

Welcome to my practice
in Berlin Prenzlauer Berg





Systemic Therapy and Counseling
Are you looking for active, engaging counseling or therapy? Are you facing problems that you feel incapable of resolving on your own? Do you feel stuck on certain issues or questions regarding yourself, your relationship, your family?
In my practice for couples therapy, individual therapy and sex therapy in Berlin Prenzlauer Berg I offer support and guidance as you explore new perspectives and coping strategies for the issues you are struggling with. I help you identify and access strengths and resources that you may not be aware of. Understanding the problems, their causes, and their impact on you, your current situation and your relationships with other people can provide valuable insights in this process.
I provide a safe space in which I encourage you through my questions and interventions to explore and test new ways of understanding and handling your issues. Together we develop concrete goals and regularly revisit and examine these as the therapy progresses.
Throughout the process, I put a high value on providing a warm and respectful atmosphere characterized by candor, acceptance and trust.
I offer couples therapy, individual therapy and sex therapy in German and English and work with people of all cultural backgrounds, bicultural couples, with people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.
Therapeutic approach: systemic and integrative
The general approach I work with is known as Systemic Therapy. “Systemic” means seeing a person in their individual situation as well as their interconnections with their partner, family members, friends, colleagues and social environment. This is the context in which Systemic Therapy reads and addresses the client’s situation and issues as well as patterns of interaction. As a systemic therapist, I am interested in (1) what happens between people – seeing a person as a member of a relationship, family or network and understanding the dynamics of these relationships and in (2) what happens within a person – examining a person’s patterns of thought, behavior and perception.
Systemic therapy is a scientifically proven and effective method of psychotherapy (German Advisory Council on Psychotherapy, 2008).
In addition to Systemic Therapy, I integrate other therapeutic approaches according to the specific needs and particular issues of the individual or couple I work with. These include Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT).
I am also trained as a Sex Therapist.

Couples Therapy
Both partners in a relationship face the challenge of balancing partnership, love, sexuality and family, job and social conditions. Each partner may have different expectations regarding the relationship. Individual needs often change as the relationship develops. These differences and changes can lead to conflicts that are often difficult for a couple to resolve on their own. Recurring cycles of miscommunication, blame, withdrawal, disappointment, resentment and escalating fights indicate that a relationship has become off-balance and that external support and guidance might be helpful.
Couples therapy offers a space in which both partners get a chance to communicate based on listening and understanding. Together you explore what you wish to change in your relationship. I help you recognize entrenched patterns of communication and interaction, understand these dynamics and identify new and more constructive forms of communication. The focus is also on cultivating both partners’ capacity to express wishes and needs more clearly. This can lead to better understanding, change and development.
Couples therapy / couples counseling can help if you
feel your arguments go around in circles or repeatedly lead to a dead end and a feeling that you do not understand each other
wish for more, or less, intimacy than your partner
feel you can’t argue or fight with your partner
have trust issues
feel hurt
face infidelity or need help getting over an affair
are unsatisfied with your sex life
are facing a transition in your relationship or a stressful life event
face different family or cultural backgrounds that lead to conflict
feel ambivalent about the relationship and are considering separation
are looking for support as you go through separation

Individual Therapy
Individual therapy and counseling aim to increase your life satisfaction and to strengthen your sense of self.
I support you in reaching a better understanding of yourself and your struggles and in discovering ways to build on your inner strengths and resources. Finding better ways of dealing with feelings such as insecurity, anxiety or pain is often part of the process. I encourage you to recognize, question and modify unhelpful patterns in your behavior and in your interaction with other people. Together we develop strategies for you to better cope with your problems and enable you to implement those strategies for positive change. This can strengthen your sense of self-confidence and your ability to clearly express and assert your needs and interests, so that you actively improve your situation.
Individual therapy / counseling can help if you
are unhappy or sad
feel lonely
have recurring destructive thoughts and feelings
detect unhelpful patterns of behavior
feel insecure or shy in relationships and in contact with other people
have low self-confidence or self-esteem
wish to resolve difficult or painful experiences from your past
need help coping with the end of a relationship
are experiencing grief and loss
face a crisis or a want to make changes in your life

