merkal2005: Hi Isabella, please tell us about yourself

moritherapy: Well, I guess I should talk about some things I didn't mention in my bio.

I'm the happy parent of three wonderful human beings, a grandmother since last year, and eagerly awaiting another grandchild. I'm married to my third husband - three times lucky: we've been together for 16 years, and we have a wonderful relationship. We're both fiercely independent, quite easygoing, introverted (he more obvious than I; I'm a bit more of a social chameleon) and have an odd sense of humour, I think that helps :)


merkal2005: When reading your biography, I noticed that your childhood played a big role in your life. Who was your role model?

moritherapy: I think we're all shaped by the people around us, in one way or another so I'd say I had lots of role models - my father with his strong philosophical bent, my mother who is so passionate about music, a good family friend who showed me the fun of eccentricity - and many more.

However, talking about grandparents - lately I've been very aware of how my grandparents have influenced me. Their quiet, well-paced lifestyle that had a place for everything, from gardening to hiking to praying to playing cards to making music together, is something that I would like to emulate more.


merkal2005: What is change therapy? Most people think that it is easier said than done. Can we easily change ourselves? Please convince us.

moritherapy: Change therapy - well, that's simply the name of my blog. Through therapy and counselling, I help people change their lives.

How easily is that done?

We change every day, in small ways. Part of the role of a psychotherapist is to support her client in using the "change muscle" in ways that work for them. It works best when we not only want to change - I believe that we all want to change for the better - but are also acutely aware of that desire, and can find the courage and energy to follow that desire.

I have helped people change their decision making process, their way of seeing themselves, the way they deal with depression, the way they approach work, how they interact with others, how they use food ... these are just examples.

And convincing? I don't convince people. I'm not in the business of "making" people think a certain way. I'm in the business of supporting people to make a better, healthier, more spiritual, more creative, more conscious, happier life for themselves and those around them.


merkal2005: When did you launch your blog "change therapy"? Who is your target audience? What is in it for bloggers?

moritherapy: I started Change Therapy in 2005. My target audience are people who are interested in psychology, particularly depression, eating disorders and the stigma of mental illness; people who are interested in open discussions about spirituality, especially Buddhism, liberal Christianity and atheism; people who don't mind reading a poem or two and like to think about creativity; and, most of all, I believe, people who have a strongly developed sense of social and environmental responsibility.

What is in it for bloggers?

I strongly believe in the blogosphere as a community. I link freely to other bloggers (not the best SEO strategy, I know) and like to exchange guest posts. I have a relatively good Technorati ranking (although it used to be much higher but I just can't be bothered to "fix" that; do we see a pattern here??) - so particularly newer bloggers can probably benefit from me linking and talking about them.

I also run two blog carnivals - the Carnival of Eating Disorders and A Buddhist Carnival. Once in a while I also host the Carnival of Healing, one of the longest-running and most successful blog carnivals.


merkal2005: How do you see the future of blogging?

moritherapy: Let me get my crystal ball ...

One thing is clear to me: Blogging is here to stay. There are so many people who love to write and who love to connect through the word - all of them, I predict, are still going to use blogging or something similar in - let's say 30 years.

Get back to me in 2038. (I only used this year because I'm relatively hopeful I'll still be around then. My guess is something like blogging will still be around in 50 years but you won't be able to hold me to it :)