“The best way to take care of the future and free yourself from the past is to focus on the present moment.”

Thích Nhất Hạnh

My name is Dorian Hartlaub and I am a clinical psychologist, counselor and therapist for well-being, mental health and relationship issues.

Psychology is a very effective tool for promoting well-being and mental health, as long as it is done through a process of personal growth and self-awareness. Supporting people in their personal growth, assisting them in their self-awareness and with their relationships, and especially helping them overcome difficult periods in their lives, has always motivated me. Finding ways to combat psychological problems and understanding how to stimulate the life path of people seeking help to a freer, more balanced and happier life is the reason I decided to devote myself to psychology.

My journey in this field began way before I started my academic studies. I took my first steps in my own process of self-awareness and personal growth. My personal affinity to ancient teachings led me to train with more traditional teachers who introduced me to meditation techniques that originated from various Eastern traditions such as Taoism and Buddhism. In this context, I also began to explore mindfulness, yoga and qigong, which later led me to train as a yoga teacher. Eventually, I took advantage of the academic and scientific environment to study psychology and research these techniques scientifically. I have since been studying interventions adapted for clinical settings based on meditation and mindfulness practices. During my graduate studies, I began to specialize in teaching mindfulness-based approaches.

Eventually, I started studying clinical and organizational psychology at Goethe University in Frankfurt and Complutense University in Madrid (graduating in 2014). During this time and in the following years, I also trained in counseling and psychology-based coaching techniques. I’ve studied methods of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and the Third Wave, have explored psychodynamic approaches, have been introduced to techniques of applied Positive Psychology and learned to combine all of them with approaches of Transpersonal Psychology. I was fortunate to gain experience working with groups and individuals in several countries in Europe and Asia. I decided to specialize at an academic level by completing a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology at Goethe University in Frankfurt (2017; also recognized by the Spanish Ministry of Health in 2022 and qualifying me to work as a counselor and therapist in the health sector).

Interestingly, however, after completing my Master’s degree, I started off my professional career applying my psychological knowledge in organizations. For a period of five years I worked in a company in Germany, where I held a position that allowed me to learn about the corporate world. My responsibilities included the selection and training of future managers. I was also involved in human resource development and coaching, offering group and individual sessions on leadership, soft skills, and mental health. At the same time, I started a research project at the Goethe University in Frankfurt in which I am investigating mindfulness-based interventions. In addition, I have been treating clients who have problems with their well-being and mental health for some time now. During the pandemic in 2020, I changed my life fundamentally by turning Madrid little by little into my new home-base. I have since been working much more online with my clients, giving both individual and group sessions online.

My personal understanding and experience as a psychologist has taught me that psychological well-being and mental health must be treated holistically, as we experience our lives through our body and mind as a whole. Consequently, therapy or counseling are individual processes of self-awareness, personal growth, and healing. Therefore, I believe that this process is best done from a holistic and multidisciplinary standpoint and is to be adapted to the individual needs of each client. The working method we offer at IPITIA works on this very principle. Patients improve and overcome their psychological adversities through a treatment approach that is based on an individual, integrative and holistic perspective.