Sessions
about 4 minutes
What to expect in a session
What actually happens in a one-to-one family constellations session, from the first question to the last ten minutes, told by a psychotherapist.
Read morePrivate sessions
Different ways of working. One shared approach.
Every person arrives with a different story, and not every situation calls for the same approach. There are three ways of working here: therapy, family constellations and listening therapy. What they share is a systemic view, looking at you in the context of the relationships and the history around you. Together we find the one that best fits where you are now.
Private sessions
Three kinds of session
Different questions need different work. The sessions and the practitioners are below, and if you're unsure where to begin, ask us.
Therapy
Therapy for individuals, couples, families and children. For anxiety, overwhelm and burnout, and for the patterns that have been with you much longer.
With Cecilia Altieri Listening therapy
The Safe and Sound Protocol: specially treated music, listened to at home over short sessions, for a nervous system that needs a shift.
With Cecilia and Anca Family constellations
Explore a question by making your situation visible, and take it from there.
With 5 practitioners What brings people here
What a session is
Anxiety that seems to be there from the moment you wake up. Feeling overwhelmed no matter how much you get done. Burnout that does not seem to improve with rest. A relationship with a parent or sibling that has become difficult or distant. Finding yourself having the same arguments in one relationship after another. A loss that still affects you long after you thought you had moved through it. A child who is often angry, anxious, or struggling to focus. A decision about work, family, or your future that you keep thinking about without getting any closer to an answer.
You listen to specially treated music through headphones, at home, in short sessions across several weeks. Cecilia sets the pace and follows up the whole way through. It suits people for whom the sticking point is emotional regulation: the body stays on alert whatever the mind has worked out. It begins with a conversation to understand whether it is the right fit for you. Cecilia is a certified provider of the Safe and Sound Protocol since 2020, for adults and for children, and it is meant to run alongside therapy rather than on its own.
How listening therapy works →You bring what is heavy at the moment, and we work with it directly: what happened, what it set in motion, and what it still asks of you now. Cecilia uses different approaches, based on your needs. Your family and your history stay in the room, because they are usually part of what you are describing. Cecilia is a psychotherapist as well as a facilitator, and this is her clinical work.
How therapy works →A family constellation makes the shape of a family visible: who stands where, who is turned away, what is being carried and by whom. Once it is in front of you, it can be worked with. You set the situation out where you can see it, with simple figures in a dedicated online constellation space, or entirely in your mind’s eye. You place the people who matter, and where you put them tells you something before anyone has said a word about them. From there it moves, at your rhythm, and towards your goals.
How a constellation works →Before you come
What to expect, and how to prepare
Two short reads that walk you through the practical side. Nothing is required of you before a first session.
Questions people actually have
The things people really ask
Which session is right for me?
Therapy is for a longer process, open ended, and constellations can be part of it. A constellation is for a specific issue, or a topic you want to explore, and it may take more than one session. Listening therapy is for working with the body directly, over a set number of weeks. If you’re between two of them, ask us.
What if I don’t know where to start?
That’s a normal place to begin, and not something to work out before you write. You’re welcome to send a question, and we’ll answer it. If another practice would suit you better, we’ll say so.
Is this therapy?
All three are therapeutic, and one of them is therapy in the formal sense: Cecilia is a psychotherapist and her therapy sessions are her clinical work. What really differs is what holds each of them together. In therapy it is the relationship, and it stays open ended. In a constellation it is the question you bring. In listening therapy it is the protocol, which runs to its own length.
Can I come if I am already seeing a therapist?
Yes, and for listening therapy it is actively advised: the Safe and Sound Protocol is not meant to stand on its own, and a therapist alongside it is part of how it is meant to run. A constellation sits alongside ongoing therapy the same way rather than competing with it, and it is often most useful when there is already somewhere to take what it opens up. Tell your therapist you are doing it, and tell us they exist.
Do I need a diagnosis or a referral?
No. Neither is needed for anything we offer, and you don’t need to be in crisis to come.
Can I change to a different kind of session later?
Yes. Nothing you book commits you to a path, and people move between them as what they need becomes clearer.
Will I have to talk about everything?
No. You share what you choose to share. A constellation doesn’t need every detail to move, and your practitioner won’t push past what feels right to you.
What if I cry?
