Advisory
Education & Experience
I’ve been fascinated with philosophy and human behavior for as far back as I can remember. I hold a bachelor's degree in Psychology and German Studies as well as a Masters in Business Administration from accredited US-American and German Universities.
My undergraduate studies focused on the neuro-biology of psychological resilience and my graduate thesis focused on the decision making processes where I explored the role of effectuation and behavioral economics on how we make decisions under uncertainty.
I worked for two years in the printed media industry in Soho, New York where I helped to coordinate projects for prominent clients. I then had a brief stint in finance at the largest term-life insurance providers in the country where I served dozens of families and individuals to help them achieve their financial goals. It was here I first learned about how to build and manage wealth.
In 2015 I founded and managed a marketing collective which I ran out of my mothers’ apartment in Queens - my first entrepreneurial venture at 26 years old. I moved to Germany in 2017 to pursue graduate studies and returned to a small and quiet but beautiful historic city where I thought I could make something of myself. Thankfully I was right.
During my graduate studies, I worked as a business researcher at a venture capital firm and then as a market researcher and business development strategist at one of their start ups.
Presently, I am employed at an international university where I am responsible for the psycho-social well-being of the students by supporting their integration in Germany and coordinating activities to foster community, resilience, and fun.
I’m a ravenous reader, chronic writer, and amateur cook. When weather permits you will find me hiking and climbing like a mountain goat.
Ethical Frameworks
By working with me you will see that radical transparency is a core value of mine. In order to work together toward achieving a common goal, we need to agree on a baseline or series of common values.
Various psychological and counseling organizations have set out guidelines for how they work with their clients. While I am not a therapist and our transaction is not therapeutic, psychology will play a large role in a lot of what we do.
This and my enormous respect for the field means that I work within the framework provided by the British Association for Counseling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and the Code of Ethics set out by the International Association for Analytical Psychology (IAAP).
I also subscribe to the Code of Conduct for Consultants as laid out by the European Innovation Council (EIC) as it relates to my consulting and business transactions.
Nature of the Relationship
If we agree to work together, the agreement is that of service provider to client. For German tax purposes, the official classification used for the kind of services falls under "Free-lance Service Provider." For our own purposes, we may refer to our working relationship as that of "counselor" or "coach" and client, though I will frequently use the word "curator".
Outcome Disclaimer
It cannot be emphasized enough that you will get what you are prepared to put into our sessions. We both have the responsibility to show up fully and completely ready to tackle the work. In my experience it is better to show up even when you are not ‘feeling it’ but in extreme cases, it is better to reschedule the session than cancel it altogether.
While I cannot promise you precise outcomes due to the nature of the work, I can promise that you will have my undivided attention during our sessions and can count on having me as an ally on your journey. At any time in our professional relationship, you may communicate any feedback you have about the service.
Approach Disclaimer
I am trained in the scientific method and while most of our work will employ tools and techniques developed using empirical quantitative and qualitative methodologies; I will at times encourage us to explore experimental methods.
Hypothesis testing along with trial and error are themselves hallmarks of the scientific method. Since this is a co-creative process, you are also encouraged to bring any techniques which will help you achieve your goals more effectively and we will try them out together.
Non-Emergency Services
All of my services are non-emergency and on an appointment basis. If I believe your needs are above my competence level or require attention by a licensed therapist or medical professional, I am ethically obligated to terminate our contract and or refer you to them.
If an emergency arises during one of our sessions, I will support you within my capacity until you find a licensed therapist or medical professional but you are solely responsible for any fees incurred during that period.
Limitation of Liability
I take responsibility for everything I say and do but only you are solely responsible for any and all actions undertaken by you as a result of our work together. By entering into work with me, you accept this responsibility.
Privacy & Confidentiality
Aligning with the code of ethics and ethical framework mentioned, I will keep the details of our communication completely anonymous and confidential. From time to time we may do great work together; the results of which I would love to share with other clients and the community. I will always ask you before using it but hope you will agree since I believe there is often the chance to learn from others’ experiences.
To maximize the protection of your information, I will be using Protonmail as the main service provider for our email communication and file storage. They employ end-to-end encryption with all their servers residing in Switzerland which makes them subject to Swiss privacy laws - some of the strictest in the world.
Link Information
I will frequently suggest resources like links, books, tools, and other material which I believe might help you on your journey. Unless otherwise stated, all suggestions will be my own and not a result of any sponsorship or paid advertising agreement. References for my own material will always be cited in APA format and may be readily available.
Cancellation, Reschedule, Refund Policy
Cancellations are not advised and rescheduling is preferred. Rescheduling is subject to availability so an appointment might be postponed to the earliest available time.
Contract Termination
Service contracts may be terminated at any time by either party without disclosure of reason. However; the following terms apply:
- If the client is on an installment payment plan, they agree to pay for sessions already received which are pro-rated as individual sessions and a one-time 50€ termination fee.
- If the client has already paid for sessions or packages, they will be reimbursed the difference minus the sessions already had minus a 50€/$ termination fee.
In-Person Sessions
My practice is mostly virtual (online) but I understand the need and desire for some clients to have in-person sessions. This also applies for when I am hired for workshops and training. The client (individual or company) agrees to cover all costs for In-person sessions and training including location rental fees, transportation, room and board.
Virtual Sessions
My practice is designed to mostly be virtual (online). This has obvious implications but I believe the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The disadvantages will vary from person to person but the most obvious one is that of my limited ability to read body language and or any technological interference which might disturb our communication.
That being said, the advantages are that our sessions are geographically independent and you will benefit from our sessions wherever you have a good internet connection. Moreover there is an added layer of privacy because you get to choose the location and you don’t have to worry about making or missing appointments due to distance.
Electronics & Written Record Keeping
For any personal sessions beyond the Fireside Package, recording of our sessions will be necessary in order to process the data an generate the final report. As stated above, these recordings (both audio and written) will reside in the servers provided by Protonmail which reside in Switzerland.
A copy of all the recorded and written material can be made available to you on request. All data will be purged from my system at the end of our business relationship.
At times I may request keeping certain data for valuable insights to my practice and future client work but I will always ask for permission first. In such a case, all data related to you will be immediately made anonymous.
Extraordinary Event
In the event of my sudden death or debilitating accident, [another trusted professional] will have access to my files which will contain notes from our sessions. The files will however be anonymously encoded and the patient ID known only to you and myself via a password that only I will have access to. In the event of an extraordinary event, you will be notified and may request the notes corresponding to our sessions. Otherwise, 3 months after the extraordinary event, all your data will be purged from the system.
Email, Phone , and External Communication
Keeping with ethical guidelines, it is best for us to keep our communication strictly to email and in extreme cases to phone outside of the sessions.
While I am a big believer of community building, the greatest insights come when one arrives at their own conclusions with only minimal (but effective) help from the outside. For this reason, it is best to keep the relationship transactional for the duration of the working contract.
Social media is an exception. Please feel free to engage with me and the rest of the community across the social media platforms that I'm present on.
Fee Information
Please see the sessions information page here where I keep all information on the current fee rates. You will receive and invoice following each session to be paid by the end of the same month. Fees for appointments canceled on our end will be reimbursed. Fees not paid before the end of the month will be considered past due. Any past due fees must be paid in full before the next session included with the fee for that session. I reserve the right to terminate our professional relationship after the second fee has not been paid.
Packages are purchased with a lump sum, one-time payment or an agreed-upon installment plan. See packages on the website under "sessions" for rates and details.
Insurance
I do not bill insurance companies. All compensation is billed as "consulting/ coaching services rendered.”