Alice Bertoldo, MSc, MA

Psychosomatic illnesses are caused by acute and constant anxiety, emotional distress, chronic fear, repressed anger, unprocessed grief, chronic resentment and dissatisfaction.

Chronic guilty feelings, worrisome thoughts, chronic feelings of emptiness or worthlessness.

Typical psychosomatic symptoms are: gastritis, colitis, ulcer, IBS, gastric reflux, tachycardia, heart disease, hypertension, asthma, allergies, hyperventilation, vertigo, premature ejaculation, anorgasmia, enuresis, psoriasis, dermatitis, sweating, dryness of the skin, severe headache, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, arthritis.
If some of these symptoms are manifesting in your life, feel free to get in contact with me.

Depression is a common mental disorder affecting millions of people worldwide. It is characterise by persistent sadness and a lack of interest or pleasure in previously rewarding or enjoyable activities.

It can also disturb sleep and appetite; tiredness and poor concentration are common. The effects of depression can be long-lasting or recurrent and can dramatically affect a person’s ability to function and live a rewarding life.

Psychotherapy helps to identify underlying concerns that might lead to depression.

Feel free to reach out to me if you have more questions about psychotherapy for depression.

PTSD symptoms: recurrent, involuntary, and intrusive distressing memories and/or dreams of the traumatic event; Dissociative reactions (e.g., flashbacks) in which the individual feels or acts as if the traumatic event(s) were recurring. Intense or prolonged psychological and physiological distress at exposure to internal or external cues that symbolise or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event. Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the traumatic event. The process of recovery varies to each individual and depends on various elements among which the severity of the trauma.

If you are in need of receiving treatment, you can fill in the contact’s form and I will get in touch with you asap.

Anxiety disorders include: generalised anxiety disorder, panic attacks, social anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder. Anxiety symptoms look like: sweating palms (hyperhidrosis), having heart racing, feeling choking, trembling, muscles ache, having a sense of danger, doom or panic, feeling tense, irritable, nausea, dizziness, trouble sleeping. The risk factors for each type of anxiety disorder vary: life style, negative self-concept, insecure, avoidant or disorganised attachment style, poor coping mechanisms, use of psychoactive substances.

Anxiety disorders can be tackle with individual therapy, group therapy and stress managementtechniques. Drop a message on my inbox if you need support in dealing with anxiety.

Burnout is a psychological state of exhaustion stemming from persistent exposure to work-related stressors encompassing three distinctive, yet interrelated, components: exhaustion, cynicism (or depersonalisation), and a reduced sense of professional efficacy. Some causes which lead to burnout are: lack of clarity about what to expect at work and one’s own tasks, conflict with others, aggressive micromanaging, lack of technical and/or emotional support, imbalance work/life, culture of ‘urgency’, excessive workload, boreout, lack of control, career stagnation.

Burnout symptoms might range: questioning the value of one’s own work, doubting one’s own skills and abilities, feeling numb or dissociated, headaches, acid reflux, bowels problems, lack of focus and concentration, occupation demotivation.

If you are are struggling with burnout symptoms and you need help, send me a message and I will answer asap.

Stress is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances. Stress is the natural reaction your body has when changes or challenges occur. It can result in many different physical, emotional and behavioural responses. Stress can be episodic or chronic.

Stress symptoms are: exhaustion, digestive problems, aches and pain, headaches, dizziness, chest pain, sexual dysfunction, high bloodpressure, muscle tension, weakened immunes system. Emotional and mental symptoms derived from stress are: anxiety, irritability, depression, anxiety and sadness.

If you want to find out how to deal with stress, you are welcome to get in contact with me.

Sexual dysfunctions can be any problem that prevents a person or a couple from experiencing satisfaction from sexual activity.

Sexual dysfunctions are: female sexual arousal/interest disorder, female orgasmic disorder, genito-pelvic pain, male hypoactive sexual desire disorder, erectile, disorder, premature ejaculation, and delayed ejaculation.

Physical causes include: hormonal dysfunctions, diabetes, substance or alcohol abuse, antidepressants, neurological disorders, etc. Some psychological causes are: low self-esteem, anxious or avoidant attachment styles, depression, anxiety and stress.

Feel free to message me for a consultation.

Bereavement, grief and mourning represent different aspects of loss, and sorrow. To be bereaved is to be robbed or dispossessed, usually of some immaterial thing, such as a relation to someone, which leaves one desolate hence bereft.

Grief is an intense longing/yearning for the deceased person, the experience of which is referred to as grieving, and mourning refers to the signs and practices associated with the sorrow and regret, or other forms of loss or misfortune.

