About Me

Lena Perez

I was born in 1974 Habana, Cuba. I studied Psychology at Havana University. After I finished my studies in 1997 I went first to Columbia and later to Sweden to do a Master. In 2005 I came to Germany. I had experienced how it feels like when you are far away from family and friend. I have asked myself; what can I do now to be myself in spite of changes? How do I find my place when everything is new around me? I reached the conclusion that wherever I do there is neither right nor wrong. In the end we are the sculptor of our lives. I live today in Berlin with my husband and my daughter.

Since I finished my studies in Psychology I have been working as counselor and psychotherapist with adolescents and adult. The subject of my thesis for a degree in Psychology was about couple relationship between young adults. Later for my master thesis in Sweden I did a research about influence of the culture in the couple relationship between Swedish and Latin Americans. When I came to Germany I was more interested in the subject of migration. Then I decided to write my Ph.D. about motivations of Latin Americans to migrate to Germany and how they find their place in the German society.

  • 1974 born in Havana, Cuba
  • 1997 graduated in Psychology at Havana University, Cuba
  • 1997-1999 work as psychologist in the hospital “Freyre Andrade”. Havana, Cuba
  • 1999-2000 International Master in Social Work and Sociology. Gothenburg University, Sweden
  • 2000-2004 Work as psychologist in the art school “Eduardo García Delgado” and in the Center for Prevention of AIDS/HIV in Havana, Cuba
  • Since 2005 living in Berlin, Germany
  • 2005-2013 working as counselor for migrants and family assistant and studying in Berlin, Germany
  • 2010 Marriage
  • 2011 my daughter was born
  • 2013 Ph.D. degree at the Free University of Berlin, Germany
  • 2013 Certificate as non-medical practitioner in psychotherapy (Heilpraktikerin für Psychotherapie)
  • Since 2014 Training as systemic psychotherapist in INSA Berlin
  • 2014-2015 collaboration as counselor for the association MaMis en Movimiento e.V