Sex Therapy
Sex therapy and sex counseling focus on issues concerning how you experience sex and yourself as a sexual being.
Sexual difficulties may be influenced by your current situation in life, by your social environment as well as by your personal history or changes in your body. You and your partner may have different sexual needs and desires. These can change over the course of one’s life and as the relationship develops. Sexual dissatisfaction can produce inner uncertainty and burden a relationship.
I provide sex therapy for individuals as well as for couples. If you are in a relationship I encourage you to pursue sex therapy as a couple.
As a sex therapist, I provide a safe space in which you can address your questions and concerns and help you identify ways of making your sex life more satisfying.
Sex therapy / sex counseling can help if you
are unhappy with your sex life
experience a lack of sexual desire
and your partner have different ideas about how to engage sexually
are unsure about your sexual desires and needs
have difficulties with arousal and orgasm
suffer from erectile disorder
experience pain during intercourse
have concerns related to sexual identity or orientation
notices changes in your body and how you experience sexuality

Couples Therapy, Individual Therapy and Sex Therapy: Getting Started
Initial Consultation
In the initial consultation we will meet one another, discuss your individual situation and what you wish to achieve through couples therapy, individual therapy or sex therapy. You will get a first impression of me and learn about the methods I use, so that you can determine whether this form of counseling or therapy might be helpful and whether we can work together in a trusting and open atmosphere.
Duration, Frequency, Costs
Each couples therapy session lasts 90 minutes, an individual therapy session 60 minutes.
In general, there should be a period of two to four weeks between sessions to give you sufficient time and opportunity in your day-to-day life to work with what we discussed in the session. Experience shows that you should expect to need 5 to 15 sessions.
We will tailor the framework of the therapy according to your individual needs and expectations.
My practice is a private practice on a self-pay basis. My services are not covered by health insurance. Please ask for my rates by email or telephone.
Confidentiality
All personal information and the content of our sessions are handled with complete confidentiality.

About Me
Qualifications
Systemic Therapist (certified by Systemische Gesellschaft, SG, 2007)
Couples Therapist (Systemisch-integrative Paartherapie, Hans Jellouschek Institut, 2013)
Sex Therapist (Institut für Sexualtherapie Heidelberg – Ulrich Clement, certified by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Sexualforschung, DGfS, 2014)
Heilpraktikerin für Psychotherapie / Non-Medical Practitioner (certified by Landesamt für Gesundheit und Soziales Berlin, 2007)
Diplom-Pädagogin (social work, psychology, FU Berlin 2000)
Professional Experience
I opened my practice for couples therapy, individual therapy and sex therapy in 2007 in Berlin Prenzlauer Berg.
Before that, I gained many years’ experience in the areas of counseling and crisis intervention with individuals, couples and families (psychological counseling, marriage counseling, family counseling). I have also worked with women who were exposed to domestic violence.
I regularly participate in a wide variety of professional training.
Affiliations
Systemische Gesellschaft (SG)
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Sexualforschung (DGfS)
Verband freier Psychotherapeuten (VFP)

Contact
If you have questions or wish to schedule an appointment, please call me or send an email: 030 70 72 73 88 – info@praxisdzaack.de.
Location
Claudia Dzaack, Systemische Therapeutin
Praxis für Paartherapie, Einzeltherapie und Sexualtherapie
Kastanienallee 26
10435 Berlin
T 030 70 72 73 88
info@praxisdzaack.de
Getting there
The office is in Berlin Prenzlauer Berg, close to Berlin Mitte, located near the Schwedter Straße stop of the M1 and 12 Tram lines, and between the Eberswalder Straße (U2) and Rosenthaler Platz (U8) U-Bahn stations