Psychotherapy services are also provided in the English language by a native speaker born and raised in California. These include individual, couple and online treatments for a range of mental health concerns and life stressors.

I have been working as a Psychotherapist for 25 years in German hospitals and private practices. Since 1986 I have had various work positions in the field of mental health in the United States and in Germany.

I did my undergraduate coursework in Psychology (B.A.) with a minor in German at the University of Oregon (1986) and completed a M.S. in Industrial and Human Resources Psychology at Northeastern University in Boston in 1991. I finished my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the Universität Tübingen in Germany in 2003. My doctoral dissertation focused on mood temperament in Cyclothymia and Bipolar Disorder. At the Universität Mainz I participated in a 4-year, post-graduate training program in Behavioral Therapy and Behavioral Medicine ("Weiterbildungsstudiengang zum Psychologischen Psychotherapeuten") which was completed in 2005. The curriculum encompassed 600+ classroom/theoretical hours and 3,000+ clinically supervised hours in a hospital, outpatient clinic and private practice. The training also involved the writing of several therapy request reports (e.g. Antrag zur Psychotherapie), therapy assessments, discharge reports and lengthy case studies. All forms of writing were carried out in the German language. I have had the good fortune to participate in CE courses/seminars in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Schema Therapy in Germany, Israel, South Africa and California.

I´ve worked as a counsellor or psychotherapist in the following institutions/facilities:

Massachusetts Mental Health Center / Harvard Medical School Facility - Boston, MA
Erich Lindemann Mental Health Center - Boston, MA
Boston University - International Admissions - Boston, MA
Northeastern University - Employee Assistance Program - Master´s Internship - Boston, MA
Las Encinas Hospital - Pasadena, CA
ASPECT / Whittier College - Los Angeles, CA
Poliklinische Institutsambulanz für Psychotherapie - Mainz, Germany
Institut für Psychologische Therapie - Wiesbaden, Germany
Psychosomatische Fachklinik St. Franziska Stift - Bad Kreuznach, Germany
Zentralinstitut für Seelische Gesundheit - Mannheim, Germany
Schwulenberatung - Berlin, Germany
Institut für Kognitive Verhaltenstherapie und Psychoedukation - Berlin, Germany
Bildungswerk in Kreuzberg - Dozent für Psychologie in der Altenpflege - Berlin, Germany

Completed CE courses in Clinical Psychology since 2006:

Psychoedukatives Verfahren in der Schizophreniebehandlung - Germany
Psychotherapeutisches Verfahren bei ethnischen Minderheiten - Germany
Therapeutische Ansätze bei HIV/AIDS Erkrankten - Germany
Stressbewaltigung im betrieblichen Milieu - Germany
Neurology and ADD - Newport Beach, CA
Medikamentöse Behandlung einer Bipolaren Störung - Germany
Schema Therapy for Borderline & Narcissistic Personality Disorders - Tel Aviv, Israel
Reduction of Aggression and Conflict Management - Los Angeles, CA
Attention Enhancement in the Therapeutic Relationship - Germany
Bipolarität im Trialog/Bipolarität und Sucht - Germany
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression - Boston, MA
Mindfulness and the Therapeutic Relationship - Los Angeles, CA
Mindfulness and Anxiety - Germany
Schematherapie bei Cluster C Persönlichkeitsstörungen - Germany
Sociopathy and the lack of a conscience - Germany
Kognitive Verhaltenstherapie bei Binge Eating - Germany
Bipolare Störungen im Kontext mit pathologischem Internet- und PC Gebrauch - Germany
Imaginationsübungen in der Schematherapie - Germany
Berliner Depressionsgespräche - Welche Wirkung hat Psychotherapie im Gehirn? - Germany
Impulse Control Disorders - Trichotillomania, Kleptomania, Pathological Gambling and Problematic

Internet Use - Pasadena, CA

Mindfulness and Self-Compassion - Los Angeles, CA
Mindfulness and Psychotherapy - Cultivating the Psychotherapist - Los Angeles, CA
Clinical Significance of Introversion as a Vehicle within a World of Extroverts - Los Angeles, CA
Zwangsmaßnahmen in einer deutschen Psychiatrie - Germany
HIV im Dialog-HIV Therapie und Selbstmedikation und Sexuelle Gesundheit und HIV bei Trans

 Menschen - Germany

Personalisierte Stressmedizin - Depression ist mehr als nur eine psychische Störung - Germany
Personalisierte Stressdiagnostik für die Praxis - Germany
Towards Relationship Intelligence - Cape Town/Kaapstad, South Africa
Cognitive Behavioral Treatment of Perfectionism - Los Angeles, CA
18. Jahrestagung der Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychotherapie und Psychosomatik -

Universitätsklinikum Dresden - "Die Zangen des Lebens - Zwang und Zwanghaftigkeit"

* Effective strategies in the treatment of maternal depression - Cape Town / Kaapstad, South Africa

* Training for the Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale (SIGMA) - Berlin/New York, N.Y.

* Schematherapie bei Patienten mit aggressivem Verhalten - Berlin

* 17. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Bipolare Störungen - München

 Neue Entwicklungen bei psychiatrischen Hilfen

Reha und ambulante Versorgung

Nichtmedikamentöse behandlung Bipolarer Störungen

Innovative Diagnostik und Therapie Bipolarer Störungen im Forschungsverbund BipoLife

* Anti-NMDA Receptor Autoimmune Encephalitis and its psychiatric issues - Los Angeles, CA

* Cyberchondriasis and Health Anxiety - Berlin

* Neuroplacticity of the Brain - Berlin

* Die Neurologie der Psychopathie - Berlin

* Alkohol, Kokain & Sucht - Stuttgart (Betty Ford Klinik)

* Relational Mindfulness - UCLA / Los Angeles, CA

* Umgang mit Shoah und Trauma Überlebenden - Berlin

* Psychotherapie suizidaler PatientInnen - Berlin

* Extreme Narcissism - Berlin

* Sexualität und Persönlichkeitsstörungen - Freie Universität Berlin

* Treating People with Hoarding Disorder - Berlin

* CBT Strategies for Insomnia - Berlin

* Traumafokus - Berlin

* Mindfulness and Modification Therapy for Dysregulated Behaviour - Online course

* Self-Actualization in Humanistic Psychology - Online course

* Compassion Focused Therapy - Online course

* Assessing and Treating OCD & Anxiety Disorders - APA Webinar McLean Hospital, Belmont, Mass

* Sleep Disorders - Webinar through the Harvard Medical School

* Esketamine for the treatment of depression - Webinar through the White House Office of Science and Technology/ NIMH

* Webinar - Mainzer Leibniz-Institut für Resilienzforschung, "Das seelische Gleichgewicht in

Krisenzeiten"

* Selbsterfahrung für Psychotherapeuten - Rostock

* Cannabis Treatment - APA online course

* Artificial Intelligence in Psychotherapy? APA online course

* Leitliniengerechte Interventionen bei leichten kognitiven Beeinträchtigungen - Uni-Düsseldorf

Member of the following organisations:

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Verhaltenstherapie (DGVT)
Berufsverband Deutscher Psychologen (BDP)
American Psychological Association (APA)
International Employee Assistance Professionals Association
bipolaris - Manie & Depression Selbsthilfevereinigung Berlin - Brandenburg
Who is Who in der Bundessrepublik Deutschland

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), is a comprehensive and internationally acclaimed form of psychotherapy, continuously enhanced by scientific research at universities and clinical facilities. CBT closely examines the existence of automatic and irrational cognitions (thoughts) which cause or lead to unpleasant feelings and emotions, resulting in dysfunctional forms of behavior. The objective of CBT is to therefore structurally replace irrational and/or catastrophic thoughts with more positive ones. This allows the individual in therapy to better develop more effective coping skills in overcoming complex and challenging issues, e.g. speaking in front of a group of people, a fear of flying, asserting one´s rights/needs, depression and sleeping disorders.

CBT operates in the following manner:

The first, 5 sessions focus on the needs and concerns of the individual. A therapeutic relationship (can we work with each other?) is usually formed during this stage of the therapy
A diagnostic procedure incorporating interviews, questionnaire forms and standardized tests
A thorough discussion of therapeutic goals and a workable treatment plan
Carrying out the therapy in 15 sessions or less. Extra sessions can be scheduled if necessary.

Schema Therapy, developed by a Clinical Psychologist from New York (Dr. Jeffrey Young) incorporates a variety of approaches (cognitive, behavioral, experimental and interpersonal/object relations), to better address the psychological and behavioral issues hampering the full development of an individual. Schema Therapy concerns itself with life long patterns, early life experiences and the development of maladaptive schemas ("considered a form of a self-defeating pattern which tends to appear many times during the course of life if certain emotional needs aren´t addressed and fulfilled"). Young believes individuals with more current, complex problems have one or more early maladaptive schemas which makes them more vulnerable to emotional disorders. According to Young an early maladaptive schema is "a broad pervasive theme or pattern regarding oneself and one´s relationship with others, developed during childhood and elaborated throughout one´s lifetime, and dysfunctional to a significant degree." In other words, early maladaptive schema originate through early childhood experiences, the innate temperament of the child and immediate cultural influences. Schemata are therefore valid representations of early childhood experiences, and serve as templates for processing and defining later behaviors, thoughts, feelings and relationships with others. Schemata are generally enduring, resistant to change and can only be minimized through adequate therapy.

