Welcome!
As a body-centered breath therapist, I provide you with a safe space to work on your well-being.
My background
I was born in the port of Civitavecchia by Rome in 1972 and have weathered rough seas and calm waters since then. My backpack holds many life experiences, travel, study, and work in various fields. My most vital energy source is being in and around water - preferably swimming and sailing. I lower my anchor for meditation, yoga, qi gong & tai chi, and reading. My teenage kids teach me to read weather signs at any given moment. I live with my family and a handful of animals just outside Zurich.
Professional history
During my earlier professional years, I led teams and managed projects for large multinational companies. At a turning point, I returned to school, obtained a documentary filmmaking degree, and worked on various cultural projects for a few years.
As the waves settled and the water cleared, it became evident that I had to answer another call. I started training in the healthcare sector while deepening my Zen practice.
Today, I work as a complementary therapist in my private practice and as a nursing assistant in a competence center for palliative care and medicine.
Spiritual care
Spiritual Care certificate: Medicine and Spirituality in Health Professions (2018 - 2020, Lassalle-House Education Center in cooperation with Prof. Dr. S. Peng-Keller, Professorship for Spiritual Care, University of Zurich):
o Anthropological foundations (theological, philosophical) and their significance
for the health care system
o Existential meaning of spirituality
o Spiritual distress of patients
o Interdisciplinarity and spiritual care
o Ethical questions of spirituality and spiritual care in medicine
o Interprofessional communication
o Spiritual care in organizations and systems
o Spiritual anamnesis
o Spiritual care in psychiatry
o Spiritual care in outpatient care
Meditation
o Founder of meditation practice center in Zürich (since 2019, Unsui Praxis)
o Volunteering and practicing at seminary and zen center (since 2013, Felsentor)
o Zen meditation leader diploma (2017, Wulin Academy)
o Introduction to various meditation techniques: retreats, contemplation, and yoga (Lassalle-House Education Center and Felsentor)
o Independent studies: Buddhism and modern psychology (Princeton University)
o Independent studies: Buddhism through its scriptures (Harvard University EdX)
Memberships and Affiliations
o Breath Association of Switzerland
Breath therapy
Holistic-Integrative Breath Therapist Diploma (2021 - 2024, IKP Institute for Body-Centered Psychotherapy in Zürich):
o School medicine - anatomy, physiology, pathology
o Respiratory diseases
o Pharmacology
o Psychology and Social sciences
o Therapeutic conversation - according to Rogers
o Resource- and solution-oriented counseling
o Breath massage - according to Schmitt and Richter
o Experiential breath - according to Middendorf
o Mindfulness, congruence, and constructive handling of emotions
o Breath therapy and body-centered interventions in the grieving process
o Imagination - the Power of Inner Pictures
o Back and posture
o Meridian teachings
o Yin and Yang in harmony - reviving the flow of energy
o Vocal space and bodywork as a basis for more presence and vocal power
Nursing assistance
Work assignments as a nursing assistant in a competence center for palliative care and medicine (since 2024 Zürcher Lighthouse).
Nursing assistant SRK certificate (2020 Swiss Red Cross)
Short internships at Spitex, a nursing home, a hospice, and a hospital (2019 - 2020 in Zurich, Affoltern am Albis, Horgen, and Kilchberg).
Nursing school first year of education (2018 - 2020, Careum Bildungszentrum):
o Problem-based learning (PBL) - social learning, groups, roles, and collaboration on open-ended, complex, real-life problems.
o Focus topics in Anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology
o Infection prevention: Hygiene, Isolation, Epidemiology, and Immunization
o Sociology and the creation of roles
o Metacognitive self-reflection
o Developmental Psychology
o Perceptual Psychology
o Awareness, observation, and interpretation
o Communication and active listening
o Patient privacy in health care institutions: privacy and the topic of shame from the patient's point of view
o Introduction to Ethics, including WHO ethical principles and human rights, ethical principles of nursing, and the rights and responsibilities of patients
o Model of nursing based on activities of living, according to Roper, Logan, and Tierney
o Nursing diagnostics, planning, and interventions
o Electronic patient documentation
o Mental health and illness
o Anxiety disorder, neurotic disorders
o Autonomy
o Guardianship measures and legal grounds
o Nursing services in the non-hospital sector
o Insight into different nursing and medical fields of work, professional profiles, and competencies
o Transitions, life changes
o Living in a nursing home or a dependent living situation
o Care anamnesis and consultation with patients (children and youth, adults, and people with mental disorders)
For the list of the practical nursing skills acquired in the first year, visit this link.