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space for meaning

Private Practice for Psychotherapy and Personal Growth
– in-person, online and via phone –

Alexander Pfannenberg (MPP Harvard)
Nonmedical Practitioner of Psychotherapy
Prenzlauer Promenade 23
13089 Berlin
alexander@sinnraum-berlin.com
0160 998 515 98


Welcome!

Are you feeling empty and powerless?
Is your current path weighing heavily upon you?
Perhaps you are unhappy and unsure why?
Are you suffering from anxiety, insecurity and self-doubt?
Does your mind feel confused or cluttered?
Do you long for a sense of meaning in your life?

In our performance-oriented society, it isn’t easy to face such feelings and existential questions. Rather than giving ourselves the time and space to explore those feelings, we tend to disapprove of ourselves: ‘What am I doing?’ ‘What’s wrong with me?’ ‘Why can’t I be happy like other people?’ Or we constantly distract ourselves with busyness or short-term pleasure. It takes courage to acknowledge that something must change. As Austrian psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl has put it: ‘In a crisis, life calls out to us, life asks us a question, and in answering this question, we realize the meaning of the present moment, a meaning that is different in each moment for every individual.’

I would be happy to support you on this path, in-person, online or via phone. Would you like to make an appointment for a first consultation? Just complete the form below, or contact me via email or phone.

I look forward to our first meeting,
Alexander Pfannenberg

Make an Appointment

Time

Format

Payment(erforderlich)

About me

I have always been fascinated with the way we think, feel and act as well as how psychological processes are connected to philosophical questions about our human existence. Part of this fascination may originate from my upbringing in a family that fled the Communist East of Germany, in which expressing emotions like sadness, grief or anger was regarded as weak, and spiritual questions were incompatible with communist ideology.

As an undergraduate student at St. Gallen University, I was fascinated by psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi’s ‘Flow Theory’, and, as part of my thesis, I developed an approach that non-profit initiative leaders could apply to create a motivating environment for their volunteers. As a McCloy Fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, I deepened my understanding of psychological processes in the realm of leadership and group dynamics.

However, it was also during this time that I was diagnosed with depression. Dealing with my own inner demons and experiencing the potential and limitations of different psychotherapeutic approaches shifted my interest to psychology at the individual level. So after graduation, I worked (among other roles) as a counsellor for unemployed youth from disadvantaged backgrounds, and I led a team that worked with college dropouts before I eventually became the division head of a public employment agency.

I then decided to follow my passion for one-on-one coaching and began training to become a nonmedical practitioner of psychotherapy. Today, I have my own practice in Berlin, and I am a member of the German Association for Free Psychotherapists.

I am also married and have four children between the ages of 9 and 14.


Principles

Individuality
You’re one-of-a-kind, and your inner life reflects the unique interplay between your values and beliefs, your predispositions, and the imprints of your biography and important life experiences. Therefore, I will tailor my approach to your individual needs.

Transparency
I will explain every step of our journey, and you will determine the pace and intensity of our interaction.

Confidentiality
Our sessions are completely confidential. I am only permitted to break confidentiality if you ask me to share information with your others (e.g., general practitioner, specialists, relatives) or if I believe you are at urgent risk of harming yourself or others and consequently must contact emergency services.

Methods

I follow an integrated approach of various psychotherapeutic methods, including:

Meaning-oriented psychotherapy (Prof. Viktor Frankl)
According to Frankl, human existence rests on three pillars: spirituality, freedom and responsibility. In Frankl’s view, the spiritual dimension is the very core of our humanness, the essence of humanity, which gives us the capacity to transcend the detrimental effects of stressful situations, illnesses and past influences. Frankl asserts that the human spirit is our healthy core. It may be blocked by biological or psychological sickness, but it will always remain intact and be the compass for change.

Cognitive therapy (Prof. Aaron T. Beck)
Cognitive therapy is based on the observation that thoughts, feelings and behaviour are all connected. Your thoughts influence how you feel and behave as well as how you react to your environment. Therefore, cognitive therapy can help you to overcome psychological difficulties by identifying and changing unhelpful, distorted thinking about yourself and others.

Mindfulness training (Prof. John Kabat-Zinn)
Inspired by Buddhist meditation, mindfulness training through breathing and other techniques aims to bring your attention to the present moment without evaluating or judging what you think, feel or experience. Mindfulness-based therapy has been shown to reduce negative mood states such as stress, anxiety and depression by increasing self-control, self-regulation and metacognitive awareness.

Imaginative therapy (Prof. Uwe Böschemeyer)
The imaginative approach by Prof. Böschemeyer brings together C. G. Jung’s analytical psychology and Prof. Frankl’s meaning-oriented approach. Mental images and journeys provide intuitive access to subconscious sources of strength, freedom and meaning as well as relief for inner wounds, conflicts and resistance.

The practice

‘Space for meaning’ is part of an international group practice (‘The Berlin Practice’)—located at Prenzlauer Promenade 23, 13086 Berlin—comprised of four therapists from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Germany.

From here, I also offer online and phone consultations.

Conditions

All sessions are paid for privately as I am not part of the German public health insurance system.

Session
50 min.

95 EUR
Session
70 min.

125 EUR
Session
90 min.

150 EUR

First Assessment Session (50 min.): 95 EUR

Cancellation policy
Please understand that appointment times are limited. If you must cancel your appointment, I respectfully request 24 hours‘ notice. Sessions cancelled between 24 and 12 hours in advance will be charged half. Later cancellations or missed appointments will result in a full charge of the session fee.