Then you cry. Feeling something in a session is normal and welcome, and your practitioner holds it calmly. We close every session gently, with time for things to settle before you leave.
What if nothing happens?
Sometimes a session is quiet, and the movement comes later, in the days after. And sometimes the honest answer is that this isn’t the right approach for your question. If we think so, we’ll say so. You’re never locked into a course.
How many sessions will I need?
Some people come for one piece of work; others return over time. There is no set course. You decide as you go.
How long is a session?
Fifty minutes, and that is the standard across the practice whoever you work with. Listening therapy is the exception, because it runs as short daily sessions at home over several weeks rather than as one appointment.
How much does it cost?
Prices differ by the kind of session and by the practitioner, so each one carries its own. Choose a practitioner and the price is shown before you book anything.
How do I pay?
When your session is arranged you choose. Pay now, and you follow a payment link and settle it there. Or pay later, and the payment instructions come to you by email afterwards. Payment is by bank transfer, and if you’re outside the EU you can pay by card instead, which carries a 4% surcharge.
Will my insurance or my mutuality pay any of this back?
Usually not. Belgian mutualities don’t reimburse family constellations, and in most cases they don’t reimburse therapy sessions either. Some international insurers do cover therapy, so if your cover is private or international it’s worth asking them what they include before you start.
Can I book a particular practitioner?
Yes, and naming them when you write is the quickest way. You choose the person rather than being assigned whoever is free, and we arrange the time with them from there.
What if the practitioner I want has a waiting list?
You can join it, and their card says so plainly rather than hiding it behind an enquiry. If you’d rather start sooner, say so and we’ll tell you honestly who else offers it.
What if I need to cancel?
You can cancel or move a session up to 48 hours before it starts, and we refund the full fee. Inside 48 hours the fee is due, because the hour was held for you and cannot be offered to anyone else at that notice.
Can I get an invoice?
Yes, for every session, and it’s issued automatically. If you need particular details on it, tell us before the session rather than after.
Which languages can I work in?
Across the practice: English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch and Romanian. Each practitioner's own languages are on their card, and we work in your first language wherever we can, because the words for this live there.
Do you work in my time zone?
We’re in Brussels, and for private sessions we set the hour to suit you rather than us. Working across time zones is ordinary here rather than a favour.
What do I need for an online session?
A device with a camera, a steady connection, headphones if you have them, and somewhere you will not be interrupted for the hour. Nothing to install beyond what you already use.
Where are you in Brussels?
Boulevard Charlemagne 28, 1000 Brussels, a short walk from Schuman. In-person sessions are by arrangement.
Notes
What a session is like, and who it is for
Three short notes for before you book: what to expect, how to prepare, and coming as a couple.
Sessions
about 3 minutes
How to prepare for a session
Three sentences are enough preparation for a family constellations session. A psychotherapist explains which three, and what to leave out.
Read more
Sessions
about 4 minutes
Constellations for couples, and why you can come on your own
What couples bring me, what happens in a constellation about a relationship, and why you can come on your own when your partner does not want to.
Read moreNot sure who or what is the right match for you? You’re welcome to write before deciding anything, with a question of your own.
What are you looking for?
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Your message reaches our practice coordinator, who passes it to the right practitioner.
Find what works for you
Online anywhere, or in person in Brussels. If you already know which session you want, book it. If you do not, ask us and we will work it out with you.
See the kinds of sessionLooking for a different path?
Listening therapy The Safe and Sound Protocol, a listening programme we offer alongside sessions, for adults and children. Family constellations What a constellation actually is, what happens in a session, and who runs them here. Prefer to start in a group? A workshop is a gentle first step into constellations, online or in Brussels. Thinking of training as a facilitator? The full facilitator training at EISEC, taught by the people behind this practice.
Scope and safety
The right support at the right time
Sessions support change in how you live, relate and decide. They sit alongside medical and psychological care, and they do not replace it.
If you are in crisis right now, or you are having thoughts of harming yourself, please turn first to your doctor, to a crisis line where you live, or to the emergency services. If you are being treated for a psychiatric condition, or you have questions about medication, that care belongs with your prescriber, and our sessions can run alongside it.
If you are unsure where to start, ask us. We will tell you honestly whether this is the right support for you now.