Borana Taraj

I am a therapist specialised in the humanistic approach of Gestalt therapy where we develop a holistic and existential approach to understanding the human being.

As a professional Gestalt-therapist, I propose my services to clients who have a desire or need to better know themselves and conduct a calmer and more fulfilled life. This is a person-centered approach where we do not focus on symptoms such as anxiety, depression, or others, but on the person as they are, in the here and now, their experiences, their capacity for change, and the meaningful emotional bonds they create with others.

« Prevention is better than cure! »

Taking care of our psychological and emotional health is a daily task: like eating, protecting ourselves from the cold or heat, washing ourselves, etc.
Often, we decide to go to therapy when there is a relational or emotional emergency and the suffering is already very (too?) big.

I invite you to work together towards the path of prevention. I will be your guidance to allow you to (re)learn to take care of your psychological and emotional health. How? By consciously choosing to make regular small steps towards a more stable personal well-being, a little each day, each week, each month etc. In Gestalt therapy, we are primarily interested in what is happening in the here and now of existence. The past, the future, fantasies, projects, etc., are of interest only insofar as what is experienced, thought, imagined, feared, etc., in the present moment is affected.

Here are some examples of issues we could explore together in a safe and therapeutic space:
Anxiety
Depression
Burnout
Grief
Insomnia
Family conflicts
Relationship and communication issues
Self-acceptance and body acceptance
Coexisting with self-doubt
Living with oneself and with others, through good and difficult days (negative thoughts, self-confidence, etc.)
Living with others in their difference, whether in terms of values, life views, personal sensitivities, etc.

Therapy: a path to live

I propose to walk with you along your existential journey for the needed time that we will agree together as therapist and client. You are the expert of your personal history, your emotions, your feelings, your body, your uniqueness.

My role will be to awaken you to better perceive your thoughts, your emotions, your feelings in order to make them conscious and bring about the desired change in your life. Our main working tool will be through conversations; silence will also be welcome in our therapeutic relationship. We will work together to find ways to open new emotional doors, to deal with painful thoughts, to normalize what may be perceived as shameful, difficult, complicated, and to new ways of seeing the world. Seeing the world differently is possible!

Here are a few examples (not exhaustive) of how we can work together in a therapeutic setting. If you have any doubts, please do not hesitate to contact me:
Knowing yourself and your uniqueness and learning to take care of yourself
Learning to co-exist with your emotional environment (family, work, friendships, love etc.)
Learning to deal with loss of meaning, anxiety, etc.
Being the actor of changes in your own life

Who am I

I have a background in International Relations and European Studies from the University of Florence. Since 2018, I decided to explore the wonderful world of human emotions, psychology and therapeutic approaches for a better well-being and global health of the person through a certified training at the Belgian Institute for Gestalt therapy in Brussels, as well as workshops and trainings in non-violent communication, ethnopsychiatry, group management, leadership, etc.
Careful to my personal story and life experiences, I have also specialised in the symbolic language of chronic illness in the body through book reading, writing, personal experimentation, as well as self-exploration workshops in meditation, women's circles, etc.