Psychologist Itziar Arana Rivero

I have a degree in psychology and have been a member since 2002. When I finished my degree, I did a Master's Degree in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and later another Master's Degree in Psychodrama. And currently I have trained and continue to perfect myself in Emotion-Focused Therapy (TFE), mainly for couples, although I also treat patients in individual therapy. Since I finished my university education, I have always kept up to date with different courses, but I also consider it very important to give myself the opportunity to grow and train myself as a person and as a therapist by learning from the people around me, the professionals with whom I am in constant contact and supervision and, of course, from my patients. In the end, in the day-to-day of the consultation, it is where we put everything we have learned to the test, and only if it is useful to them does it make sense to me as a therapist.

Because of this interest in offering a really useful therapy, I have trained in TFE, which is something relatively new in Spain (it started in 2016) but has more than 30 years of endorsement in the United States United States and Canada. According to the American Psychological Association, EFT for couples is a clinical treatment with empirically proven efficacy, in fact there are rigorous studies in English that show that 70-75% of couples who follow this therapy overcome their relationship problems, and not only that, but that they are happy in their relationship. In 2020 I will participate in the first study on its effectiveness in Spanish.

I think my main aptitude for psychology, and for life, is that I am highly empathic. It is easy and natural for me to put myself in the shoes of another person and understand what he is feeling. And from there it is easy to validate the feelings of my patients, understanding the reason for their discomfort, and trying to find together, among their strengths, ways of acting and thinking that make them feel better and more secure in their relations. It makes me happy to be able to share this path of growth with my patients and partners, and to see how in the end they feel happier and more connected in their lives.