Clinical practice
Clinical Practice
A psychological consultation is not limited to identifying a symptom or applying a predetermined method.
Clinical work first seeks to understand what is happening for the person: the nature of their difficulties, their history, and the way these difficulties are embedded in their psychological functioning, relationships and current environment.
Depending on the situation, support may focus on the manifestations of distress themselves, but also on what they may express, the resources already available and the possibilities for change.
With children and adolescents, particular attention is given to developmental processes, family relationships and the environment in which difficulties emerge.
Cultural and intercultural dimensions are also taken into account when they contribute to the way psychological distress is understood, expressed or experienced.
Individual Psychotherapy — Adults & Adolescents
Individual psychotherapy offers a confidential space in which it becomes possible to put into words, explore and better understand what generates distress or tends to recur in psychological and relational life.
A consultation may be appropriate in periods of anxiety, emotional distress, grief, separation or significant change, as well as in relation to traumatic experiences, relationship difficulties, a loss of bearings or longer-standing questions about personal history and psychological functioning.
Therapeutic work does not consist solely of making a symptom disappear. It also seeks to understand what the symptom may express, the conditions in which it appears and the psychological or relational processes to which it may be connected.
Support is tailored to each person and evolves over the course of the clinical work. Particular attention is given to personal history, ways of relating, psychological resources and life context.
Experiences of expatriation, migration or navigating several cultural frames of reference may also be explored when they hold a particular place in the person’s experience.
Clinical psychologist with a PhD in Clinical Psychology and Psychopathology, Alicia Landbeck has developed her clinical experience across hospital, community, humanitarian and intercultural settings in France and Cambodia.
Children & Adolescents
In children and adolescents, psychological difficulties may take many different forms: anxiety, withdrawal, agitation, behavioural manifestations, relationship difficulties, emotional changes, adjustment difficulties or changes in usual functioning.
The consultation seeks to understand these manifestations while taking into account the child’s age, psychological and emotional development, personal history, relationships and family and social environment.
Symptoms are therefore not considered in isolation: they are understood within the child’s overall functioning and the developmental period they are going through.
Depending on the child’s age and capacities, sessions may involve talking as well as play, drawing or other therapeutic forms of expression. These supports can help children express and work through experiences that are not always directly accessible through language.
Work with parents is often an integral part of the therapeutic process. Parent or family consultations may be proposed to better understand the child’s situation, support necessary adjustments and consider their relational environment together.
Consultations may notably be offered in response to:
- anxious, emotional or behavioural manifestations;
- relationship, school-related or adjustment difficulties;
- separations, bereavements or significant changes in the child’s life;
- early traumatic experiences or situations of significant vulnerability;
- questions concerning development or psychological functioning;
- parental concerns about a change or difficulty affecting the child.
Her clinical and research experience with children and adolescents has developed particularly through work in child and adolescent psychiatry, child protection and with children facing early traumatic experiences, affective and relational deprivation, disruptions in relational bonds or maltreatment. Her doctoral research notably focused on therapeutic processes with children facing these difficulties in Cambodia.
Couples Therapy & Family Therapy
Difficulties experienced within a couple or family cannot always be understood by considering one member in isolation.
Couple and family consultations provide a space to observe and work with what is happening within relationships: patterns of communication, the positions occupied by each person, recurring misunderstandings, tensions and the reorganisations the couple or family may be facing.
They may be appropriate when conflicts become recurrent, when dialogue feels blocked, during separation or family recomposition, in relation to parenting difficulties, or when an event affecting one member changes the balance of the family as a whole.
Therapeutic work seeks in particular to allow each person’s experience to be heard, to identify relational dynamics that may sustain difficulties and to support the emergence of new ways of relating.
The aim is not to determine who is right or who is responsible, but to understand how interactions develop, are maintained and can change.
Alicia Landbeck holds a Master 2 degree in Clinical Psychopathology and Family Clinical Psychology. Her clinical experience includes family interviews, therapeutic work with families and work focusing on relational dynamics and parenting.
Psychological Assessment
A psychological assessment is an in-depth clinical process aimed at developing a better understanding of a person’s psychological functioning at a given point in their life.
It is not solely a matter of producing a score or seeking a diagnosis. The assessment brings together different elements: subjective experience, current manifestations, personal history, affective and relational functioning, psychological resources and, where relevant, certain cognitive dimensions.
The process generally begins with one or more clinical interviews to clarify the request and determine which tools are most appropriate.
Depending on the clinical question, the assessment may combine:
- clinical interviews;
- observation;
- standardised psychometric tools;
- projective tools when relevant;
- clinical scales or questionnaires;
- cognitive assessment integrated into a broader psychological process.
The WISC may notably be used with children and adolescents, and the WAIS with adults, when exploring cognitive functioning provides information that is useful for understanding the situation.
An assessment may be appropriate in the presence of complex emotional or behavioural difficulties, questions concerning development or psychological functioning, a request for diagnostic clarification, or when a broader understanding is needed to guide further support.
The different elements gathered are integrated into a clinical formulation, then presented and discussed during a feedback consultation. Recommendations may be proposed where relevant.
Training in psychological assessment formed part of her university education and was further developed during a professional placement at Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris, within a service where psychological assessments formed an important part of clinical work. This experience included the use of psychometric and projective tools. She currently conducts psychological assessments with children, adolescents and adults when clinically appropriate.
Collaborative & Coordinated Care
Some situations require the involvement of several professionals or different forms of support.
When appropriate, and with the patient’s or family’s agreement, psychological care may be coordinated with the work of other professionals.
This collaborative work may involve psychologists, psychiatrists, paediatricians and professionals working in childhood, education or development, depending on the needs of the situation.
Depending on the situation, this may include:
- combining psychotherapy with psychiatric follow-up;
- referral to a professional with more specific expertise;
- support or accommodations within the school setting;
- educational or developmental support;
- coordinating different forms of care or support already in place.
The aim is not to multiply the number of professionals involved, but to build coherent support around the patient’s needs when the situation requires it.
Online Consultation
Online psychological consultations take place via Telegram.
For consultation enquiries, you can contact me directly on Telegram to briefly discuss your request and appointment arrangements.
If you prefer to book directly, you can also select an available appointment through the online calendar.
Individual online consultation — USD 65 / 45 minutes
When booking, patients are asked to indicate their preferred language and a brief reason for consultation so that the appointment can be arranged appropriately.
Khmer-Speaking Patients & Working With an Interpreter
Khmer-speaking patients may also be seen for consultations.
Khmer is used in certain professional, clinical and research contexts. When communication can be conducted with sufficient precision, part or all of the consultation may take place directly in Khmer.
When the complexity of the clinical work requires greater linguistic nuance, working with an interpreter may be proposed.
Working with an interpreter is not simply a matter of translating what is said: it forms part of the clinical setting and aims to preserve mutual understanding, confidentiality and each person’s place within the consultation as fully as possible.
Consultations in French and English • Khmer-speaking patients welcome • Interpretation available according to need