Although conventionally focused on the emotional response to loss, it also has physical, cognitive, behavioural, social, cultural, spiritual and philosophical dimensions. While the terms are often usedinterchangeably, bereavement refers to the state of loss, and grief is the reaction to that loss.

Individuals grieve in connection with a variety of losses throughout their lives, such as unemployment, ill health or the end of a relationship. Loss can be categorised as either physical or abstract. The physical loss is something that the individual can touch, while the types of abstract loss are related to aspects of a person’s social interactions.

If you need support, do not hesitate to contact me.

Emotion-focused coping skills help you to process painful or discomforting emotions and their reactions. The inability in recognising and understanding one’s own emotions can have severe health consequences.

Often, in order to manage emotions and with the aim of overcoming the discomfort, the coping mechanism that activates is action-taking. This can lead to regrets and sorrow. Rumination or avoidant copying strategies might fuel the stress levels. Rationalisation or rejection of your emotions have consequences on social life.

Emotion-focused coping skills help on how to navigate challenging emotional experiences. Identifying emotions is the first step in order to befriend them. All emotions coexist within us: anger and love, anxiety and joy, fear and sadness. Why fight or dismiss something that is part of us? Emotions are messengers and when accepted, they can deliver powerful healing messages.

If you lack emotional copying strategies, reach out to me via the contact form. 

Eating disorders are: anorexia nervosa is characterised by eating very little on purpose leading to a very low body weigh, having an intense fear of weight gain and fear of looking fat (I treat only cases with BMI > 17kg/m2).

Bulimia nervosa is characterised by overeating and feeling out of control in regulating food intake; use of laxatives or purging (I treat cases with an average of 1-2 episodes of inappropriate compensatory behaviour per week).

Binge-eating disorder is characterised by overeat and feel out of control to stop even when not hungry, feeling upset or guilty after binge eating (I treat cases with an average of 1-3 binge eating disorders a week).

Psychotherapy addresses body image, emotional triggers that led to
disordered eating, self-image, difficulties in dealing with stress, anxiety, fears and sadness.

Drop me a message if you’d like to explore more.

Issues within relationships can manifest in unresolved conflicts, differences in values and expectations, trust issues, lack of emotional support, lack of mutual understanding. In romantic relationships there can be different attachment styles which affect the couple’s dynamic.

Family dynamics refer to the relational patterns that affect a family’s everyday functioning. Many of these patterns are passed down through generations and they influence family members in different aspects: communication, independence, safety, support, boundaries.

Contact me at your convenience if you need help.

Manipulating, controlling or undermining someone’s emotions, intentionally causing bodily harm, belittling, threatening, yelling, name-calling, making unreasonable demands, expecting to put everything aside to meet somebody else’s expectations, accusations of being ‘too sensitive’ or ‘too emotional’, starting arguments without clear reasons, talking down, using sarcasm, controlling or limiting the time spend with friends and/or family members, critiquing, gaslighting, silent treatment, etc.

Whether in adulthood or in childhood these abuses will have a detrimental effect on a person’s self-esteem with consequences on a social and work plane as wells within the intimate sphere.

You are welcome to reach out if you need support at any time.

Insomnia disorders are: difficulty initiating sleep, difficulty maintaining sleep, early-morning awakening. Sleep and sleep disturbances have an effect on women’s health, increased stress responsivity, somatic pain, reduced quality of life, emotional distress, mood disorders as well as cognitive performance deficits.

Intervening on sleep at an early stage might be a preventive strategy for the onset of clinical disorders.

Do not hesitate to contact me if you need help.

Creativity can be defined as a product or idea that is novel (original, unique, or unusual) and useful (or has value, or is appropriate) within a social context. When the Muse whispers it can be difficult to trust it and to listen to it. Perfectionism, stress, lack of focus, external restrains, limitations in the application of the creative solution, exhaustion, self-doubts. Creativity can be hard work, but it’s possible to foster the creative endeavour by acquiring specific tools.

Contact me if you want to learn how tap into your creative potential.

Cross-Cultural adjustment is the process individuals undergo when they are exposed to and integrate into a new culture. This process is crucial for expatriates, international students, immigrants and travellers as they navigate the complexities of living and working in a different cultural environment.

Effective cross-cultural adjustment can significantly influence the success of such endeavour enhancing both personal well being
and professional effectiveness. There are four stages of cross-cultural adjustment: honeymoon, crisis, adjustment stage, mastery stage.

Several factors influence cross-cultural adjustment: cultural distance, language proficiency, social support, personality traits, pre-departure training.

If you are dealing with cross- cultural adjustment and you need personalised support, you are welcome to contact me.