Spezialgebiete

Areas of expertise

In Stuttgart we are specialized in the treatment of anxieties and phobias. These include: Agoraphobias, which typically occur in crowds, closed rooms or in means of transport and are almost always accompanied by panic attacks or the fear of panic attacks. Social anxiety, i.e. fear or inhibitions in dealing with other people, such as blushing or trembling in public or making a fool of oneself in other ways. Fear in examination and performance situations, e.g. at competitions or public performances. Fear of diseases or generalized fears. Fear of special triggers such as spiders, snakes, injections or blood.

The treatment begins with a precise investigation of the cause. When and with which experiences did the fears begin? Which life-historical experiences favoured their development? Why does the problem arise in the current phase of life? At which points my life is out of balance? What keeps the problem going? Depending on the nature and extent of the underlying factors, we work more on the symptom-oriented approach, on bringing the current life situation back into balance or, using trauma therapy methods, on drastic negative life experiences.

Couples therapy for binational couples: At the beginning of every relationship the different and unknown often exerts a special attraction. In everyday life, normality will eventually catch up with us. If the external demands are high (professional stress, lack of time, bringing up children) it is often difficult to maintain and develop the relationship sufficiently. These stress factors are often even more extreme in binational couples. The partner who has come to Germany, has left his family and home behind, has to adjust to a new culture and language. The strangeness of the partner, which was initially attractive, is now often difficult to understand. This leads to arguments and alienation. We support you in finding each other again, in dealing with conflict situations better or in understanding each other better. We can conduct the therapy in English and Spanish. (Ofrecemos psicoterapia en espanol/castellano).

Couples therapy is not a benefit paid by the health insurance.

Another focus of treatment is exhaustion, burn-out and depression. In a world of diverse demands, it is often difficult to keep up with one’s own strength. Permanent overstrain, difficulties at work, own perfectionism, power-consuming relationships or drastic negative events can trigger depressive symptoms. We analyse with you the triggering and maintaining factors and help you to deal with depression and emptiness. We support you in making your life more balanced, questioning habitual attitudes and setting yourself realistic goals. And we help you to find meaning and access to your energy sources again.

The last area of focus concerns sexuality. I, Stefan Auch-Schmidt, am especially specialized in the topics concerning the sexuality of men. I treat people with sexual addiction, excessive consumption of internet pornography, sexual listlessness or with sexually deviant behaviour. Many patients suffering from erectile dysfunction come to our practice. Erectile dysfunction often develops a fatal dynamic of its own. Once a disorder has occurred, the fear of failure leads to internal stress, which inhibits desire and arousal and makes the occurrence of repeated “failures” likely. We help to identify the causes of the problem and break the vicious circle of fear, tension and loss of erection. Therapy with the partner is often the best option here. 