Therapeutic Self-Development
Professional one-on-one counseling service for the highly sensitive person
A man who is "ill-adjusted to the world", is on the verge of finding himself.
Hermann Hesse, Demian
Conventional psychotherapy can be a bad fit for a highly sensitive person because:
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Psychologists and doctors are not trained in the specific needs of highly sensitive people.
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Psychotherapy focuses on treating mental illnesses, but high sensitivity is not a mental illness.
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Psychotherapists are not necessarily highly sensitive themselves, which makes it difficult for them to establish a deep connection with their clients.
Our counseling service might be a better fit for you if:
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You have discovered that you are highly sensitive and need help with your emotional well-being.
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You want to work with counselors who are subject to continuous supervision and are highly qualified for professional work with HSPs.
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You wish to understand yourself and the world truly, precisely, and clearly.
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You wish to develop your individuality instead of becoming “normal.”
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You wish to treat crises as an opportunity to grow and gain understanding, instead of trying to “fix” yourself.
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You are interested in developing and realizing your potential, as a sensitive person.
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You have had negative experiences with psychotherapy. You found it obscure; your therapists lacked understanding or human warmth, or even blamed or stigmatized you for your nature.
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You want to establish an authentic, human connection with your counselor.
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You wish to work with counselors who are both highly sensitive themselves and professionally trained.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this psychotherapy?
Therapeutic self-development is not a form of psychotherapy. A patient can only begin psychotherapy once a mental illness has been diagnosed. That places the illness factor — i.e. "what is wrong" — front and center. The therapist often tries to help the patient become mentally healthy — that is, "normal."
Therapeutic self-development, by contrast, focuses on the person’s individual potential for self-development. Mental and emotional pain is therefore not seen as a problem, but as a challenge or an opportunity to realize one's own potential and rise above the problem. The person is not relegated to the status of an invalid and his or her development is not seen as a matter of conforming to the status quo.
What is therapeutic self-development based on?
Therapeutic self-development, which is how we call our counseling service, is a unique therapeutic method developed for work with highly sensitive people in both psychological counseling and coaching.
It provides highly sensitive people with tools that help them more clearly recognise and communicate issues related to emotions, thoughts, work, social connections and their own needs, allowing them to have more satisfactory experiences.
In order to harness global benefits from this work, the sessions don’t just focus on your sensitivity, but tackle any important element of your life that you wish to address, such as the meaning of your social relationships, love, physical health, and career.
Who will I be working with?
Our counseling service is facilitated by HSP counselors, using the Zensitively method. The counselors, who are psychologists, doctors and coaches, complete at least three-years of in-depth training at our institute, specialising in high sensitivity, consciousness studies, and emotions. This well-grounded training in high sensitivity work was developed at our institute, which is the only place to offer this course. An appropriate HSP counselor is allocated to each client, on the basis of availability, location and individual need.
Where do the sessions take place?
The sessions take place worldwide, via encrypted video link. You may be concerned that a real connection cannot be established using video or audio alone (especially if you are not technology savvy) — don’t be. Most of our clients have this fear, but they quickly realize that this method not only works perfectly well but is actually quite convenient.
How much does therapeutic self-development cost?
We offer two (three, if necessary) preliminary sessions free of charge, with no commitment necessary, so you can assess whether you and your HSP counsellor have good chemistry.
Since high sensitivity is not an illness, we don't work with any health insurance companies. You will need to cover the cost of the counseling service (with the exception of the first two trial sessions) yourself:
Every-two-weeks sessions cost $275 per month
Once-weekly sessions cost $550 per month
Twice-a-week sessions cost $1100 per month
What happens in the initial sessions?
The initial sessions are designed for getting to know each other. Here’s how that works:
- Application form
Fill out the application form, with the help of the video below. You can choose whether to contact us by video, audio or text. - Initial session (30 minutes)
We will contact you by email to arrange a free initial session (of around 30 minutes), to find out whether you and your counselor have the right chemistry. To be able to work with each other successfully over the longer term, you both need to feel comfortable around each other. - 1–2 further initial sessions (of around 50 minutes)
This is followed by 1-2 further initial sessions, primarily designed to construct a detailed case history of your situation and understand your needs, wishes and goals. We need to establish a clear sense of your goals, before we can begin to work together. - Therapeutic self-development
Sessions usually take place once a week for 50 minutes. Each session incorporates in-depth empathy-based, experience-focused emotional work, designed to give you the best possible support on your personal journey. You can terminate the sessions at any time, effective from the end of the current month.