About me
Welcome! My name is Michael Köster and i have the goal to provide a competent and professional psychological counseling service. Confidentiality, professionalism and individual valuation are the guiding values on which I base my work.
With a master's degree in clinical psychology and several years of experience in various clinics, i aim to help you solving problems, getting through hard times, as well as developing and fullfilling yourself.
Here is what i can help with.
Grewen up in Portugal, I speak fluent German, Portuguese and English. I also offer my work in these languages.
What do I offer?
Individual sessions:
Confidential one-on-one sessions, where the counseling focuses on your individual needs and challenges. A safe space is provided for self-reflection, emotional relief and the development of coping strategies. The goal could be to manage emotional stress, clarify identity conflicts and personal values, or to promote positive change.
Counseling for relatives:
Joint session with people close to you, where difficult situations such as social problems, illnesses or conflicts are in the foreground. The goal is to find a common understanding for the needs of each individual, to activate resources to overcome challenges and to support constructive change.
Couples counseling:
Support for couples, who are facing challenges or want to make their relationship more fulfilling. My goal here is to provide a safe environment where you and your partner can talk openly about your thoughts and feelings. By identifying communication patterns, clarifying misunderstandings, and developing shared goals, counseling can help strengthen relationships and find constructive solutions to conflicts.
If your well-being is disturbed or psychological advice is needed. If you find yourself in a difficult situation due to life circumstances and need help. If you are not satisfied with yourself and want to change something.
Like this figure, we can sometimes feel enveloped and helpless by the complexities of life. An external perspective can help you find the “end of the rope” and untangle the web of challenges.
Here are concerns that I offer my help with:
- Dealing with difficult life situations (as job problems, losses or illness)
- Goal confusion and undecisiveness
- Dealing with stressful feelings (as fear, sadness, stress, anger or emptiness)
- Loss of motivation or concentration issues
- Sleep related problems
- Loneliness
- Conflicts and dependencies
- Bullying and violence exposition
- Sexual difficulties and relationship problems
- Goal-accomplishment and self-fulfillment
How do I work?
I work with evidence-based methods, predominantly from the Behavioral Therapies, in particular the ACT (Acceptance-Commitment-Therapy) and CBT (Cognitive-Behavioural-Therapy). My practice also incorporates elements from Systemics, Humanistics and Psychodynamic approaches.
What happens in the sessions?
In our initial session, we focus on understanding deeply your situation and needs, creating a secure and confidential space for you to open up - an experience which often is already accompanied by a positive impact.
Following this, we systematically define the problem and determine the most effective approach to guide you towards a resolution. Sometimes a single session can be sufficient, other times multiple sessions or longer-term support may be desired. The choice is entirely flexible, according to your individual needs.
In subsequent sessions, our focus evolves into a more structured exploration of the identified problem. Together, we work collaboratively to unravel its layers, helping you through a process of developing insights and problem-solving strategies. This phase is usually characterized by a dynamic interchange, where we adapt our approach based on your responses and progress, following evidence-based methods and techniques.
Towards the end of the counseling, we want to consolidate the progress made, as well as reflect on achievements and the effectiveness of the strategies implemented. The goal is ensuring you feel self-efficient with your own resources, as well as the insights and strategies gained during our sessions, to face future challenges with resilience and confidence.
Guiding Values
I base my work on three central guidelines.
Confidentiality:
Absolute confidentiality is the most important condition. Having the security that what is said in the sessions, will not leak out. Since I am not tied to health insurance companies, I do not have to and may not provide any information to them, nor to other specialists, authorities or, most of all, outsiders. The only exception: an acute risk of harm to yourself or others. The client can decide for himself whether he would like an informative report at the end of the counseling period. If requested, i can even avoid taking handwritten notes during the sessions. The most important is: what is said in the room, stays in the room.
Professionalism:
Providing transparency on my qualifications and limitations. Explaining the methods i use and providing information about their scientific basis. Not carrying out careless actions, as hasty conclusions, judgments or even behavioral recommendations. Not imposing personal values or beliefs on others. If the professional relationship is impaired too much or there is a lack of knowledge on a certain topic, informing the client and, if necessary, recommending a suitable specialist. Overall, maintaining a neutral and professional attitude.
Valuation:
A fundamentally valuing attitude towards the client's ability to think, feel and act. With the psychologist serving as support in reflecting wishes, goals and possibilities, cooperating with the client and his knowledge, towards a more desired form of him/herself. This also includes respecting personal views, beliefs and identity. Overall, my goal is to let you feel comfortable and give you the opportunity to express yourself freely, in a safe and judgement free environment.
What I can't help with
Diagnosis of mental illness
Treatment of diagnosed mental illness (these may only be accompanied in an assistant way - see Psychological Counseling)
Writing formal reports
Medical intervention
If I find that I cannot help with a problem, I will inform you immediately, advise you on further support and, if necessary, refer you to a suitable specialist.
