Counselling for life across cultures.

Berlin-based cognitive behavioural counsellor with a neuroscience research background. During my PhD, I used EEG—electroencephalogram, a method to record the brain’s spontaneous electrical activity—to study emotional processing in clinical populations, and eye-tracking to examine how infants and mothers process social cues. Now I bring that understanding of how the brain works under stress into my clinical practice.

I work with professionals and leaders navigating major life transitions—relocation, career shifts, identity change, burnout. When you’re caught between where you came from and where you’re going, clarity becomes possible.

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About

A researcher who sits with people, not just data.

I work with professionals and leaders navigating major life transitions—career shifts, relocation, identity shifts. When you're overwhelmed, good decisions disappear and emotions won't cooperate with your thinking. My work in neurocognitive behavioural research helps me see the patterns underneath—and how to move through them. Starting over is harder than it looks.

I've lived and worked across Taiwan, the UK, the USA, France, Belgium, and Germany. I know the weight of starting over in a place that doesn't yet know you. That's why I'm here.

Approach

Two practices, one integrated frame.

I combine Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) with an understanding of how culture and experience shape your nervous system. Your thinking patterns aren't universal, they're shaped by where you come from and where you are now. That gap is where the work happens.

Method 01

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Practical work to identify the thought patterns driving your day and build ones that survive pressure..

Notice automatic thoughts that trigger stress and anxiety
Learn tools that work under overwhelm, not just in calm
Move from reactive to structured thinking

Method 02

Neurocognitive Insight

Understand the architecture of your own mind—the defences you've built, the patterns you repeat, why you sabotage yourself. This isn't surface-level awareness. It's analytical work grounded in how your brain actually functions.

Identify the recurring patterns that limit you
Understand the logic behind your defences—they made sense once
See how past adaptations now work against you
Build new responses from genuine understanding, not willpower

What I work with

The patterns people bring.

Most clients come carrying a few of these at once. We work with what is loudest first, then move outward.

Career transitions

Job changes, visa stress, the in-between of leaving one professional identity before the next has fully arrived.

ii.

Burnout

The slow erosion that comes from trying to keep up with two cultures, two languages, two sets of expectations.

iii.

Anxiety & overwhelm

The body that will not settle, the mind that keeps running scenarios, the everyday tasks that have started to feel heavy.

iv.

Attachment & loss

The grief of distance from people you love, and the patterns of relating that travel with you wherever you go.

Identity across cultures

Who you are in your mother tongue, who you become in another. The work of holding both without choosing.

vi.

Trauma

Working at a pace your nervous system can actually meet, with care for what is still tender.

Research & teaching

A practice grounded in cognitive science.

My counselling draws from a research background in cognitive psychology and neuroscience. I co-founded the EmoLeaders project (Berlin University Alliance), exploring how leaders navigate difficult situations across cultural and gender lines. Research and clinical work inform each other—they have to

Fang Yang teaching: self-worth, ambition, pressure

Emoleaders Workshop, 2025 · Photography by Shabnam Tavoosi

Voices

From people who have sat in this room.

A few words from clients about the work, in their own. Names and details lightly changed for privacy.

“

我和楊博士合作將近兩年了。她不僅耐心傾聽，也非常專業，且對 LGBTQ+ 族群友善，讓我一直感到被尊重與安心。她總能幫助我在層層迷霧中找出方向，在千絲萬縷的紛亂思緒中理出一條我未曾察覺的光明。很感謝她的陪伴與支持，讓我重新找回心理上的平衡與力量。 I’ve been working with Dr. Yang for nearly two years. She is patient, highly professional, and LGBTQ+ friendly, always making me feel respected and safe. She helps me find direction through confusion and untangle complex thoughts into clarity. I’m truly grateful for her support, which has helped me regain balance and inner strength.

Dr. C, Sam · German x Austria

“

What I did not expect was someone who actually understood the cultural piece. Most therapists I tried wanted me to just adapt. Fang made room for the part of me that is still very much from somewhere else.

J., Researcher · UK

“

Practical, warm, and deeply informed. The CBT work was structured enough to give me traction, and the cultural conversations gave me language for things I had been carrying for years.

L., Freelancer · USA x Taiwan

FAQ

A few honest answers.

Where are sessions held?

Online via secure video, sessions run 50 minutes.

How long does therapy usually take?

It varies. Some clients come for a focused six to twelve sessions around a specific transition, others stay longer for deeper work. We talk about pacing openly.

Do you work with insurance?

I work as a private counsellor, so sessions are paid directly.

How do we start?

Ready to take the next step toward a balanced and fulfilling life in Berlin? We start with a short form, then a 20-minute introduction call (30 euros, online) so the time is actually useful.