About Bercedeh

Bercedeh Stark Arasteh is a personal coach and seminar leader working with clients who want reach their full potential while living in new or unfamiliar surroundings.

Interview with Bercedeh
On this page you’ll read why Bercedeh became a coach and some of the influences that led her there.

How did you get started in coaching?
I was exposed to many cultures in my life and was always interested in understanding why people from diverse cultures got along—or why not—and what the differences were. At age 18 or 19 I started to study psychology to help me understand people better.

Later I had a son—and my own practice as a psychologist. We lived in Germany and then my second husband got a job in Taiwan. We all moved there and later to a number of countries in the Far East.

It was hard to adjust. I felt overwhelmed and wanted to organize my life but didn’t know how to do it. It would have been wonderful to have help with that. I felt abandoned, alone, and didn’t want to be a burden to others. My husband was busy and I had to care for him and my son—they were also adjusting.

From this came the desire to help others in a similar situation. I felt privileged to have my education and be able to identify my feelings and I wanted to support other people. I like people anyway. I like to see them grow. I’ve always been like this.

When I moved back to Germany with my daughter I felt the same need for adjustment. So the desire to be a coach and to help people who were moving—or who have moved around the globe—came from my own experiences. And from my interest in understanding people and seeing them grow.

How did you go from Psychology to Coaching?
When I went to University, I was very much influenced by the Carl Rogers approach to people and psychotherapy. It was very similar to coaching. It’s a personal-centred approach. It is a humanistic view of the person.

In a way, as a psychotherapist I was already coaching. But I noticed that not everybody benefits from psychotherapy. For some people it takes too long and does not move quickly—they have different needs.

Therapy and counselling are important and useful for people in certain stages. It helps them resolve their past issues and prepares the ground for action. Coaching creates your future from where you stand now. That’s the difference between therapy and coaching. I made the switch to coaching because I wanted to see my clients grow faster.

How does your personal life influence your professional approach?
I’ve always been interested in diversity and the richness of life. Of bringing people together to see how they fit. How they communicate with each other—or why they don’t. I want to find the pieces that don’t seem to match, and look deeper—below the surface—to discover that there is a connection after all.

For instance, let’s say there’s a group of people together. An outsider enters the group. Some members judge the outsider while others do not. The open-minded members reach out and include the newcomer into the established group, welcoming him as a human.

An unexpected connection is created. A process starts in the hearts and minds of those who judged the outsider. An environment for friendship and understanding has been created in which everyone has grown and the newcomer can blossom.

This is what I find so fascinating. Being with people who want to grow and help others to do the same. There is a huge bundle of energy and potential for making this world the best possible place for us all. 

NEXT: Now that you’ve learned a little more about me please explore the rest of the site. Or, if you are ready for coaching or have questions please contact me, or
call ++41 79 414 33 04. There is no obligation and I would love to hear from you.