Anna CARES²
Finding meaning in Anna’s safe place
During the past 10 years of working with transnational families and individuals in global transition, I developed the principles that guide my work: Anna CARES², where CARES² stands for Culture-Affect-Relationships-Experience-StressSense.
The CARES² principles were developed on the basis of CARE Model (Johnson&Campbell, 2021), Culture as a mental programming (Matsumoto&Hwang,2019), Polyvagal Theory in Therapy (Dana,2018).
Culture
Culture is collective mental programming. We start learning culture at birth, and much of the learning is done by experience. We never question whether it is right or wrong; we soak it in as the universal truth. When you work, study, or live outside of your passport country, when you marry or date a person outside of your home culture, when you raise kids in a new cultural environment, you might feel disconnected, you might feel as if you do not belong.
In Anna’s safe space, you will have the opportunity to explore your unique cultural experience and/or your cultural journey, impacted by nationality, race, gender, age, and sexual orientation.
Culture
Culture is collective mental programming. We start learning culture at birth, and much of the learning is done by experience. We never question whether it is right or wrong; we soak it in as the universal truth. When you work, study, or live outside of your passport country, when you marry or date a person outside of your home culture, when you raise kids in a new cultural environment, you might feel disconnected, you might feel as if you do not belong.
In Anna’s safe space, you will have the opportunity to explore your unique cultural experience and/or your cultural journey, impacted by nationality, race, gender, age, and sexual orientation.
Affect
Affect is an umbrella term for emotions, moods, and stress reactions. Moods last longer than emotions and affect how you think and how you see the world. We can imagine mood to be a climate and emotions are the weather changes. Mental health is all about emotions: depression is about sadness, anxiety is about fear, happiness is about joy, pride, and balance. Your emotions are uniquely yours; they are born within your body and communicate with you before you even notice them. Emotions allow fast “good for me”/“bad for me” assessments of a situation and influence your thoughts and behavior. They are neither inherently good nor bad, but they inform others about our affective states and needs, helping to create connections with others or push them away.
In Anna’s safe space, you will increase your awareness, find meaning, and learn to regulate your emotions and moods.
Affect
Affect is an umbrella term for emotions, moods, and stress reactions. Moods last longer than emotions and affect how you think and how you see the world. We can imagine mood to be a climate and emotions are the weather changes. Mental health is all about emotions: depression is about sadness, anxiety is about fear, happiness is about joy, pride, and balance. Your emotions are uniquely yours; they are born within your body and communicate with you before you even notice them. Emotions allow fast “good for me”/“bad for me” assessments of a situation and influence your thoughts and behavior. They are neither inherently good nor bad, but they inform others about our affective states and needs, helping to create connections with others or push them away.
In Anna’s safe space, you will increase your awareness, find meaning, and learn to regulate your emotions and moods.
Relationships
We are not designed to be alone. From the very first breath, we are surrounded by people. We learn about ourselves and the world by looking into the eyes and faces of people around us. In these relationships, we discover who we are, and whether we are accepted, important, valuable, and loved. We also learn about others, whether they are trustworthy and reliable.
Every successful therapy starts with building a trusting relationship with your therapist. This alliance is essential for achieving a long-lasting change. In Anna’s safe space, I am genuinely emotionally present to offer you respect, compassion, reassurance, and non-judgmental regard.
Book a free 30-minute appointment to find out whether you feel safe and accepted as yourself, ready to tell me your story and grow with me.
Relationships
We are not designed to be alone. From the very first breath, we are surrounded by people. We learn about ourselves and the world by looking into the eyes and faces of people around us. In these relationships, we discover who we are, and whether we are accepted, important, valuable, and loved. We also learn about others, whether they are trustworthy and reliable.
Every successful therapy starts with building a trusting relationship with your therapist. This alliance is essential for achieving a long-lasting change. In Anna’s safe space, I am genuinely emotionally present to offer you respect, compassion, reassurance, and non-judgmental regard.
Book a free 30-minute appointment to find out whether you feel safe and accepted as yourself, ready to tell me your story and grow with me.
Experience
Mental health is all about emotions: depression is about sadness, anxiety is about fear, happiness is about joy, pride, and balance. Your emotions are uniquely yours; they are born within your body and communicate with you before you even notice them. Emotions allow fast “good for me”/“bad for me” assessments of a situation and influence your thoughts and behavior. They are neither inherently good nor bad, but they inform others about our affective states and needs, helping to create connections with others or push them away.
In Anna’s safe space, you will increase your awareness, find meaning, and learn to regulate your emotions.
Experience
Mental health is all about emotions: depression is about sadness, anxiety is about fear, happiness is about joy, pride, and balance. Your emotions are uniquely yours; they are born within your body and communicate with you before you even notice them. Emotions allow fast “good for me”/“bad for me” assessments of a situation and influence your thoughts and behavior. They are neither inherently good nor bad, but they inform others about our affective states and needs, helping to create connections with others or push them away.
In Anna’s safe space, you will increase your awareness, find meaning, and learn to regulate your emotions.
StressSense
Stress is a normal part of life; it arises when something you care about is at stake. Back at the dawn of mankind, threats were primarily physical: wild animals, natural catastrophes, enemy tribes, and infections. Our bodies were built to fight or minimize the impact of physical injury. However, stress influences not only your body it also your mind—it hijacks your attention, forcing you to stay alert. Whereas resolving a challenging situation brings feelings of pride and leads to growth and adaptation, chronic stress is dangerous to your mental and physical health.
In Anna’s safe space, we will approach your stressors, learn your triggers, explore how your stress communicates with your health and well-being, and find a way to grow and adapt.
Anna’s Services
I am an emotionally focused therapist, and counselor. With my support, you will learn how to handle your feelings, become better connected to yourself, you will find the meaning in your stories, integrate lessons from the past, and move forward into the future of your choice.
I use Emotionally Focused Therapy developed by Dr. Sue Johnson. I guide couples to make sense of their emotional interactions, and to experience how emotional connection and a felt sense of security soothes their bodies and hearts and allows them to find a safe haven in each other’s arms.
The goal of my workshops is to support mental health. According to the World Health Organization, mental health is not only the absence of disease; it is “a state of well-being in which every individual realizes their potential, [and] can cope with the normal stresses of life…”
StressSense
Stress is a normal part of life; it arises when something you care about is at stake. Back at the dawn of mankind, threats were primarily physical: wild animals, natural catastrophes, enemy tribes, and infections. Our bodies were built to fight or minimize the impact of physical injury. However, stress influences not only your body it also your mind—it hijacks your attention, forcing you to stay alert. Whereas resolving a challenging situation brings feelings of pride and leads to growth and adaptation, chronic stress is dangerous to your mental and physical health.
In Anna’s safe space, we will approach your stressors, learn your triggers, explore how your stress communicates with your health and well-being, and find a way to grow and adapt.
Anna’s Services
I am an emotionally focused therapist, and counselor. With my support, you will learn how to handle your feelings, become better connected to yourself, you will find the meaning in your stories, integrate lessons from the past, and move forward into the future of your choice.
I use Emotionally Focused Therapy developed by Dr. Sue Johnson. I guide couples to make sense of their emotional interactions, and to experience how emotional connection and a felt sense of security soothes their bodies and hearts and allows them to find a safe haven in each other’s arms.
The goal of my workshops is to support mental health. According to the World Health Organization, mental health is not only the absence of disease; it is “a state of well-being in which every individual realizes their potential, [and] can cope with the normal stresses of life…”