I truly believe that counseling and therapy are most effective when psychologists’ training and experience matches the needs of their clients, and – ideally – there is also a match “personality-wise”. In your sessions, you have to feel comfortable enough to talk about uncomfortable things. To help you make this decision, I added this page so you are able to find more information about me, starting with my professional and my personal background.
All of my most recent continuing education specializations focus on “third wave approaches” of cognitive behavioral therapy, such as ACT – Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or mindfulness-based methods. I also specialized in providing DBT – dialectical behavior therapy, an exciting tool for interpersonal relationships and coping skills. I strive to continuously educate myself to provide the best services possible.
I am also a highly published psychologist (with over 50+ publications about anxiety, internet, internet gaming disorder, online behavior, etc.), please find a list of my publications with this link .
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND AT A GLANCE
While I am solely working in private practice now, I initially followed a dual career path with being in academics as well as providing services in private practices.
- Licensed Psychologist for 10+ years (Florida, Tennessee, and Austria): educated/trained in cognitive-behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, mindfulness-based therapy, solution-focused therapy, brief eclectic psychotherapy for PTSD, positive psychology, etc.
- Research Fellow and Lecturer for over 15 years (Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Austria; Sigmund Freud University, Vienna, Austria; Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee)
- Published researcher, main expertise in “Clinical Psychology and New Technology” (online gaming disorder, virtual reality, Telehealth) with 50+ peer-reviewed publications and presentations (including invited lecture “video game theory course” at M.I.T., Boston/MA)
- Extensive public mental health and substance abuse policy experience (researcher at the Tennessee Department for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Nashville, Tennessee)
- Reviewer for peer-reviewed journals (e.g., Computers in Human Behavior), for research programs of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research; for the PrideBiz Science Award, Austrian Gay Professional Organization, Vienna, Austria
SERVICE EXPERIENCE AND AWARDS
- Member of the Wilton Manors Pride Center Founder Circle, Wilton Manors, Florida
- Member of the Florida Psychological Association, Tennessee Psychological Association, Austrian Psychological Association, and the American Psychological Association
- LGBTQ Community Advisory Board, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
- (Elected) member of Board of Clinical and Health Psychology, Austrian Psychological Association, Austria (including founding and leading diversity department in 2012)
- Wilhelm-Exner Award of Clinical Psychology (2008)
- bestNET.Award for Master Thesis (2009)
- Best Paper Award of the International Conference on Entertainment Computing (2011)
EDUCATION//CERTIFICATIONS
- Licensed Psychologist: Tennessee, Florida, Austria
- Health Service Psychologist: accredited by the National Register of Health Service Psychologists
- Ph.D. Clinical Psychology: University of Vienna/Austria (Summa Cum Laude; 4.0/4.0); education and professional internships in Austria are equivalent to doctoral programs approved by the American Psychological Association (as reviewed and certified by Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee)
- Training in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Society for Behavior Modification, Salzburg/Austria
- Training in Emergency Psychology: Austrian Psychological Association
- Psychology practicum at counseling center for sexuality, Vienna/Austria
- Training in Brief Eclectic Psychotherapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, University of Vienna/Austria
PERSONAL BACKGROUND
When you see me for the first time, you will probably notice two things right away: an Austrian-German accent, and hearing aids. You may probably ask yourself: How did a hearing-impaired Austrian end up working as a psychologist in Fort Lauderdale?
I am sometimes wondering about this as well: Life can be unpredictably wonderful — and wonderfully unpredictable!
As a hearing-impaired person, life’s odds were probably stacked against me. Growing up, I was ashamed of being “different”; I tried to hide my hearing aids, to be quiet and not talk too much in order to avoid drawing any attention to me. However, during my early adult years, I realized that I spent too much energy hiding something that I cannot change. I started to adopt a philosophical approach to life that I only now realize as very similar to “stoicism” (we cannot control external events or situations, but we can try to understand and learn how to react to it, we can control internal things like thoughts, feelings and desires).
To this day, I have a natural curiosity for people and what makes people “tick”, combined with a strong desire to continuously educate myself in new methods and tools.
In Vienna/Austria, I worked as a researcher and lecturer at universities for many years, and I also worked as a psychologist in private practice. Combining my passion for psychology and new technology, I focused on research on how to use new technology in psychological treatment.
Life (and especially love) had different plans for me in a very unpredictable way, so I moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in 2013 to be with my new family. In 2020, my family moved to South Florida, and I am very excited to call this beautiful place on earth “home”.
While I followed a dual career in research and private practice, I am now only working in private practice in South Florida. With all of my international and national education and experience, it allows me to focus solely on my clients so they may benefit from my unique experience and training as well.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS AND MEDIA PRESENCE
I am active with research and teaching since 2007, and I am internationally known for my research about online gaming, online gaming disorder, and anxiety disorders. As a testament to my expertise, please find a selected list of my publications and presentations below: