c2gether Podcast

Elizabeth speaks with human rights lawyer and counselor, An Cuypers, about the overlap between professional identity and well-being. She describes ways that changes to a professional role impact identity and well-being outside of work, particularly for international people living in Switzerland. She lends her experience working in human rights but retraining as a therapist in order to support othe...

Elizabeth chats with therapist Fatou Diallo Roost, a Certified Paediatric Autism Communication therapist, who describes how PACT helps parents connect and communicate with their children. She explores the ways that she can help parents see what works and build on their strengths, in a parenting landscape that otherwise feels overwhelming. Fatou defines how attachment theory provides a base for thi...

Coach and trainer, Gizem Gökçimen, talks with Elizabeth about the simple but meaningful ways that employers can thoughtfully welcome the humanity of all their employees and implement reasonable adjustments for neurodivergent workers. She describes simple but effective examples of how personalized plans that account for the person, their role and the needs of the organization can reduce stress and...

Elizabeth speaks with psychosocial counselor and Support Services Coordinator at Cancer Support Switzerland, Smita Singh, about her work in counseling and supporting people affected by cancer. She discusses the various free services available, as well as what she has learned about the complex but human journey of navigating cancer, including grief, death and community. For more information about C...

Elizabeth speaks with AuDHD community member Agata, who discusses how their process of unmasking autism was initiated and how it progressed over the past three years. The complexities of this undertaking are explored, including the tenuous balance between safety (emotional, financial, professional, etc) and freedom. The implications of masking for mental health are outlined and taking a first step...

Elizabeth talks with her colleague, Anca Siminea, a psychologist specializing in diagnostic assessment and trauma . She discusses how the process of assessment and the diagnosis impact the way that clients think about themselves and understand their struggles and strengths. Anca describes the symbiotic relationship between assessment and treatment, particularly for working therapeutically with neu...

Elizabeth speaks with driving instructor and driving expert, Stefan Plüss, about how his industry is an example of how simple relationship-based adaptations and accommodations can improve road safety and mental health. He describes the vision that he has for industy standards based on meeting the needs of all driving students, including neurodivergent students or those with driving anxiety. Stefan...

Elizabeth chats with fellow mental health advocate, Martin Coul, about ways to get men to "cross the threshold" to take care of themselves and to join evolving conversations related to masculinity, cancer and suicide. He reflects on the recent Movember events he organized across Switzerland and the ways that he cares well for himself in spite of the frustration of fighting against continued mental...

Samantha Ayers chats with Elizabeth about what she does as a neurodiversity coach and how her work differs from therapy or counseling. She describes the ways that clients connect to strengths and resources to deal with everyday challenges, and ultimately, learn to accept (and even celebrate) their unique wiring. To learn more about Sam and her way of working as a coach, you can check out her websi...

Susan Mackay talks with Elizabeth about her experience with "career crash" and burnout, and describes the ways that she recovered by connecting with meaning and value in her new career as a coach. Susan describes how she learned that failure was an opportunity for growth, and that allowing herself to receive support from her "Thunderbirds" changed her perspective on the importa...

Chantal San Miguel joins Elizabeth to discuss her journey towards accepting her brain's unique wiring, and how she helps others- especially mothers- to learn how to connect with their most authentic self. Chantal describes how she works as a neurodiversity coach and the ways that coaching can help people to process a diagnosis of ADHD or autism. As part of the Neurodiversity Support Network of...

Elizabeth talks with Shelly Sharon, a trauma-informed Hakomi therapist with a specialization in the Mother Wound. Shelly describes what the Mother Wound is, and how it can affect people's decisions, relationships, and beliefs about themselves and the world. They talk about the power in understanding and working on the Mother Wound in therapy, and how these themes can resonate through generatio...

Elizabeth speaks with Bindu O. Fernandes about the Heart2Heart english support hotline. She shares her experience working with the organization and the possible usefulness of the service for english-speakers looking for support during tough and lonely times. Bindu notes that Switzerland can be a lonely place for migrants and this phone line is one way to feel connected to others. You can learn mor...

Elizabeth and Zurich-based counselor Krish Phua discuss the complex interplay between sexuality and mental health. Their conversation explores how well-being can be benefitted from self-awareness, confidence and intimacy that grows in the realm of embracing and exploring one's sexuality. Krish suggests that working with clients can be enhanced by inviting them to discuss their sexual lives and...

The decision to separate or divorce is a huge point of stress for many immigrants, and a stressor that often shows up in the therapy room. The lack of familiarity with the legal system can be one of many barriers to taking the next step to leaving a relationship that is no longer working. Our interview with Frau Sabine Renker reveals important information about common areas of confusion and about...

Elizabeth discusses the inspiration for the Neurodiversity Support Network of Switzerland with the co-founder, Rachael Camp. Nsns strives to connect clients with better support options for understanding and navigating the particular challenges a neurodivergent person might encounter working and living in Switzerland. For more information, you can check out the nsns website: https://nsns.ch/about/...

Elizabeth speaks with coach Tessa Richter about her personal journey to understand the relationship between her high creativity and neurodivergence. She reflects on the ways in which creativity is commonly misunderstood and how the potential inherent to connecting actively to creativity can be better accessed. Tessa sees neurodivergent traits as an expression of our intrinsic human genius and that...

Elizabeth is joined by artist and therapist, Cristina Szemere, who describes a novel intervention for increasing acceptance of somatic experiences. She describes how externalising traumatic or painful events onto paper can make the experiences easier to process, and can be a way to honour the resilience of the human condition while creating a sense of being witnessed. Cristina explores how Somatic...

Former HR professional Karina Schneider talks with Elizabeth about how her experiences shaped her work as a re-integration specialist for clients returning to work after a prolonged mental health absence. Her work is informed by compassion, strategy, and practical expertise and is grounded in her value to make the working world a more mentally-friendly place. For more information about the work th...

There is a growing emphasis on the power of complementary body work to help people access and process emotional experiences. Psychologists are beginning to encourage clients to move beyond simply understanding and relating to their experience and into feeling their experience. As part of digging deeper into the potential of body work, Elizabeth speaks with Nadya Seeberger, a Breath Work facilitato...

Elizabeth speaks with her colleague, Laura Wadhwa, about her research on blended families. Laura shares some ways to talk to kids about the changes to the family constellation, and how to give space for kids to discuss and share whatever feelings they have. The importance of validating their reactions to avoid the destructive effect of shame is described. For more information, Laura recommends the...

Elizabeth interviews her own father, Richard Wack, about his ADHD history. He reflects on the ways that it affected his relationship with his peers, family and himself. Despite having a successful legal career, he shares how undiagnosed ADHD affected his anxiety and addiction. He shares feedback that might be helpful to others who are discovering the ways that their brains work at a later age. You...

Many of us no longer live in the same community as our parents. Often we live oceans away. This conversation is dedicated to discussing a topic that brings up many emotions and involves many complicated variables but in the end, is the most human of experiences to have. For a recommended article that touches on some of these themes, we could recommend starting here: https://www.oprahdaily.com/life...

Patricia and Elizabeth discuss the particularities of the process of applying for foreign training to be recognized in Switzerland to practice as a psychologist or psychotherapist. We talk about the important things to know, the differences between the BAG, PsyKo and FSP, and the pros-cons of working as a psychologist vs. a psychotherapist. We get lots of questions about this from mental health cl...

Elizabeth talks with Patricia about the importance of grief and grieving, and the particular ways it may impact people living away from their home countries and cultures. The collective experience of grief from the period of Covid is also discussed. Ways to navigate the experience of grief within yourself and with others were explored.  To find more information on the topic and additional res...