Petra Maierhöfer

Lösungsorientierte Kurzzeittherapie und Coaching

Welcome

With me you get qualified support in psychotherapy and coaching. I’m internationally acknowledged and experienced in Solution Focused Brief Therapy as well as in Solution Focused Coaching. The approach is helpful when you look for a confidential warmhearted conversation to reflect on or change your private or professional situation, when you want to cope with new life circumstances, or in times of stress, low self esteem, sickness, grief and loss, as well when you want to make use of the waiting time before you start another psychotherapy. As a registered mental health practitioner I also offer support for people with mental health issues, like adjustment disorders, mild depression or panic attacks.

Kindly note that costs are on your own expense. Your investment for an individual session is 95 Euro for 50 min. Other prices you find below.  In case you have an additional insurance including Mental Health Practitioners (Heilpraktiker Psychotherapie) kindly check upfront with your insurance company which costs are covered.

The Solution Focused Approach has no fixed number of hours. Instead of analysing the problem we analyse in detail your desired outcome. Anamnesis, diagnostics and treatment plan are focusing on your individual possibilities and resources. If necessary a traditional report could be done.

Within a structured dialogue we explore which development you want to focus on, which resources are availbale for you and which steps are relevant and soon doable. After each conversation you decide, if and when you want to have another one. This could also happen in major intervals.

 I’m also offering coaching for leadership and teams, mentoring for coaches who look for ICF qualification at ACC and PCC level, as well as trainings around topics of solution focused communication, and health.

 

I’m looking forward to meeting you

 

Petra Maierhöfer

 

Please find below further information on: Appointments in Bad Nauheim und Bad Vilbel; Duration, Prices and Number of Sessions; Solution Focused Brief Therapy and Coaching; The Difference between Therapy and Coaching; My Tools, About Me; My Qualifications and Trainings;

 

Appointments are possible in two locations

 Bad Nauheim (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday), Am Kaiserberg 6c

Bad Vilbel (Wednesday morning), Berliner Straße 35

Coaching for teams is possible at your workplace.

Coaching for individuals is possible face-to-face, at your workplace or via telephone.

Psychotherapy is possible only face-to-face.

 

Duration, Prices and Number of Sessions 

50(80) min for individuals, 95(145) Euro

50(80) min for couples, 110(165) Euro

90 min for families, 150 Euro

Individuals and team coaching at your workplace, prices by agreement

Trainings and Workshops, prices by agreement

Health insurance: If you wish a treatment paid by your health insurance you will need to contact the company directly for further information about which therapists they will cover. In case you have an additional private insurance for mental health practitioners please contact the company beforehand to clarify which costs they will reimburse. 

Length of Therapy or Coaching: I offer brief therapy and coaching. On average three to ten sessions are helpful. Sometimes one only is efficient. For some people regular sessions in bigger intervals are ideal. We do not make a fixed number of sessions at the start, but each time we meet we will decide together if  another meeting would be good.

Cancellation Policy: Kindly let me know as early as possible when you can’t attend a session. Another person might urgently need an appointment and would be happy if this could be offered. 

 

The Solution Focused Approach

What is helpful in counselling’ was the main research topic of a group that included Insoo Kim Berg and Steve de Shazer at Brief Family Therapy Center in Milwaukee/US. They asked clients for feedback on what they found helpful and analyzed thousands of hours of sessions. The amazing results helped develop the solution focused approach. They found for example that it is more useful to talk about the client’s desired outcome rather than about the problem. Or that the remark ‚I don’t know’ mostly means ‚I need time to think’. Further inspiration in the depevlopment of the approach came from Ludwig Wittgenstein’s research on language, from Milton H. Erickson’s work using hypnotherapy, as well as from constructivism, and positive psychology.

Modern neuroscience proves, that new scopes of action and hope are generated, when somebody is actively and mindfully looking for solutions and has personal insights.

Meanwhile the model is applied worldwide in a variety of settings including therapy, coaching, counselling, human resources, organisational development, spiritual guidance, and education.


