Welcome
Person-centered individual therapy
When to consult?
You are in an acute crisis,
or you feel an unease that seems to have been part of your life already for a long time?
You have a diagnosis - or not?
You feel stressed, sad, angry, anxious, desperate, guilty?
You have low self-esteem?
You have the feeling that you
are not how you should be,
how you would like to be,
that your life is not what
it should be?
I have not found the right words to describe your unease?
I would be very interested
in you describing it to me
in your own words.
What to expect?
I offer you a safe environment
that allows you to look at
what prevents you from
finding the way of life you want.
You talk to me about
your experience, your difficulties.
What is going on?
How is that for you?
You will find yourself
listened to, accompanied, understood, received, accepted without judgment.
The experience in the therapeutic relationship was described by one of my clients as "It's at the same time
a pillar that gives me strength
and a pillow to sink into to rest".
*Specials thanks to my clients who kindly
allowed me to use their words.
Outcome?
Therapy allows you to overcome difficulties, to experience more
well-being, to enjoy life more.
My clients* report for example
a feeling of being
more present for themselves,
more in tune with themselves,
reduced somatic pain,
or feeling more relaxed.
Often this results in a greater
ease in relationships.
And you will never encounter difficulties again? Of course you will. But you will be able to manage them
in a much more satisfactory way.
Person centred couples therapy
When to consult?
When the discussions go in circles. When you are not talking any more. When the discussion gets heated. When the tone gets cold. When your relationship seems stuck. When your relationship seems to be falling apart. When you can’t seem to understand each other.
What to expect?
I offer you a safe environment in which each person is listened to, accompanied, understood, received, and accepted without judgment by the therapist. This happens in the presence of your partner.
You would both be present at each session. I wouldn't see any one of you individually.
Outcome?
Person centred couples therapy aims at facilitating two people to hear and understand each other. Active listening and empathic understanding of each partner supports each person in understanding and valuing the other’s experience.
About me
My journey has not always been straightforward. After a business degree, I started studying psychology. I quit the studies after two years to start a family. However, I remained interested in psychology.
Later I completed a four-year course in body oriented integrative energy therapy, followed by a three-year course in psychological and spiritual professional development. These courses have influenced and enriched me. Even so, I did not find my vocation there either.
Around the age of fifty, I went back to university and in 2017 obtained
a Master in Psychology from the University of Geneva. I graduated one year before becoming a grandmother. Studying psychology as a science was inspiring and exciting but, you probably guessed it, it still wasn't quite what I was looking for.
It was only in my postgraduate training in person-centered psychotherapy that I found my professional home. This approach responds in a balanced way to my intellectual expectations, my experience, my feelings. Things finally fell into place. It is this form of psychological counselling that I offer you, so that you, too, can live what is right for you.
I have therapeutic experience with adults from a young to a very old age,
from individuals with high levels of functioning to patients who have partly lost their autonomy.
For more than 10 years I have also been a volunteer,
accompanying elderly people.
I offer consultations in German (my mother tongue), English (the language I speak with my husband) and French (the language in which I work successfully, but I ask my French-speaking clients for forgiveness for the spoken version).
Maike Ratkaj
Psychologist, Psychotherapist
Deontology
In France the profession of psychologist is regulated.
My diploma is recognized by the French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation.
In accordance with the law, I am registered in the ADELI directory of the professions
Psychologist, Psychotherapist under the identifier 019308758.
A code of ethics serves as a guide for psychologists,
of which the general prinicples are briefly explained below:
Psychologists respect the dignity and rights of the person and guarantee confidentiality. They use methods for which they are qualified and maintain a high standard of qualification. They have a professional responsibility for their actions. Psychologists seek to promote respect, accuracy, honesty, and truthfulness in the practice of psychology.
As a member of the French Federation of Psychologists and Psychology (FFPP) and the Swiss Society for the Person-Centered Approach (pcaSuisse), I abide by their codes of ethics.
Code of ethics of psychologists-F
Code of ethics of psychologists-CH
The person-centered approach
The person-centered approach has been developed by the American psychologist Carl R. Rogers.
Based on a humanist tradition this approach assumes that every person has inherent tendencies for growth and fulfilment. Under the right conditions people become who they really are.
Unfavorable circumstances can stop or distort this development.
A climate of acceptance and empathy in the person-centered psychological practice enables clients to resume their inner growth.
In a safe environment the respectful and benevolent attitude of the psychologist invites clients to develop at their own rhythm, to overcome their difficulties, and to become a more satisfied person.
Being accepted leads to self-acceptance.
Being understood leads to self-understanding
and a new self-image.
Practical details
Maike Ratkaj
Psychologist / Psychotherapist
13 B chemin du Levant
01210 Ferney-Voltaire
Ground floor of the "JB Say" building
Public parking available
TPG bus 60 or 61 stop "Ferney, Centre"
or bus "66" stop "Ferney-Levant"
By appointment only
1 session = 1 hour
Rate: 80, - € / individual session
90,- € / couples session
110,- € / session reimbursed by private insurance
If you need to re-schedule or cancel pour appointment, please notify me 48 hours in advance. Otherwise the full rate of the session has to be charged.
Thank you for your understanding.