice she was highly motivated and determined to make a change. Her therapy began by her telling me her relationship ...
This series in three parts started with 15 Ways on How To Choose Your Therapist Part 1 and Part 2.
Make sure you don't just find any therapist close to your home or work, find one that works for you. This might take a little time and experimentation, but finding the right fit is important for your therapy to be efficient and successful.
I encourage you to consider the following ideas. Look for a therapist who:
(11) Is ...
This series in three parts started with 15 Ways on How To Choose Your Therapist (Part 1).
Make sure you don't just find any therapist close to your home or work, find one that works for you. This might take a little time and experimentation, but finding the right fit is important for your therapy to be efficient and successful.
I encourage you to consider the following ideas. Look for a therapist who:
(6) Maintains clear and healthy ...
"Simple gifts" is an old Shaker tune that became known around the world when Aaron Copland used it in 1944 in the score for a ballet called "Appalachian Spring." It pops into my mind and I find the notes forming and resonating within my voice box when something delightfully simple occurs and strikes me as worth singing about.
Breathing-relaxation is just one of these "simple gifts". It is one of a variety of relaxation techniques I ...
Christine is blocked.
She writes her own shows and has been on stage but somehow her creativity dried up a few years ago. She wants therapy to overcome this and came into my psychology office a few weeks ago complaining, "I used to be able to write. Now I'm blocked. I always start projects but never finish anything. I have to first clean up everything in my apartment if I'm ever going to succeed. Don't you ...
People sometimes make a statement that startles me and leaves me reflecting on how I can help them clear up their thinking.
In response to a piece of good news a terribly unhappy young woman once told me,“I should be happy” obviously omitting the tacit end of her statement, “but I am not.” The good news alone could have brought happiness but did not because of her life circumstances. Instead, the result was a ...
Showing signs of depression, tense, discouraged and tired from disturbed sleep, a teary-eyed man came into therapy for the first time and told me about his impossible job. With neither education nor training to meet the expectations placed on him, he was supposed to manage, despite inadequate software, complex regulations, an understaffed office and a hiring freeze, the pay and promotions of about 2000 salaried workers. Workdays were often eaten up by managerial meetings ...
"If only I could organize these papers!"
Many patients of mine who are in therapy complain about their inability to organize piles of papers, books or clothing. Others know they need medical attention but don’t call for a doctor or even a psychiatrist’s appointment. Others list their major life decisions they never get around to making. Here is where the therapist can help.
Procrastination, putting off to later what seems impossible to do now, is an often ...
Many years ago a patient came regularly to my clinical psychology office and did in-depth individual therapy working on her childhood, her work life and her love life. She made progress in psychotherapy, her life improved and she stopped coming.
Then one day I bumped into her at the supermarket. Several days later she called to ask if it would be possible to do couples counseling alone with her. Her French husband felt uncomfortable about ...
I few weeks ago I shared with you Part 1 of my series on The Psychology of Procrastination. Here is Part 2 of this three-part series.
Understanding why you procrastinate may help you overcome procrastination. Have you ever wondered why you procrastinate?
It may be the unacknowledged meaning you give to what you have been postponing that has made it so daunting for you to tackle it. Or the tacit sense, referred to in psychology 101 as ...
You are tired of the consequences and have made a gut decision that you are going to face your procrastination. Having become more aware of the mechanism and the meaning behind it (see The Psychology of Procrastination - part 1 and part 2) you are ready to try some tools from therapy.
Alone or with the help of your psychologist, you will learn how to cut the target down to size. Rather than giving the ...
Personal Issues
I may be able to help you if you are struggling with personal issues. In individual therapy sessions, we will address your problems. I have successfully helped my patients overcome depression, anxiety, fears, eating disorders, insomnia, and cope with the challenge of life transitions, stress, work-related issues, self-esteem issues, cultural adaptation and loss & grief. Need urgent attention? Address Your Personal Issues
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Have you been a victim of a traumatic experience you cannot seem to get over? Trauma. Relationship issues. Work-related stress. Performance anxiety. Self-esteem problems. Depression. Anxiety or panic. Phobias. Grief. Post traumatic stress. Eating disorders. Physical & sexual abuse. Rape & violent crimes. Accidents & injury? To help you recover, you may benefit from EMDR therapy, an approach in which I am a certified practitioner. Want to address your emotional distress fast? Overcome Your Trauma
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Who am I?
My name is Debra Berg, and I am a registered psychologist in private practice in Malakoff, just south of Paris. I offer intensive and ongoing therapy to help you address your personal issues, overcome trauma, and to help your couple repair and improve your relationship.
I’ve been working in the field of mental health since I moved to France over 30 years ago. I earned my degree in psychology in Paris and I have been working in private practice for more than 20 years with both English- and French-speaking patients from all walks of life. More about myself
Welcome and thank you for visiting. I appreciate your time and attention, and I’m looking forward to hearing from you to discuss your situation.
Debra Berg
Schedule your appointment
Debra Berg, Psychologist
7 rue Edgar Quinet
92240 Malakoff
Tel. 01 46 55 96 96
Colleen West, a therapist based in California, shows us how she treats trauma.
Testimonials
"I think the only thing that might have held me up about seeing a psychologist was pride. Knowing something went wrong, but not wanting to understand the reasons why (and that they might not have been absolutely my fault) would likely have stopped me."
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