 

Some basic tenets of the approach

Don’t fix, what ain’t broken.

Do more of what works.

If something doesn’t work, try something else.

We assume, that positive change is possible and desired.

Your desired outcomes, as well as your strengths and competencies are the focus of our dialogue.

Energy and attention follow each other.

Little steps can have a big impact.

Action and an inner observer make it possible that a new and wanted pattern stabilizes.

 

 

The Difference between Therapy and Coaching 

Therapy is for people, whose quality of life is affected by mental health issues. They and others around them may be suffering. With solution focused brief therapy anamnesis and diagnosis are focusing on competencies and ressources, the treatment or action plan is activity based and relevant for daily life.

Coaching is for people who are looking for a professional and strategic conversation to reflect a life situation, to manage a challenge or to improve their performance.

 

My Tools

  • Strategic dialogue with focused listening and questions: We explore together how your life could become easier, what is realistic to do and what you therefore need. During our conversation I might ask occasionally if it still fits your desired direction.
  • Time to think: You will have time to explore and express your thoughts and insights.
  • Visualisation: I guide you to imagine in detail your desired outcome in terms of observable action and noticeable sensations.
  • Exploring resources: What individual experiences and possibilities you could activate for approaching your desired outcome is part of our dialogue.
  • Scaling: On a customized scale you define where you are related to your desired outcome. It offers the chance to identify even more resources. 
  • Action planning: We figure out what next doable steps are possible within a short time fame.
  • Anchoring: To concretize the identified action steps we start facilitating them within the session.

 If you wish, we can also include in our session techniques from other areas of promoting health, like mindfulness, stress reduction, Qigong Yangsheng, and sensory integration, where I have training and experience. 

 

 

About Me

People and their paths of life are fascinating for me.

This interest led me to become an occupational therapist. I’m experienced in the areas of early intervention, mental health, geriatrics, and neurology. Since 1986 I saw clients of all ages in health services and OT clinics in Frankfurt/Main and Friedberg/Hessen. 

Surprisingly my own path of life brought me to Manila in the Philippines. So I was challenged to find my way in an unfamiliar culture and climate. During my 11 years there I dared a career change. When I worked at a counselling service I learnt about the solution focused approach. From the first day of my training I was amazed by its effectiveness and have had many encouraging experiences. Among my clients are individuals, couples, (also of same gender), and families, each with their individual cultural background. The solution focused approach was the topic of workshops and within employee assisted programmes for local and global organisations. 

It is astonishing to experience with clients how many vital forces emerge and could be activated even in difficult times and challenging situations. To distinguish between what drains and what nourishes, and to be able to deliberately choose I consider as an important quality of life. 

Now I’m back home in the Wetterau area and would like to offer my counselling and coaching services to you. 


My Qualifications and Trainings

  • Mental Health PractitionerGesundheitsamt Wetteraukreis. 2018
  • Professional Certified CoachInternational Coaching Federation. 2016
  • Solution Focused Coaching for Leadership, Teams and Individuals, Academy of Solution Focused Training, Singapore. 2015-2016
  • Mindfulness Based Stress ReductionQuito Hertz, Manila. 2016
  • Systemic and Hypnotherapeutic Concepts for Organizational Counseling, Coaching, and Personal DevelopmentPsychological Study group. Manila 2014 – 2017
  • Solution Focused Brief TherapyAcademy of Solution Focused Training, Singapore. 2009 – 2013
  • Trainer for Qigong YangshengMedizinische Gesellschaft für Qigong Yangsheng, Bonn. 2004
  • Sensory Integration Therapy and Systemic Development CounsellingInstitut für Integrative Entwicklungsberatung, Rheinbach und Aachen. 1996-1998
  •  Occupational TherapistBerufsfachschule für Ergotherapie, Frankfurt/Höchst. 1990

 Trainings, Supervision and Intervision are an essential part of my professional life.