Psychologist and psychotherapist
Founder of the Liberté Institute in Warsaw
mgr Karolina Misztal
Psychodynamic psychotherapist specializing in Transference-Focused Psychotherapy (TFP) and founder of the Liberté Psychotherapy Institute. She combines clinical experience with more than ten years of managerial practice in international corporations (P&G, PMI, Diageo, AB InBev) and consulting.
- Approach
- Psychodynamic psychotherapy / TFP (Transference-Focused Psychotherapy)
- Languages of sessions
- Polish, English, French
- Area of practice
- Individual psychotherapy for adults, psychotherapy for leaders, founders and successors
Approach to work and clinical paradigm
Karolina Misztal bases her work on the psychodynamic paradigm, with particular emphasis on the methodology of Transference-Focused Psychotherapy (TFP). She conducts structured processes aimed at the deep causes of difficulties, examining defense mechanisms that superficially resemble strength but in reality block growth and adaptation.
Many years of experience in management and business consulting - gained in managerial positions bringing brands to market (GTM) and as the founder of her own company - give her a direct understanding of the mechanisms of control, over-responsibility and the loneliness that accompanies senior leaders. She understands the pressure and cost of functioning at the top before it manifests as a crisis.
She builds the framework of the therapeutic relationship (the setting) on directness, respect for the patient's autonomy, high discretion and rigorous ethics. Her clinical work is subject to regular supervision by certified supervisors of the Polish Society for Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (PTPPd) and the Polish Psychological Association (PTP).
Clinical specialization and scope of help
Karolina Misztal provides individual psychotherapy for adults, with a particular focus on company founders, executives, managers and successors of family businesses.
Burnout and chronic overload
Diagnosis and therapy of the deep causes of exhaustion, loss of motivation, fear of failure and identity crises in people working under constant pressure of results and responsibility.
Psychotherapy for successors and succession processes
Working through relational difficulties in family businesses linked to generational change, pressure of expectations, building one's own autonomy and role conflicts.
Decision-making and leadership crises
Work on decision-related anxiety, the loneliness of leadership, adapting to a changing professional role, the experience of losing a position, or restructurings.
Personality disorders and affective structures
Clinical work using the TFP method with complex personality disorders (including narcissistic structure) and depressive disorders.
Relational difficulties and boundaries in organizations
Analysis and modification of maladaptive patterns in communication with partners, supervisory boards and executive teams.
Mood and anxiety disorders
Treatment of depressive episodes, dysthymia, psychosomatic disorders and generalized anxiety in people in exposed positions.
Professional experience and clinical practice
Karolina Misztal's unique professional profile combines solid psychotherapeutic training with many years of practice in business structures:
Clinical and diagnostic experience
Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology (IPiN) in Warsaw
General Psychiatric Ward F2.
Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology (IPiN) in Warsaw
Clinic of Neurotic Disorders, Personality Disorders and Eating Disorders.
Instytut Splot and private practice
Psychological and psychotherapeutic practice.
Liberté Psychotherapy Institute
Founder, diagnostician and psychotherapist.
Business and corporate experience
Procter & Gamble
Trade Marketing / Market Strategy & Planning Manager.
Anheuser-Busch InBev
Trade Marketing Manager.
Diageo
Commercial Planning Manager.
Philip Morris International
Reduced Risk Products Business Channel Executive / Brand Executive.
Entrepreneurial activity (B.link Sp. z o.o.)
Founder of her own recruitment and executive search company.
Education and professional membership
Kraków Psychodynamic Centre (KCP)
Four-year, comprehensive psychotherapy training in the psychodynamic approach.
University of Warsaw
Master's degree in Psychology.
SGH Warsaw School of Economics
Master's degree in Finance and Accounting (specialization: corporate finance).
Sciences Po Paris
Bachelor's studies in Political Science.
University of Warsaw
Bachelor's degree in Political Science (specialization: political marketing).
Professional membership
Member of the Polish Society for Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (PTPPd).
Tools
Wondering if it's already burnout?
A short assessment based on the WHO model gives you a first read - before you book a consultation.
Questions for the therapist
Frequently asked questions
In what formats and languages are sessions held?
Karolina Misztal holds sessions in person at the Liberté Institute office at Plac Zbawiciela in Warsaw and remotely following an initial qualification. She conducts processes in Polish, English and French.
What is distinctive about therapy using the TFP (Transference-Focused Psychotherapy) method?
Transference-Focused Psychotherapy (TFP) is a highly structured psychodynamic method with proven, evidence-based effectiveness (EBM), dedicated to working with personality disorders (including narcissistic structure) and deep difficulties in affect and relational regulation. It focuses on analyzing the here-and-now relationship between the patient and the therapist.
Why is psychodynamic psychotherapy effective in treating burnout among managers?
Burnout in managerial positions rarely stems from workload alone - more often it is the result of deeper mechanisms such as difficulty setting boundaries, unrealistic perfectionism or fear of losing control. Psychodynamic therapy makes it possible to identify the unconscious causes of exhaustion, leading to lasting change in attitudes and the recovery of autonomy.
What does psychotherapy for successors in family businesses involve?
A process aimed at successors addresses specific difficulties linked to generational change: a sense of pressure, working in the founder's shadow, verifying one's own identity, and separating family relationships from business decisions. Therapy makes it possible to build mature leadership based on one's own values, rather than an unconscious drive to meet expectations.
How does psychotherapy for leaders differ from business coaching or mentoring?
Coaching focuses on goals, motivation and management techniques. Psychotherapy is aimed at a deep analysis of personality structure, unconscious conflicts, recurring relational patterns and clinical symptoms (anxiety, depression, psychosomatic symptoms). It provides medical rigor, full discretion, and work on causes rather than symptoms.
Why does hospital experience from IPiN matter in work with leaders?
Practice in the inpatient and clinical wards of the Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology in Warsaw provides the highest diagnostic rigor, the ability to work with acute psychiatric crises, and familiarity with rigorous medical procedures. This allows for accurate differentiation between adaptive difficulties and deeper clinical disorders, and for implementing the appropriate response in more acute states.
Does the therapist's business experience matter in the process?
For leaders and entrepreneurs, familiarity with business realities shortens the stage of explaining organizational context. The therapist understands the terminology, the structure of pressure, corporate governance mechanisms and succession challenges, which makes it easier to move directly into analyzing the patient's psychological mechanisms.
Is the psychotherapeutic work subject to supervision?
Yes, Karolina Misztal's entire clinical practice is subject to regular, independent supervision by certified supervisors of the Polish Society for Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (PTPPd) and the Polish Psychological Association (PTP).
Book a consultation with Karolina Misztal
The first meeting is an opportunity to discuss your difficulties, expectations and goals, and to determine whether psychodynamic therapy is the right form of help for you.