Olivia Streater
Online and in person, based in Basel, Switzerland.
I work with autistic, ADHD and neurodivergent adults, including those who are late-diagnosed or self-identified, as well as teenagers and children. Many of my clients come to therapy experiencing chronic stress, masking fatigue, anxiety, or a sense of losing themselves after years of adapting to environments that were not designed for them.
I also support LGBTQ+ and trans clients, parents of neurodivergent children, and adults navigating complex trauma, identity questions, and major life transitions.
For clients who find it helpful, therapy can include creative and embodied ways of working, such as movement, imagery, or symbolic expression, alongside reflective conversation as well as EMDR.
I offer both online therapy and in-person sessions in Basel, Switzerland.
About Me and How I Work
I am an AuDHD therapist with a deep commitment to neuro-affirming, non-pathologising therapy. My work is shaped by my lived experience, my background in dance movement therapy and counselling, and by years of engagement with human rights and legal advocacy, which inform my awareness of power, access, and systemic harm within therapeutic spaces. I believe that, within the safety of the therapeutic frame, therapy should adapt to the person and not the other way around.
I work in a collaborative, person-centred way, valuing autonomy, choice, consent, pacing, and clarity. Sessions may be reflective, structured, creative, or body-based, depending on what supports you best. I am particularly attentive to sensory needs, nervous system regulation, and the impact of systemic and minority stress, including linguistic trauma (the psychological harm that can arise when a person’s language, accent, or way of communicating has been suppressed or devalued, especially for those living in countries other than their place of origin).
Many people come to dance movement therapy with the assumption that they will be expected to do something physically, or feeling unsure about whether movement will be required. In my work, talking therapy is fully central and always available. Creative or embodied approaches are offered as options rather than expectations, and we move at a pace that feels safe and appropriate for you.
I work both verbally and non-verbally, according to each client’s preferences and needs, and I do not place spoken language at the top of a hierarchy of expression. Movement, imagery, silence, gesture, and creative processes are equally valid ways of making meaning. My aim is to create a therapy space where clients feel safe to unmask, explore identity, and build sustainable ways of living that honour their neurodivergence.
Qualifications and Professional Experience
I am trained in dance movement therapy, psychomotor therapy and counselling, and EMDR, with a strong trauma-informed and neuro-affirming foundation. My professional background includes work in therapeutic, educational, and community settings with autistic and ADHD children, adolescents, and adults.
My approach is integrative and informed by person-centred counselling, phenomenological and experiential approaches, embodiment-based practice, trauma-informed care, and systems-aware perspectives. I have undertaken extensive body-based psychotherapy training, including dance movement therapy, EMDR, and related somatic approaches, with a particular focus on dissociation and addiction. This training has been shaped by the work of practitioners and researchers including Dr Jamie Marich, Professor Christine Caldwell, and Professor Sabine Koch.
I am registered as an Art Therapist (Dance and Movement) with GPK (in Switzerland) and am a foreign member of the British Association of Dance Movement Psychotherapy (ADMP-UK). I completed my EMDR training through the Institute of Creative Mindfulness. I previously worked within the NHS in East London, alongside body-oriented therapists whose work has pioneered the application of body-oriented psychotherapy with people experiencing severe mental illness.
I have published on trauma and dance movement therapy, and my MA research received academic recognition for its contribution to the field.
My clinical practice is supervised across both dance movement psychotherapy and EMDR. I continue to receive regular supervision to support reflective practice. I engage in ongoing continuing professional development, including specific training related to working affirmatively with transgender and gender-diverse children, adolescents, and adults. I maintain professional indemnity insurance and practise in accordance with professional and ethical standards. I am openly AuDHD and affirm self-diagnosis as valid.
Next Steps
If you are considering starting therapy, you are very welcome to get in touch.
I offer an initial contact by email to explore whether working together feels like a good fit. An initial hour on Zoom, or a shorter conversation by phone, is also possible. Sessions are available online and in person in Basel, Switzerland. I aim to reply within a few working days.
You can contact me via:
Email: olivia.streater@movementtherapych.com
Website: www.oliviastreater.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClaimYourFree/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliviastreater/
Sessions are charged at CHF 170 per session.
A limited number of cheaper or pro-bono slots are available.
Reduced-frequency or short-term work may be discussed depending on availability.
Short-term (an initial 15 sessions) support may be available for those based in Basel, Switzerland who have experienced coercive control, domestic violence or other crimes.
I do not currently take complementary Swiss healthcare insurance but please check back towards the end of 2026 on this.
Details can be shared when you get in touch.