Professional
Work in several specialised clinics:
Tipi gGmbH Langenfeld (Psychological Counseling of young adults)
BDH Klinik Vallendar (Neuropsychology)
LVR Klinik Langenfeld (Geriatric Psychiatry)
Rehaparks Steinhof (Erkrath) - Psychological Counseling in the Rehab
Hospital de São João do Porto - Portugal (General Psychiatry)
Academic
Master of Science in Clinical Psychology (University of Beira Interior - Portugal)
Bachelor of Science in Psychology (University of Beira Interior - Portugal)
Several formations on topics as:
Crisis intervention
Sleep disorders
Neuropsychology
HRM
Communication and leadership Internal team (Schulz von Thun)
Schema Therapy (Jeffrey Young)
Full member of the BDP (Berufsverband Deutscher Psychologinnen und Psychologen e.V.) - Professional Association of German Psychologists
Personal
I am often described as a calm person with an easygoing demeanor. Through my diverse childhood in different countries, I learned how different and similar people can be at the same time. Respect and appreciation of personal differences, as well as a fundamental curiosity for new things and different perspectives, are certainly qualities that help me being thrilled about the field of psychology and to carry out my work with competence and enthusiasm.
Regular Session (50 minutes): 70 euros
Couples/Family counseling (70 minutes): 95 euros
Longer session (90 minutes): 120 euros
Self-payers only, costs cannot be covered by health insurance.
There will also be vagues available for a lower price. For students, apprentices, trainees. Also if you have further financial struggles, feel free to ask me about this possibility.
What is psychological counseling?
It is important to answer “what is psychological counseling?”, to know whether my services would be right for you. Confusions with psychotherapy are particularly common, which is why they are addressed separately here.
- Activity to solve and overcome personal and social problems, as well as to support personal development.
- No medicine, not covered by health insurance.
- Advice and help is aimed at clients who are seen as mentally healthy people. With specific life problems, instead of diagnoses.
- Techniques often overlap with those used in psychotherapy. It depends quite a lot on the consultant, which methods are used. Here is how i work.
- Job Title Psychological Counselor: an unprotected job title in Germany. Qualifications can vary greatly.
- Activity to identify, cure or alleviate mental disorders.
- Medicine, often covered by health insurance.
- In general, a clinical diagnosis is needed for psychotherapy (prerequisite for reimbursement by a health insurance company).
- Techniques vary, but are mostly assigned to Behavioral Therapies, Psychodynamic, Psychoanalytic or Systemic procedures
- Job Title Psychotherapist: 3 years of training after studying psychology or medicine is required to be a licensed psychotherapist. Alternatively, psychotherapy can also be practiced under the alternative practitioner license
Psychological Counselor is a non-protectet job-title in Germany.
This means that, in principle, anyone could call themselves a psychological counselor.
This makes it all the more important to take a good look at the profile of the individual consultants and decide what skills, qualifications or special knowledge they can offer. There is also the question of “the right” person, method and approach for each individual. A good (professional) relationship between professional and client is essential in both counseling and therapy.
Psychological Counseling as a licensed Psychologist
The Psychologist is a protected professional title, but not a specific service. It is not possible to offer “psychology” as a service independently. What i offer, as a licensed Psychologist, is Psychological Counseling, but no psychotherapy.
This decision is based on the desire to carry out my work in an independent and client-centered approach, which focuses on practical support and counseling, helping rather with specific life situations than offering a treatment for clinical diagnoses.
Location
The premises are located in the Sina Klein practice. Centrally located in Düsseldorf, easily accessible by public transport or vehicle.
For people with limited mobility: there is an elevator, after which there are 3 steps.
Karl-Rudolf Straße 176, 40215 Düsseldorf
Contact
Get in touch!
017673291779
+4917673291779
info@michael-koester.com
Karl-Rudolf Straße 176, 40215 Düsseldorf
Email or Whatsapp message possible at any time.
Telephone consultation hours:
- Weekdays, 07:15 a.m. - 07:45 a.m
Outside these times I will call you back as soon as possible.
017673291779
+4917673291779
info@michael-koester.com
Karl-Rudolf Straße 176, 40215 Düsseldorf
Impressum
According to § 5 TMG
Psychological counseling Michael Köster Michael Köster Karl-Rudolf-Straße 176,
40215 Düsseldorf
Contact Tel. +(49)17673291779
info@michael-köster.de
Job title and professional regulations
Job title: Psychologist
Full member of the BDP (Professional Association of German Psychologists e.V.)
Technical implementation by:
Michael Köster (site operator)
EU dispute resolution In accordance with the regulation on online dispute resolution in consumer matters (ODR regulation), we would like to inform you about the online dispute resolution platform (OS platform).
Consumers have the opportunity to submit complaints to the European Commission's online dispute resolution platform at http://ec.europa.eu/odr?tid=321866122.
However, I would like to point out that we are not willing or obliged to take part in dispute resolution proceedings before a consumer arbitration board.
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Data Protection
Responsible body within the meaning of data protection laws (EU General Data Protection Regulation - GDPR):
Michael Köster Karl-Rudolf-Straße 176,
40215 Düsseldorf E-Mail: info@michael-köster.de Tel.: 017673291779
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017673291779
+4917673291779
info@michael-koester.com
Karl-Rudolf Straße 176, 40215 Düsseldorf