Anette Kettenbach MA, LMFT

I was born and raised in Germany and moved to California at the age of 22. I received all my education as a Psychotherapist in California and lived there until I moved to Singapore, May 2006.

In Asia, I opened my Private Practice/Company "California Counseling Pte. Ltd." and worked there as a Clinician and director of the business. In October 2013, I moved back to Europe and opened a second Private Practice/Company. I continued to offer my psychological services in person in the Netherlands and on line via Skype or VSee worldwide.

Since October 2015 I have moved my Private Practice from the Netherlands to Switzerland. I provide now in person services in Zürich, Wädenswil & Zug and on line via Skype or VSee worldwide.

My Credentials and Additional Training

I hold an AA Degree in Child Development from Santa Monica College, Santa Monica California, and an BA Degree in Psychology from California State University Northridge, Northridge, California. Followed by that, I obtained a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University, Los Angeles and I became a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist in California, LMFT#MFC42215. For more information on California State Licensing Requirements, go to; www.bbs.ca.gov

After my Master Degree, I have had supervised training at different sites before I took my state examination for my licensure as a "Marriage Family Therapist" in California. I was an intern at SCCC where I learned, under supervision, how to work with Individual adults, couples, families and groups and I took an intensive “Family training Program” there.

I woked during another internship as an outpatient therapist at a mental health agency, “the Help group”, where I treated mainly children and adolescents. In that setting I learned how to work in collaboration with the social system, psychiatrists & foster/ biological parents of my clients, and I deepened my knowledge in how to provide play/art therapy sessions with children & teens.

I also worked in a internship as a school psychologist, with emotional disturbed children at “Hawthorne Academy”. That site provided a very big learning curve for me as a Clinician. I gained a deep understanding for the child & teen who has been neglected, emotionally not attended to or raised in an environment that was violent and not very protective. It was refreshing to see how quick a child can grow emotionally and psychologically when those basic needs are met and when there is an environment created where the hidden potentials of the client can flurish.

I took also further training in Imago Relationship Therapy, Family systems, Narrative Therapy, Gestalt and Sand tray-Play therapy. 

Over the past 15 years, I have gained extensive experiences with play therapy helping children work through acting out behaviors and difficult emotions. I have been giving families & couples the tools to communicate in a more productive way, helped them to understand what caused their indifferences &  provided conflict resolution and anger management skills for them. Many clients have been able to come more in touch with their feelings & figure out who they really are and parents have benefited from parenting classes  that have been provided by me..

Since I have lived many years abroad from my home country, I have gained a lot of personal experience with what it means to be an Expat and what kind of difficulties relocating might bring. Those experiences have been very helpful in my Practice when working with other Expats.

I’m very comfortable working with all different kind of age groups, multicultural couples and people from all over the world. Since I have many years of work experience with clients, having studied & worked in the USA and lived and worked as a Psychologist in Singapore, it has matured me to become a seasoned Psychologist who also understands the difficulties the Expat community goes through. I offer my services in German and English.

In Asia, I have taught Parenting courses in the form of workshops and Group therapy to Art therapy students at Lasalle College in Singapore. I have also finished the Clinical Supervision training through NUS & SPS Singapore. For the past 6 years, I have supervised other Mental Health Professionals such as Psychologists, Psychotherapists and Counselors.

Currently, I’m providing my psychological services in my Private Practice in Europe (Switzerland) and globally on-line via Skype or VSee.

My Theoretical Orientation

Psychotherapy can be very effective when the approach being used is tailored with using the right tools to helping you achieve your goals. I call myself an Eclectic Psychotherapist who uses as a foundation a psychodynamic approach with the integration of other theoretical backgrounds based on each client’s needs.

I draw from the following theoretical backgrounds:

• Attachment Theory
• Erik Erikson Developmental Stages
• Object Relations Theory
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
• Existential Theory
• Family Systems Theory
• Imago Relationship Therapy
• Play & Art Therapy
• Yalom, Group Therapy
• Gestalt Therapy

My Approach

When I work with clients, my style is warm, relational, kind, and interactive. During sessions, I follow clients lead. We explore the things that are important to you, creating deep and genuine contact with who you are and what you need and want.

I accompany you in your psychological journey in a way that feels safe and hopeful, with the aim to give you new insights about yourself and the way you relate to others. Together, we discover the things that may be keeping you from feeling good about yourself or having the life you want. Everything you bring into therapy is meaningful. I am committed to meeting you with my full engagement, respect, and compassionate attention.

I have provided psychological services over 15 years now, to a diverse community of individual adults, couples, families, teens, children and groups of different natures. I welcome any age group, all races & ethnicities and provide my services in English and German.