Welcome to

    ergo-in-action

    ergo-in-action focuses on you and your ability to manage your everyday activities. The goal is to be able to shape your life independently again. In this way, you make a positive contribution to your health and quality of life. The treatment focus of ergo-in-action is the field of psychiatry with a focus on diagnoses: anxiety and depression disorders, phobias, ADHD (adolescents and adults), addictions and dementia.

    Every water has its source, every tree its root.

    Every water has its source, every tree its root.

    Every water has its source, every tree its root.

    Isabelle McDermott-Ferber

    Certified occupational therapist HF
    Working in the profession for 29 years

    Portrait

    Isabelle McDermott-Ferber

    I trained as an occupational therapist in London, UK, where I lived for 18 years. My field of work in the urban and multicultural City of London was in all areas of psychiatry (child and adolescent and geriatric psychiatry including emergency psychiatry and case management).
    Other fields of work were palliative care and neurology.
    Since 2003 I have been living in Switzerland again and have been working in psychiatry.
    My further training includes cognitive behavioral therapy, family therapy (City University, London, UK) and “Core Process Psychotherapy” (Karuna Institute, Devon, UK).
    Other professional mainstays in my life have been acting, language teaching and being a Montessori teacher.
    I am passionate about literature, acting and the visual arts, especially photography.
    I am currently training to become a poetry- and bibliotherapist.

    Therapy offer

    Information for the patient

    Why

    A mental illness often leads to a restriction of autonomy in the private and professional everyday life of the sufferer. People lose their ability to cope with their everyday lives and maintain their relationships.

    What

    Together we will work out your remaining but buried resources.
    The aim is to be able to cope with your personal, school and/or professional “everyday life” independently again.

    The main areas of therapy are:

    • Daily structure including a healthy sleep pattern
    • Pending household or work tasks
    • Leisure activities
    • Social and relational skills
    • Stress management

    How

    Together we do an assessment and set clear, achievable goals. We develop solution strategies to achieve the goals and implement these strategies in discussions and practical exercises.

    Where

    In the practice room at Weinbergstrasse 24 on the fourth floor, in 8001 Zurich. The treatments can also take place at the patient’s home, or possibly at the workplace.

    How long

    As a rule, the sessions last 60 to 90 minutes and a therapy block is 9 sessions. These blocks can be extended up to 3 times.

    Tariffs

    The sessions are covered by your basic health insurance (‘Grundversicherung’) with a doctor’s prescription from the general practitioner or psychiatrist.

    You have to get up to live before you sit down to write.

    Additional therapy offer

    Poetry- and Bibliotherapy

    Therapy offer

    Poetry-and bibliotherapy is an integrative creative therapy for the treatment of mental and psychosomatic illnesses. The therapy is used for self-awareness, development of personality, coping with life situations and improving the quality of life.
    The therapeutic process consists of experiencing literature together or reading and designing one’s own texts. Both become the subject of therapeutic discourse.

    Personal background

    I was particularly strengthened by reading and writing after the loss of my son, who died at the age of only 16. I had a strong need to understand his death, to get my everyday life back under control despite chaotic feelings, to be heard and supported and to go into the future with a positive feeling.

    I was so convinced of this kind of support that I started training as a poetry and bibliotherapist myself. So I can also offer this creative therapy with my clients in my practice with full conviction.

    Information for doctors

    Indication

    • In the case of reduced ability to act in private and professional everyday life
    • To prevent a hospital stay
    • For reintegration after a hospital stay

    Doctor’s prescription

    Occupational therapy treatment is a compulsory benefit of the basic health insurance (‘Grundversicherung’) or social security. The patient needs a prescription from the general practitioner or specialist for 9 therapy sessions. These blocks can be extended 3 times.

    Where

    In the practice room at Weinbergstrasse 24 on the fourth floor, in 8001 Zurich. The treatments can alsotake place at the patient’s home or possibly at the workplace.

    Therapy

    • Holistic needs assessment of the ability to manage in everyday life (focus on daily structure, including sleep hygiene, stress management)
    • Reactivating leisure activities into the daily life
    • Processing of pending issues
    • Relationship skills in the private and professional environment
    • Common Objective
    • Development of solution strategies to achieve the set goals
    • Implementation of these strategies via conversations, practical exercises and coping strategies

    Contact

    Close cooperation is ensured. I look forward to hearing from you and co-working with you.

    Contact

    Postal address
    Isabelle McDermott-Ferber
    ergo-in-action
    Mythenstrasse 10
    8610 Uster

    Practice
    Isabelle McDermott-Ferber
    ergo-in-action
    Weinbergstrasse 24
    4th floor
    8001 Zürich

    isabellemcdermott-ferber@evs-hin.ch
    079 931 28 38

    This contact form is deactivated because you refused to accept Google reCaptcha service which is necessary to validate any messages sent by the form.

    Links

    www.ergotherapie.ch
    Swiss Association of Occupational Therapists

    www.vask.ch
    Association of Relatives of the Mentally Ill

    www.promentesana.ch
    for mental health

    www.procap.ch
    been advocating for people with disabilities for over 90 years