Although I had always wanted to study psychology, I first completed a law degree and tried out different roles in various companies on the side: Translations, Marketing, Logistics, Purchasing, Project Management. These roles were interesting and I learned an endless amount in the process. But I was not happy. Then I decided to study psychology after all. That was in 2012, and since then I’ve been studying it and I’m still not bored. It captivates me. I also completed a master’s degree in clinical psychology and integrative psychotherapy training in Romania and started my own psychological practice. Among those who recommend me is the German Embassy in Bucharest. The integrative psychotherapy is not applied in Germany as a guideline procedure, therefore, I have also started a training at the Systemic Institute. In the clinic for psychiatry, psychotherapy and psychosomatics and in the pain therapy in Freudenstadt I have been working for 2 1/2 years, with great curiosity and passion. There I meet different people, from different cultures, and my goal is always to find a suitable way of communication, so that all prerequisites are met, so that the patients feel well taken care of, and when they are ready, can open up.
What are intercultural competencies of a consultant? They “are the skills that enable a person to act independently, culturally sensitive and effectively in a cultural overlap situation”. I can tolerate uncertainty and experience foreignness in a different way. I can accept and appreciate the ‘other’ culturally and socially without giving up my own identity. I can empathise, listen and ask questions (even if there are sometimes language difficulties) and so, together, we can build a trusting relationship that allows personal resources to be identified in solving problems. The ultimate goal of a counselling process is personal development through acquiring, stimulating and practicing skills and discovering one’s own resources in problem solving. The quality of the relationship that develops between the person seeking counselling and the counsellor is a significant part of the success of counselling. The goals are autonomy, orientation and personal responsibility in a process of personal growth leading to the attainment of these skills. Counselling should be geared towards helping those who seek it to achieve autonomous and satisfying outcomes. Therefore, the personality of counsellors and their impact is essential to the human encounter in counselling.