Psychological Support

Licensed Psychologist University of Geneva

PhD(c) Maria Veronica Cuomo

About

I am a psychologist based in Zurich (CH), holding a Licentiate degree in Psychology from the University of Geneva, with a focus on developmental and intercultural psychology. I also completed postgraduate training in Gyneco-Psychiatry at the Universidad Favaloro in Buenos Aires (ARG). 

My approach integrates systemic theory, humanistic psychology, and biographical methods, allowing a holistic understanding of each individual’s emotional, relational, and life context. 

I consider the human being an interconnected whole, recognizing the dynamic relationship between emotions, the nervous and immune systems, hormonal balance, and personal history. This integrative view provides the foundation for understanding behavior and guiding effective therapeutic support. 

I offer a safe, structured, and confidential space where you can explore, process, and overcome everyday challenges and mental health concerns toward greater emotional balance and well-being.

Services

I offer Psychological Support Sessions (PSS) in three modalities designed to address both specific situations and timely needs, ensuring flexibility and relevance of care. All sessions and materials are available in English, French, Spanish, Italian, and German.

PSS During Waiting List (DWL)

This service is intended for individuals experiencing significant psychological distress or holding an established psychiatric diagnosis, who are currently awaiting inpatient admission or outpatient psychiatric treatment.

In the Canton of Zurich, this waiting period can extend for months—a challenging time in which patients and their families often struggle to access appropriate support, frequently limited to sporadic emergency interventions. 

Research indicates that prolonged waiting times in mental health care are associated with clinical deterioration (Reichert, 2018), and reduced engagement and treatment motivation (Punton et al., 2022), increasing psychological distress (Gagliardi, 2021).

In this context, I provide a consistent therapeutic space that helps patients cope with symptoms, stress, and potential conflict escalation. These sessions offer psychological guidance and containment while preparing the individual for upcoming treatment, facilitating a smoother, less overwhelming transition once or hospitalization begins. 

While not a substitute for clinical care, PSS-DWL aims to relieve the burden of waiting and transform this phase into a constructive and supportive period, rather than one passively endured. 
It is designed as a temporary bridge, accompanying patients and/or families until admission or between hospitalizations.

PSS Immediate Access (IA)

This modality responds to the subjective urgency of starting a therapeutic process without unnecessary delay due only to the psychologist’s availability. It offers an immediate, structured response to a patient’s request at a sensitive moment, not necessarily as crisis intervention, but as timely access to psychological care when motivation and readiness are high. 

I provide a prompt first consultation (usually within two business days) and flexible scheduling, including options outside regular office hours, to ensure timely support. 

PSS-IA sessions may remain short-term and solution-focused, or evolve into regular therapy, depending on the individual’s needs and goals.

PSS Regular (RS)

Regularly scheduled sessions are organized around collaboratively defined therapeutic goals, offering flexibility while maintaining direction and consistency. 
They may serve preventive, supportive, or restorative purposes, helping anticipate difficulties, consolidate progress, and strengthen resilience in daily life.
Regular sessions can also facilitate early detection for more complex or underlying mental health concerns.

Therapeutic
Focus

My practice combines academic background and clinical experience in psychology and gyneco-psychiatry, bridging developmental, intercultural, and maternal mental health perspectives. It aims to provide patients with practical, evidence-based, and solution-oriented guidance.

Key Focus Areas

Patient Support During Waiting Periods

Psychoeducation and emotional management during treatment delays. Fostering resilience and continuity of care, helping prevent symptom deterioration.

Parent Support

Guidance for parents accompanying their child during pre-admission phases, ADHD-related challenges, and transitional developmental stages.

ADHD Support

Offer personalized guidance for individuals across different ages living with an ADHD diagnosis or facing suspected ADHD-related difficulties.

Reproductive and Maternal Health

Support across reproductive experiences—from challenges of infertility, reproductive failure, and miscarriage to the natural transitions of pregnancy, postpartum adjustment, and motherhood. Couple care is offered throughout, addressing treatment-related stress, loss, and evolving relational dynamics.

Life Transitions

Assistance with difficulties arising from life changes—loss, illness, stress, burnout, separation, or other non-pathological challenges.

Expatriation & Cross-Cultural Support

Addressing psychological challenges of relocation, cultural shock, adaptation, and identity transitions in expatriates and their families, while fostering cultural awareness.

Ethical &
Professional Standards

They define the boundaries that safeguard both patient autonomy and professional responsibility.

Code of Ethics

As a graduate psychologist from the University of Geneva, my practice follows the Swiss Code of Ethics in Psychology, ensuring:
  • Respect for patient dignity 
  • Absolute confidentiality 
  • Clear professional boundaries 
  • Ethical responsibility
My commitment is to provide safe, trustworthy, and ethically sound support, always placing the individual’s well-being and autonomy at the center of care.

Principle of “Nähe-Distanz” in the Therapeutic Relationship

A defining aspect of my work is the “Nähe-Distanz” (proximity–distance) principle, which emphasizes empathic, supportive presence while maintaining professional boundaries that ensure a safe therapeutic framework.

This balance fosters trust, authenticity, and emotional safety, respecting both the patient’s need for closeness and the psychologist’s responsibility for objectivity and containment.

Statement of Positionality

As part of my ethical transparency, I acknowledge that my perspective is shaped not only by academic and clinical training but also by personal expatriation, intercultural living, motherhood, and accompanying a child with a severe mental health condition through recovery. These life experiences deepen my empathy and inform a practice grounded in authenticity, humility, cultural awareness, and sensitivity.

Referral Policy

If symptoms suggesting a severe mental disorder requiring psychiatric care are identified during PSS, patients will be informed verbally and in writing and referred accordingly.

Qualifications

  • Licentiate Degree in Psychology, University of Geneva (CH) 
  • Postgraduate Training in Gyneco-Psychiatry, Universidad Favaloro (ARG) 
  • Continuing Education in ADHD, University of Geneva (CH)
  • Support and Coaching for Artists and Creatives
  • Clinical Experience:
    • HUG – Hôpital de Belle-Idée (Neuropsychiatry, Geneva, CH)
    • Perinatal & Neonatal Mental Health, Lugano Hospital (CH)
    • Day-Care Center for Severe Psychopathologies (URU) 
  • Private Practice in Gyneco-Psychiatry, Montevideo (URU) 
  • Cross-Cultural Training & Psychological Support for Expatriates, Santiago de Chile (CL)

Terms

Format: Online or home visits (on demand)
Fee: Starting from CHF 140 for a 45-minute session (depending on duration, frequency, and modality)
Payment: Advance payment required at least 48 hours before the session (Twint, Revolut, or bank transfer)
Cancellation: Sessions canceled more than 24 hours in advance can be rescheduled at no cost. Cancellations with less than 24 hours’ notice or no-shows are non-refundable.
Insurance: Private practice. Depending on the insurer and complementary coverage, up to 80% may be reimbursed. Patients must verify eligibility. Not covered by basic insurance.
Disclaimer: PSS are not a substitute for psychiatric or psychotherapeutic treatment but can be coordinated with physicians, psychiatrists, or psychotherapists when appropriate.

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