You may need more than one thing.

When things are difficult, we often look for the answer. The right book. The right technique. The right advice.

Sometimes, what you need most is to feel less alone. Sometimes, to understand. Sometimes, to make room for what you feel in your body. Sometimes, to learn something no one has ever taught you.

Often, these needs overlap. In different orders. At different times. The support adapts to what helps you today.

Four dimensions of moving forward

In individual sessions, we move between four dimensions: presence, understanding, emotions and practical tools. A session may draw on several of these. We do not try to fit you into a ready-made programme.

1. Feeling less alone

Before understanding or changing anything, you may need one simple thing: to stop carrying it all on your own.

A break-up, bereavement, betrayal or exhaustion. A time when nothing makes sense any more, when you no longer recognise yourself. A difficulty can take up even more space when you have no one to share it with.

You go round in circles. You dwell on things. You feel that no one can really understand. The people close to you try, but they have their own emotions too. They want to reassure you, offer advice and help you out of it. Sometimes, that adds pressure.

In a session, you talk and I am there. First, to hear you. To make room for whatever comes up without asking you to resolve it immediately.

This presence can help you take a step back, breathe a little and make sense of what you are going through. You do not have to feel better to be allowed to talk. Or apologise for needing support.

2. Understanding what is happening

You do not understand why you react this way. Why you cannot move forward. Why it hurts so much. And the uncertainty is exhausting: you search for explanations, judge yourself and compare yourself with others.

Understanding, here, does not mean analysing everything to avoid feeling. It means putting words to what was confusing and recognising a pattern rather than being caught in it.

  • Putting it into words. What was stuck inside your head takes a form we can look at together.
  • Placing it in your story. Your family, culture, upbringing and experiences can shed light on certain reflexes, fears or ways of doing things.
  • Recognising what repeats. We look at how your reactions may once have helped you, and what makes things difficult today.
  • Building an understanding together. I offer possible ways of looking at things and explanations, which we consider in the light of your experience.

Clarity can bring some relief in itself. It also helps you choose what you want to work on, rather than trying to change everything at once.

3. Making room for emotions

Understanding is not always enough. You may know why you are sad, anxious or angry and still feel that way.

Some emotions have been difficult to show. Others have taken up too much space, too quickly. It can be hard to welcome them without feeling overwhelmed, or to recognise them when you have learnt to keep them at a distance.

We make room for them without making you relive them or express them in a particular way. Crying if the tears come. Talking about anger you have held in for a long time. Acknowledging a fear without asking you to make it disappear.

Breathing or grounding exercises may support this work. We look at what helps you stay present and work through what you feel.

When past experiences still weigh on you today, we can explore those too. The pace matters. You do not have to tell everything at once or go beyond your limits for the work to count.

4. Learning new skills

Sometimes, you understand what is wrong but do not know how to do things differently. Set a boundary. Express a need. Be assertive without being aggressive. Accept a compliment. Ask for help.

These difficulties do not mean you are unable to change. Some ways of doing things can be learnt and practised.

I share practical tools suited to your daily life. We can prepare for a conversation, find a way to say no or try a different response to a situation that keeps coming up.

We practise. Knowing that you should set a boundary and finding how to do it at the right moment are two different things.

At first, a new way of acting may feel awkward. We look at what works, where you get stuck and what needs adjusting. You do not have to do an exercise successfully to please me.

What happens in sessions?

In the first session, you tell me what brings you here. I ask questions. We begin to clarify what you are experiencing and what you need.

After that, the work follows what emerges. Sometimes, we talk. Sometimes, we pay attention to your body and sensations. Sometimes, I suggest a tool, a different perspective or a question that challenges you a little. We discuss each suggestion together.

We decide the frequency together. Weekly or fortnightly appointments may be suggested at first, and the pace can then change.

How long the work lasts depends on your situation and goals. We regularly review how useful the sessions are and what comes next.

I offer sessions in Paris and by video. We choose a setting where you can talk and work comfortably.

What I support in individual therapy

  • Relationship crises: a break-up, divorce, being affected by infidelity or a relationship that causes you pain.
  • Difficulties as a couple: when you want to work on yourself, whether or not your partner attends therapy.
  • Sexuality: desire, pain, blocks, pleasure and questions about your intimate life.
  • Exhaustion and stress: overload, burnout and difficulty finding time and energy for yourself again.
  • Anxiety and emotions: when you feel overwhelmed, or very distant from what you feel.
  • Old wounds: traumatic experiences, a difficult childhood and recurring patterns.
  • Life transitions: parenthood, living abroad, a career change or bereavement.

My role: making sense of things and supporting change

I am Scarlett Kaplan, therapist and sex therapist. In individual therapy, I help translate what is happening within you: between what you feel and what you understand, between what you want and what you do.

My aim is to support you in healing what hurts and finding other ways forward. With warmth and a commitment to doing the work.

I take an active role in sessions. I share my observations, ask questions and suggest possibilities. We work together; you remain involved in the decisions that affect you.

How many sessions will I need?

We cannot determine this before starting. A specific difficulty may call for different work from a history that has weighed on you for a long time. We set goals and review things as we go.

Can we work by video?

Yes, I offer online consultations. This allows you to work from home, provided you have somewhere you can speak freely. We check together that this setting suits you.

Can I come about my relationship if my partner does not want therapy?

Yes. You can work on what you are experiencing, your reactions and the decisions that are yours to make. This work does not assume that your partner will join later or make changes on your behalf.

Do I need to understand everything before starting?

No. You can come with a specific question, a difficulty you cannot quite make sense of or simply a feeling that something is wrong. We can start there.