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Barbara Fischer-Bartelmann, Dipl.-Psych., M.A.
Certified as a PBSP® Therapist October 18^th, 2002
Certified as a PBSP® Supervisor January 26th, 2006
Certified as a PBSP® Trainer September 8th, 2007
Continuing annual meeting & training with USA PBSP® Supervisor/Trainer Training Group 1

Dipl.-Psych. Barbara Fischer-Bartelmann M.A.  
Koepfelweg 58 
D-69118 Heidelberg  
Tel: +49-(0)6221-8946780  
email: barbara.fischer-bartelmann@t-online.de
http://www.fischer-bartelmann.de/

Dipl.-Psych., M.A. i.e. graduated in Psychology and in Philosophy; Psychologische Psychotherapeutin (PTG) i.e. State Certified Psychotherapist; European Certificate of Psychotherapy (EAP); Klinische Psychologin / Psychotherapeutin (BDP) i.e. Clinical Psychologist; Familientherapeutin - Systemische Therapeutin (DFS) i.e. Family-/Systemic Therapist; Lehrtherapeutin EPL, KEK, KOMKOM, KESS, Familienteam i.e. Teaching Therapist for Couples Communication and Parenting Progams http://www.fischer-bartelmann.de/ email: barbara.fischer-bartelmann@t-online.de

Where do you live/work?

I live in Heidelberg, Germany, and work in my own private practice there. For structure, supervision, and training workshops I often travel to Munich and sometimes to Freiburg.

When were you certified?

I was certified as a PBSP® therapist in October 2002, as a PBSP® supervisor in January 2006.

What is the name of the training group(s) you were/are in?

• Independent training from 1994-95 in USA (workshops with Al Pesso at Strolling Woods and New York, guest of Louisa Howe´s ongoing training group in Boston) and later in Munich;
• 1^st Munich Training Group 1998-2001 (with trainers Al Pesso, Lowijs Perquin, Lisbeth de Boer) as participant and translator.
• 2^nd Munich Training Group 2001-2004 (Al Pesso, Lowijs Perquin) as translator  
• 3rd Munich Training Group 2003-2007 (Al Pesso, Lowijs Perquin) as translator and supervisor   
• 4th Munich Training Group 2006-2009 (Al Pesso, Lowijs Perquin) as translator and assistant trainer in training  
• USA Supervisors' and Trainers' Training Group 2004- (Al Pesso, Diane Boyden-Pesso, Lowijs Perquin)

What other education/training have you received?

I have graduated in Psychology at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich (Thesis on the Validation of Psychoanalytic Interpretations) and in Philosophy at the Jesuits' University of Philosophy in Munich (Thesis on Erich Fromm's 'Psychoanalysis and Religion'), and spent one year each at Oxford University and Harvard.

After probing into all techniques of psychotherapy offered at University and specializing there in Psychoanalysis and in Family and Systemic Therapy, I decided to train with Martin Kirschenbaum in Integrative Family Therapy, the most encompassing and systemic approach I encountered, and later took his advanced course on Integrative Couple Therapy. At the same time I became a trainer in a couples communication training based on behavior therapy (EPL, KEK, Kurt Hahlweg) and grew with that project to become a supervisor and trainer there.

For many years I have worked for the Marraige Counselling Centre of the Munich Catholic Diocesis and owe a lot to my colleagues and co-therapists there, in particular Franz Thurmair, Volker Eckert and Egon Seits.

Why did you want to become a Certified PBSP® Therapist?

Because I really identify with that method and hope that PBSP® will be widely spread in Germany. For that purpose we need qualified German-speaking therapists, supervisors and trainers.

What you think of PBSP® as a therapy and how do you use it in your work?

Of all the therapy methods I know (and I have looked at a great number of them), this is the first that I find completely convincing. Looking back, I interpret almost all of the therapeutical "highlights" that I have ever seen or personally experienced in workshops or trainings with methods other than PBSP® as a kind of implicit antidote scene, with either therapist or imagined figures or roleplayers/objects in a role with Ideal Parent qualities. PBSP® has everything I value in other individual therapies, plus its own unique access to actual healing, all in a unified approach.

Also in contrast to other impressive techniques of therapy, PBSP® is not dependent on the charisma of a particular therapist, but is well defined in theory and intervention techniques, i.e. it is teachable and learnable. Certainly it is a very refined method and not easy; it does require work, sometimes hard and also personal work, to master it. But all the way in my learning process, I found it very enriching both professionally and personally. And from a certain point on, it is again feeling simple in the sense of unified, and with all the details in the back of my mind, the actual work is often easy, playful and in the flow.

As a therapist, I find the method very satisfying, positive and successful. From my clients, I receive impressive feedback on how quickly and deeply they profit from their structure work - and very often not only the clients themselves, but their loved ones with them. And, in contrast to other methods of psychotherapy, rather than suffering with the client, my mirror neurons rejoice in sharing the antidote scenes that are created in each session.

So I use the method whenever possible, also in individual sessions. Meanwhile, a lot of my clients travel from quite far to receive this particular kind of therapy, so I am in the happy position to do PBSP® therapy for almost my entire working time.

What other PBSP® involvements do you have?

• I am a board member of the PVSD (Pesso-Association Switzerland-Germany) together with Barbara Prestele-Klinger, Martin Dormann and Martin Howald.
• I am an Editor of the Pesso-Bulletin (Journal for PBSP® of the PVSD (Pesso-Association Switzerland-Germany) together with Martin Dorman.
• I am hosting the precursor of the PVSD-Homepage and hoping to have it designed to contain a database on all German PBSP® therapists, supervisors, and trainers and their workshops.
• I have translated all basic PBSP® Training Material (Slides, Exercises, Articles) into German for use in the German speaking trainings. Although a lot of people here understand enough English to follow a workshop, their theoretical understanding is sometimes impeded by their incomplete grasp on the associative field of theoretical terms. Also I find it important that we have a shared theoretical language to facilitate professional discussions.
• I have written a number of German Articles on PBSP® in the Pesso-Bulletin, and in Psychotherapeutic Journals and Books
• I have collected a huge list of emotional terms (German and English) for use in microtracking. With the goal to have them ordered into categories (work in progress, collaboration welcome!), I have developed a system of emotional categories based on PBSP®-theory.
• I have presented on PBSP® at Conferences for Psychotherapy

Other than PBSP® what you do for work or other interests?

• Private Practice (Individual / Couples / Families)
• Couples Workshops (Communication, Family of Origin, Imago-Therapy)
• Training and Supervising Couples Communication Trainers/Therapists
• Translation English-German in Therapy Training Seminars (mainly Family Therapy and PBSP®)

Other Interests:

• Family (2 daughters aged 10 and 8)
• Science, as far as it is understandable for lay people; in particular Astrophysics (my husband's profession) and Life Sciences.
• Singing (semi-professional choirs) and Playing Music
• Hiking in the beautiful forested mountains surrounding Heidelberg
• Swimming
• Christian Mystic Traditions and Zen-Meditation

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PBSP®®® - Pesso Boyden System Psychomotor is a method of psychotherapy and emotional re-education.  PBSP®®® & Pesso Boyden System Psychomotor are Registered Trademarks and Service Marks of Albert Pesso and Diane Boyden-Pesso.