Joelle Kilimnik

Psychotherapist trained in Gestalt therapy, with a bachelor's and an agrégation in Linguistics (ULB), I practice in an institution (since 2012) and privately (since 2010).

For 10 years, alongside my private practice, I worked with families in difficulty and led therapeutic groups in a center for the prevention and management of violence and intrafamilial conflicts. The particularity of this work is to consider collaborations with a wide network (doctors, psychiatrists, social workers, family planning services, mental health centers, SOS Enfants, the Youth Assistance Service SAJ, schools, Psychomedical Social Center CPMS, etc.). This wide network of colleagues is a support both for thinking and for relaying.

I like to think of psychotherapy in the social and transgenerational field, embedded in a broader history than that of an individual. I approach therapeutic work by focusing on a global vision of the human being: somatic, physical, affective, emotional, relational, cognitive, and spiritual.

Working in co-therapy within a multidisciplinary team, particularly with systemic therapists, and the gestalt therapy approach have sharpened my ability to place “the problem” within a system, to identify its ins and outs—in other words, to find my bearings in a situation.

I am also trained in therapy using the genogram, narrative therapy (through the use of tales), therapy with children, sandplay therapy, and interventions regarding bullying among young people.

My approach as a psychotherapist is also nourished by my other experiences (over 20 years of practice in Qi Qong/Tai Chi Chuan, and my interest in creative expression in all its artistic forms). Driven by a deep curiosity about human beings, I seek to support you as accurately as possible in finding adjustments that will allow you, if not to resolve the issues that bring you to consult, at least to shift them, to experience them differently, to give them meaning; in short, to live a change.

I see my work as setting back in motion what has been blocked, slowed down, or frozen. By fully engaging in the therapeutic relationship, I walk this path with you. This work begins with an analysis of your request, which will help us find our bearings throughout the therapy.

I receive patients in Etterbeek, near the Cinquantenaire, for individual sessions with adults and children (from 6 years old). I offer sessions in English and French. I also meet with parents for parental guidance.

For example, here are some of the themes (for adults) that I often work on:

 

Relationship problems in intimate or professional spheres;

 

Sexuality;

 

Burnout, exhaustion syndrome, loss of desire, abuse, violence, harassment, etc.;

 

Depressive feelings;

 

Feelings of loneliness, anxiety, insecurity, guilt, shame;

 

Self-esteem;

 

Situations of separation, conflicts, grief, dependency, addictions, stress, somatization, anxiety;

 

Bipolar disorder, OCD, dissociation, post-traumatic experiences, eating disorders.

For children, the work is often initiated by the parents or by the CPMS (the school) in relation to difficulties the child is experiencing during a parental separation, the death of a loved one, or challenges in the school environment. With the sand tray, I have found a tool particularly well suited to children who, depending on their age and personality, will not all have the same access to verbally expressing “what’s wrong.”

Working with sand, modeling clay, and drawing are all resources that help us find, together with the child, a more comfortable, more fluid, more harmonious experience. This work is carried out in close collaboration with the parents, who make up the child’s immediate environment and, as such, are the privileged witnesses of any changes.

As a supervisor, I support anyone working in the field of helping relationships. As a trainer, I lead training courses at the Belgian Institute of Gestalt Therapy for future psychotherapists.