A few words about me

I was born and raised in Thessaloniki. From an early stage, the role of the psychologist resonated with my natural inclination to observe people and to connect the behaviors I observed with inner processes—emotions, thoughts, and motivations. My desire to study the human psyche emerged during my initial undergraduate studies in the Department of Philosophy, Education, and Psychology in Ioannina. Before completing my studies there, I discovered the Gestalt Psychotherapy Center in Thessaloniki. Its relational, humanistic, and existential approach to therapy fully aligned with my personal values and with the meaning I attribute to both the process and the role of psychotherapy. My desire to deepen my academic knowledge further led me to pursue studies in the Department of Psychology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

After graduating from the Department of Psychology, I began working in a private practice in the center of Thessaloniki. Since 2019, I have been practicing Gestalt psychotherapy, working with adults and adolescents both in person and online. My primary aim is to cultivate a safe therapeutic relationship grounded in acceptance and empathy, where clients can explore relational patterns and dynamics, and deepen their self-awareness and emotional intelligence.

I recently completed my postgraduate studies in Counseling Psychology at the University of Thessaly, where I was trained by distinguished professionals in the field as well as by the highly specialized scientific team of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic at Papanikolaou Hospital, where I completed my clinical internship. My work with adolescents was shaped to a great extent by this experience, during which I participated in individual, family, and group therapeutic sessions. Close contact with the challenges faced by adolescents in Greece today has cultivated my therapeutic perspective and deepened my understanding of the development and course of their emotional difficulties. It also strengthened my awareness of the direct connection between emotional difficulties in adolescents and children and family dynamics and relationships, as well as my belief that early intervention in emotional difficulties leads to improved outcomes and developmental trajectories. Supporting adolescents represents a unique opportunity during this critical developmental stage to revisit and work through early emotional challenges. Combined with parental counseling, it offers a framework for a holistic approach to addressing emotional difficulties within the family.

In addition, my training in parent–infant psychodynamic psychotherapy further deepened my understanding of early developmental and emotional processes that influence a child’s development, the impact of the quality of the relationship with primary caregivers, and their effect on the infant’s inner world. This valuable knowledge enriched my interest in therapeutic work with the inner child, through the exploration of internalized patterns and the formation of emotional and relational understanding and experience.

In addition, I have worked as a volunteer with various NGOs, including the YWCA of Thessaloniki, an organization dedicated to the empowerment and support of women in Greece. In collaboration with the YWCA’s voluntary scientific team of psychologists, we designed and implemented a student-focused program that was approved by the Ministry of Education, aimed at the prevention of bullying in middle schools and the prevention of gender-based violence in high schools across the country. Finally, I have volunteered with Médecins du Monde, in the women’s unit of the Diavata Correctional Facility, and with the Association of Families for Mental Health.

With deep care and commitment to my profession, I actively pursue the continuous expansion of my knowledge through specialized seminars and training programs in the field of psychotherapy. A significant part of my personal and professional development has been shaped by my long-term personal therapeutic journey, both in individual and group settings. My professional practice is guided by the ethical standards of the Code of Ethics for the Practice of Psychology in Greece (Government Gazette B΄ 2344/2019 — in particular Articles 1 and 4), and within this framework, I remain in ongoing collaboration with supervising psychologists.

My name is Marina Georgiadou. I come from Thessaloniki, where I returned after four years of study at the Department of Psychology of the University of Western Macedonia in Florina. My interest in — and love for — the science of psychology began in my final years of high school. My adolescent self, without yet having a clear picture of the field, was captivated by the idea of exploring the self, both as a way of supporting myself and as a way of one day offering psychological support to others.

Alongside my studies, I began my own therapeutic journey, accompanied by a therapist I deeply respect and admire. That experience remains a source of inspiration for me and embodies what I want my role as a psychologist to be: to offer knowledge, support and hope.

During my studies I took part in conferences on Positive Psychology and on Psychological Research, presenting research findings (8th Panhellenic Conference of Counselling Psychology & 3rd Panhellenic Conference of Positive Psychology; 19th Panhellenic Conference of Psychological Research). In that context, together with my research team, we presented our qualitative study entitled: “The Immediate Psychological Impact of the Tempi Railway Disaster: A Qualitative Investigation”.

I have attended talks, workshops and experiential seminars in Positive Psychology under the auspices of psychological bodies such as the Hellenic Psychological Society (ELPSE) and EETHEPSY, and I took part in an Erasmus+ programme on “Reconnecting to the Self”, where we worked on mindfulness, self-awareness and experiential contact with the body and the emotions. I also joined a twelve-month volunteer programme run jointly by my university and the Florina Association of Parents and Guardians of People with Disabilities, holding weekly meetings aimed at socialisation and at meeting the wider needs of the people we supported.

In the final months of my studies I completed my clinical placement at a Psychotherapy Centre in Thessaloniki. There I observed individual and group sessions, in line with the code of ethics and professional conduct, while also contributing to the writing of scientific articles for the centre's website.

My areas of interest include psychological trauma and grief. I am particularly drawn to the influence of awakening experiences on psychological resilience, and to the process of re-meaning and post-traumatic growth that unfolds after loss or painful events. This, for me, is the most compelling point of intersection with positive psychology, which shifts the focus not only to easing psychological pain but also to cultivating a person's positive resources, in the service of a healthier development of the self. I am especially interested in how strengthening hope, meaning-making, mindfulness and the power of relationships can act as a catalyst in post-traumatic recovery.

I believe that every person, given a safe and supportive setting, is able to recognise their inner strengths and gradually rebuild a way of living that brings them closer to their authentic, vital self — restoring a deeper connection with it.