Filippos Gkekis
Physiotherapist, Psychologist – Psychotherapist
Εμπνευστής του Reconnect Therapy
From a young age, through difficult experiences, I learnt that pain is not just a burden, but can also become a “gift”: bringing to the surface our essence, our talents, our resilience. This way of viewing pain also shaped my values: contribution, authenticity, deep connection, simplicity, joy, harmony, continuous evolution.
I started as a physiotherapist, working for years with people “on the bed of pain”. I soon saw that there are also invisible wounds – emotional, relational, existential – which often determine how we experience our bodies too. This led me to change career, study Psychology and train in psychotherapy.
Today I offer individual and group psychotherapy sessions, bridging body–mind–relationships.
I frequently work with:
- Stories of trauma and repeating difficult experiences
- Relationships that lead to vicious cycles of conflict or detachment
- People with many interests and/or high demands on themselves, who feel exhausted, confused or “stuck”
- Anxiety, over-arousal, psychosomatics and chronic pain
- Issues of self-esteem, shame, guilt
How I work
I believe that therapy is simple – not easy, but simple – when the therapist is able to synthesise approaches according to each person's needs. Having trained in different schools of psychotherapy (cognitive analytic psychotherapy, systemic psychotherapy, EMDR trauma therapy, emotion-focused therapy, body-oriented gestalt psychotherapy), I organise the “chaos” of your experience with you into something more understandable and manageable.
My goal is not only to reduce symptoms, but to enable you to stand in life with more calm, clarity and meaning – to reconnect with yourself, your people and your existence as a whole.
We might be a good fit if…
- You want to see your pain also as a potential source of strength and growth.
- You are tired of “enduring everything” and are looking for a space where you can show up as you are, without roles.
- You feel that the time has come to set clearer boundaries, priorities and direction in your life.
From a very early age and through difficult personal experiences, I realised that pain is not a burden at all, but rather what can bring our talents and essence to the surface, make us more resilient and help us evolve. And so I saw pain as a «gift», as a series of pleasant surprises!
This gift, therefore, shaped my values, which guided me and continue to guide me in all facets of my life.
Offering and care, authenticity stemming from deep communication and connection, the will for wellbeing, enjoyment and joy, harmony, continuous evolution and achievement form the filter for my decisions and choices, both on a personal and professional level.
At the age of fifteen, the figure of a physiotherapist offering his services to a little girl with a motor disability showed me the way of how I could also express all these values, and pass them on in the future.
So I studied physiotherapy at the ATEI of Athens and specialised in manual therapy, as well as other methods. I offered my services in various structures and collaborative schemes, as well as in the private physiotherapy practice I ran in Kifissia for years.
My daily contact and communication with dozens of people on beds of suffering taught me that a physiotherapist's hands cannot heal all wounds. There are also invisible wounds, which cannot be felt by hand, the healing of which is sometimes capable of healing visible ones too.
I therefore found myself studying not only the body as a machine, but also the thoughts, behaviour and emotions of the people I came into contact with. My need for knowledge in the science of psychology led me to the relevant department at Panteion University.
I dedicated myself to studying methods, theories and techniques aimed at bringing about desired changes in people's lives and empowering them in the face of any demanding situation life brings.
I believe in lifelong learning. I believe that we all deserve a better and happier life, being fully connected with ourselves, the people who make up our immediate environment, and society as a whole.
I also believe that we all deserve access to healthcare services. I am moved when people overcome the barriers that divide them and come closer, when they free themselves from their fears, and when they discover the best version of themselves.
The triad «Heal. Connect. Triumph.» which encompasses the concept of synthesis, is the pillar of my work as a psychotherapist. It is the «tool» that can help everyone open those curious «gifts» full of positive surprises that life brings.
It is what commits me to remaining dedicated to my service to humanity, to continuous personal development, and to the value and necessity of transcending limits when guided by a better tomorrow for us all.
Σας καλωσορίζω λοιπόν να συνεργαστούμε και να συμπορευτούμε σε ένα ταξίδι γεμάτο πίστη, φροντίδα, ενσυναίσθηση, γλυκύτητα, ηρεμία, βαθιά και ουσιαστική επικοινωνία και σύνδεση, σε ένα ασφαλές περιβάλλον γεμάτο σεβασμό και να ξεπεράσουμε μαζί εμπόδια και φόβους, ώστε να επιτύχουμε αυτό που ονομάζω νόημα της ζωής και είναι το Reconnect, η ΕπαναΣύνδεση!
My Approach
I now believe that therapy is simple (and I don't mean easy!), as long as the therapist knows how to combine and apply the therapeutic approaches that each individual client needs. After all, that is what gives it value!
Having delved deeply into many schools of thought, I am able to easily organise information, whether at the level of therapy or training, because I can easily focus on the common factors and the specific needs of each person, saving time and precious energy and thus leading the client from chaos to organisation and ultimately to liberation!
Degrees / Certifications in Physiotherapy
(scholarship in the first year and degree grade 8.42)
of Physiotherapists Manual Therapists
(OMT Kaltenborn-Evjenth International).
of Physiotherapists Manual Therapists
(OMT Kaltenborn-Evjenth International).
Myotherapy College of Utah
Degrees / Certifications in Psychology
The European Board of NLP
Department of Psychology (degree grade 8.97)
«The relation between basic science and clinical analysis and intervention:
behavioural excess and reinforcement processes»,
University of Crete in collaboration with EABA
(European Association for Behaviour Analysis).
Attica General Hospital «Sismanogleio»
as a delegate in numerous conferences
University of the Aegean
«Training of Adult Educators»,
by the Centre for Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning (K.E.DI.VI.M.) of Panteion University
Training in psychotherapy and counselling
psychotherapy, Hellenic Society for Cognitive
Analytic Psychotherapy.
coaching (1,100 hours), University of the Aegean.
Gestalt psychotherapy, Diodos.
Panteion University, Athens
psychotherapy at the Laboratory for the Study of Human
Relations
«Positive Psychology», by the Centre of Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning (K.E.DI.VI.M.) of Panteion
University.
couple therapy) at AKMA
(Athens Center for Humanistic Studies)
- Member of the Hellenic Systemic Therapy Association - ΕΛΕΣΥΘ
- Member of SEPS (Association of Greek Psychologists)
- Full member of the Panhellenic Association for Cognitive Analytic Psychotherapy
- Psychologist licence to practise
- Member of the Hellenic EFT (Emotion Focused Therapy) Network
- Co-author of a book (collective work) entitled “Loss of a Significant Other», Papazisis Publications