The following serve as the main objectives of Schema Therapy:

The identification of early maladaptive schema and their role in perpetuating an individual´s current problem and how it unfolds in daily life
Replacing dysfunctional thoughts with more positive thoughts to better reduce negative schemata
The identification of negative coping styles and responses
Learning how to establish a healthy life pattern which creates adaptive thinking, healthy emotions and empowering individuals to fulfill their own unmet needs in daily life

Comprehensive Psychotherapyin my practice focuses on the following problem-related areas:

Affective Disorders (Depression, Mania and Bipolar Disorder)

Anxiety Disorders

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) - Diagnostic testing and therapy

Burnout

Fear of Flying

Male Sexuality Issues

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Personality Disorders

Problematic Internet Use

Psychosomatic Disorders

Schizophrenia and Delusional Thinking

Sleeping Disorders

Social Phobia and Other Phobic Disorders

Therapy for Relationships

Trauma-Related Experiences

A very nice accompaniment to the therapeutic process involves the implementation of MINDFULNESS. Mindfulness allows us to concentrate on the here and now, using techniques such as breathing and identifying troublesome thoughts. We therefore become more aware of our thoughts and feelings, so that instead of being overwhelmed by them, we confront them with greater ease and mastery. By focusing more on the present, i.e. what´s happening now, we can create a more robust sense of self-awareness eliminating the necessity of worrying about things to come. Mindfulness teaches us to more effectively confront our negative thoughts rather than turning away from them or trying to avoid them. When we show a greater willingness to accept all current thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations, we have a optimal chance to create more positive choices in our lives. Mindfulness has not only proven to help with stress, anxiety, and depression, it allows us to become more aware of those around us and our impact on them (good or bad). Mindfulness will be introduced to you during your therapy experience. If this proves to be a subject area which you don´t wish to explore, then it will be of course discontinued. If you wish to learn more about mindfulness we will gladly provide you with exercises and reading references.

FaceTime and Zoom are available for those individuals who do not live in Berlin or are travelling and wish to discuss issues with me online. Both have proven to be a reliable and secure vehicle for communication when live, face-to-face contact can´t take place.

Publications / Interviews

Pheasant, Brian (2015): "Is Berlin burning out?" Berlin: Betti Hunter, Exberliner Magazine Interview

http://exberliner.bigcartel.com/product/exberliner-issue-138-may-2015

Pheasant, Brian (2016): Body & Soul Interview, Siegessäule Kompass, Sommer / Herbst 2016

Hautzinger, M., Meyer, T.D. and Pheasant, B.L.: Cyclothymic but not Depressive Temperament influences the Mood of Another Person in Social Interactions. In: Kaschka (ed): Perspectives in Affective Disorders - Advanced Biological Psychiatry. Basel: Karger (2002), (vol 21), 1-10.

In progess.... A Case Study Approach to Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder implementing CBT. Dr. Brian L. Pheasant

Fees for Psychotherapy

Self-pay and/or private insurance allows the individual to participate in an initial consultation within five to seven days after making contact with me. After the first meeting, psychotherapy can begin immediately without having to wait for an extended period of time. The fees for psychotherapy are as follows:

Initial consultation - 85€ at 50 minutes Individual therapy - 110€ at 50 minutes

Initial consultation for couples therapy - 110€ at 50 minutes Couples Therapy - 130€ at 50 minutes

ADHD Testing - 170€ for a 60 minute session

My payment scheme for individual, cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy is based upon the official German "Gebührenordnung für Psychotherapeuten*innen (GOP). Fees for couples therapy and ADHD testing are not covered by the public or private insurance in Germany. Therapy costs in Germany are potentially tax deductible according to §33 EstG. "außergewöhnliche Belastungen allgemeiner Art."

I do billing with several North American and international insurance companies such as Cigna, ALC, aetna, International Medical Group, IntegraGlobal, Blue Cross/Blue Shields, MetLife, Anthem and United Health. I also do billing with some ex-pat and international travel insurance companies. Please consult with me for further details!