About Crescendo Counselling
About Me
I'm Sadie (they/them), the human behind Crescendo Counselling.
I proudly identify as queer, neurodiverse, non-binary, and non-monogamous, and I am a musical and creative being.
Beyond my professional endeavours, I am an engaged member of numerous music and creative communities in Berlin. I started playing the saxophone when I was young and this instilled in me the power of music for healing.
I understand that seeking support and findinding the right mental health professional is vulnerable and can be daunting, scary, challenging. Oftentimes people think there is something wrong with them or they have to have a “good” reason to seek support, but it doesn't have to be this way. Having been through my own healing journeys and working in this field, one of the most powerful parts of counselling is having a space where all of your parts can be seen and held in a supportive, affirming way, where someone else can help you carry and sort through your life experiences. Seeking support takes bravery and courage and I am honoured to walk this path with you.
My professional narrative is deeply rooted in clinical social work, human rights, advocacy, and music therapy, spanning over a decade of experiences within hospitals, residential homes, and community outreach programs. In that time, I worked with addiction treatment and recovery, human trafficking victims, and at-risk youth.
Presently, my focus lies in enhancing mental health care and support for the queer community, particularly those who have felt overlooked by traditional mental health services.
How I Work with Folks
Recognizing that mental health and counselling are deeply personal journeys, I approach each individual with reverence for their unique experiences, challenges, and strengths. This is why I integrate various therapy modalities to meet you where you are and provide support that resonates with your needs.
Guided by principles of intersectionality, trauma-informed care, strengths-based therapy, harm reduction, guided imagery and music, and systemic therapy, I craft counselling interventions tailored to your holistic well-being.
As humans we carry with us so many parts of ourselves, and all these parts of ourselves interact differently with the world around us. Intersectionality gives us the ability to see people as whole and an understanding of how systemic structures impact us differently. For me trauma informed care is the recognition that trauma is a part of all of us, and that trauma is a soul shaking experience.
To care for our trauma is to tend to the needs of our soul.
“I had never met them in person before our first session together. I immediately felt extremely comfortable with them. They're calm and open, they're present, available, they radiate empathy”
The Logistics
I offer two ways to receive counselling:
- In-person sessions in Berlin
- Online sessions to global clients
For clients residing outside of Europe, I accommodate appointments across international time zones—reach out, and let's find a time that suits you.
I offer an initial session at no cost, providing an opportunity for us to connect and discern if we're a good match.
Fees
As a private-pay clinician, I am unable to accept health insurance. In my commitment to accessibility, I offer a sliding scale fee structure tailored to individual comfort levels.
Individual sessions range from 60€ to 100€, with 80€ as the median fee. For partners, families, and clusters (polycules), the sliding scale spans from 100€ to 140€ per session, with 120€ as the median.
You decide where you fit on the scale and if you are unsure we discuss it together. Click on the image to read all the details.
60 EUR
- I frequently stress about my basic needs
- I am underemployed, or unemployed
- I receive arbeitslosengeld, or hertz4
- I rely on community finical support.
- Without solidarity I can not access counselling
80 EUR
- I may stress about my basic needs but still achieve them
- I am employed
- I have some expendable income
- I am able to buy some new things and take vacation
- I can pay the regular price
100 EUR
- I meet all of my basic needs
- I am full time employed or do not work to meet my needs
- I have expendable income and can buy new things
- I can take multiple vacations in a year
- I want to pay more to support others in an act of solidarity
*Basic Needs includes food, housing, transportation.
**Expendable income may mean you are able to go to cares, movies, concerts, new clothes, books or similar in a month.
Adapted from Alexis J. Cunningfolk
Session Lengths
- Individual sessions: 50 minutes
- Partnership/family/clusters (polycule) sessions: 1 hour
- Group sessions vary but generally run between 1.5 to 2.5 hours.
Professional Credentials and Education
- Registered Counsellor with the Verband Freier Psychotherapeuten, Heilpraktiker für Psychotherapie und Psychologischer Berater e.V. in Berlin, Germany,
- Registered Social Worker in the Province of Ontario, Canada with the Ontario College of Social Work and Social Service Workers
- Masters of Arts: Social Work as a Human Rights Professions
- Masters Thesis: The Lived Experiences of Polyamours Families
- Bachelor's Degree in Clinical Social Work with a minor in music therapy
- Level 2 trainee of the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music
- I pursue yearly professional development and continuing education.