You won't see them if you come to the office but they fill the space: the hundreds of personal and family histories my clients have confided in me during more than a decade of working as a family and couples mediator at the Olga Spitzer Foundation in Paris.

It is for them, and for you, that I decided to create « Ponts à Paroles / Building Bridges With Words » to better respond to troubled family relationships. My approach combines the tools and goals of mediation and therapy: mediation, oriented towards decision-making and therapy, aimed at the relationship.

Born and raised in New York City, coming to Europe had always been my dream. Opportunity knocked when I was offered a short-term consulting position at UNESCO in Paris. That position led to a six-month mission in Latin America.

I returned to Paris, this time as a student. France was bit by bit becoming my adopted country. I was learning to navigate between two cultures, an experience that I now use to help those in a similar situation.

Before being able to help other people, I discovered that I needed to seek out help for myself. A time of deep personal introspection that I couldn't do alone. Meetings with some remarkable people led me to the conclusion that my life's work would be dedicated to helping others.

Being told that I was an attentive and understanding listener, enjoying problem-solving, passionate about human psychology led me to family mediation and therapy. It was only the beginning of what has become an unending exploration of what it means to be human.

Karine ziegler