Romy Siegrist, psychologist and sexologist

Since 2017, I have been working as an independent psychologist and sexologist with the SexopraxiS centre. I conduct individual and couple interviews, supervise discussion forums, create workshops and organise cultural events. It's an incredible multidisciplinary workplace, with some very rewarding collaborations. Every month, I write articles on sexuality for Générations magazine and for the DécadréE association's web-magazine, and I regularly appear on Christine Gonzalez's Question Q programme on RTS. I'm also president of the CulturiX association, through which we organise and take part in events to create spaces for discussion about sexuality, intimacy and the body, particularly through cultural and artistic content.

I started studying psychology at the University of Lausanne with a view to becoming a sexologist (in Switzerland, sexology courses are postgraduate courses that you take after obtaining another degree, for example in psychology or medicine). As I'm interested in literature and theatre, I took a minor in Literature, in English. I focused my studies as much as I could on sexology. In my literature courses, I chose seminars where this theme was addressed, or I focused my essays on intimate issues. When I was studying psychology, I did my Bachelor's thesis on masochism. During my Masters in adult psychopathology and clinical psychology, I was able to take optional courses at the University of Geneva in sexology and the couple. Then, for my dissertation, I conducted longitudinal qualitative research on sexuality during the transition to parenthood. At the end of my Masters, I began training in sexoanalysis with the Swiss School of Sexoanalysis. In 2017, I trained in Positive Sexuality, and am in the process of completing the CAS in Clinical Sexology. I have also started a new course in integrative sex therapy given by MediPsy, in order to work in greater depth on my therapeutic skills and know-how.

Yes: I've been working as a freelance stage manager and lighting designer since 2004. I take care of lighting design, set-up and stage management for plays and concerts in French-speaking Switzerland. Although it seems to be a very different profession from psychology, I've learnt skills that are useful for my practice as an independent psychologist-sexologist (listening, patience, mediation, interpersonal skills, concentration, anticipation, rapid decision-making). I like to say that I'm there to try and 'shed some light' on what the person is going through. Some people also see hope in this luminous metaphor. That's why it's always a good idea to ask yourself about the skills you've acquired in all your professional and community experiences, and to make the most of them, even if it doesn't seem obvious to you and you don't know how to do it.

I did my Masters placement with the association Violence Que Faire, where I was employed as a psychologist-respondent, before moving on to work on a commission basis. My work consisted mainly of writing answers to anonymous questions from victims of domestic violence or witnesses, as well as training respondents. It's a more complex form of support than it might seem, not least because everything that is written remains, is visible online and can be printed, but also because we are quickly confronted with a feeling of powerlessness and have little feedback from people. We need to choose our words, formulations and intonation carefully, to welcome and name the violence, but also to encourage the person to seek help and take action to break the cycle of violence, while ensuring their safety. Looking back over my academic and professional career, I realise that my two passions, sexology and words and stories, come together in my various current activities. All these years have been like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, fitting together nicely.