About me
Born in the Bernese Jura, I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at the University of Fribourg in 2011, followed by a Master’s degree in Psychology at the University of Lausanne in 2013. During my Master’s degree, I spent a semester in the United States, in Wichita, Kansas. From 2014 to 2019, I held a research position.
I began my psychotherapy practice in parallel with postgraduate training in psychoanalytic psychotherapy in 2020. I obtained my federal postgraduate title in January 2026, after more than five years of clinical work with children and adolescents.
In 2024, I began a Master of Divinity in Theology and Ministry at Regent University (United States, Virginia).
I am a member of the Swiss Federation of Psychologists (FSP), the Vaud Association of Psychologists (AVP), the Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS), and its affiliated group, the Center for Christianity and Psychoanalysis.
My practice
I provide psychoanalytic psychotherapy for children, adolescents, and young adults. As a Christian, my thinking is grounded in a Christian understanding of humanity. I believe that human beings were created in the image of the triune God.
Creation is the fruit of God’s great and incomparable love for humanity. Therefore, every life has immeasurable value. This is with this perspective that I approach each person I meet.
Everyone is welcome, regardless of their beliefs.
Support
I support you as you move through a period of questioning, suffering, or significant change in your life.
Together, we take the time to put words to what you are experiencing and to better understand what is happening for you.
The first meeting will give us time to discuss your concerns. We can then schedule one or two further sessions to explore your needs in greater depth and determine whether continued support would be necessary and helpful.
The first sessions also give you the opportunity to see whether this type of support is right for you.
The psychoanalytic approach was developed by Sigmund Freud at the beginning of the last century. His aim was to build a theory of psychic life, which he developed alongside his clinical work. He notably described desire as a driving force of psychic life. The term psychodynamic is also used to describe the psychoanalytic approach, because Freud and the psychoanalysts who followed him explored the psychic dynamics present in each individual.
Psychoanalysis
In his first model, Freud described the unconscious, the preconscious, and the conscious. In his second model, he introduced the concepts of the ego, the id, and the superego. When these agencies come into conflict, symptoms may form.
The aim of psychoanalysis is to understand the dynamics underlying symptoms, ultimately enabling individuals to live more freely.
Reimbursement
Psychotherapy sessions provided by federally recognized psychotherapists are covered by compulsory health insurance (LAMal). To receive reimbursement, you must have a medical prescription from your primary care physician (family doctor or pediatrician) before your first session.
Reimbursement is provided according to the conditions of your insurance policy, after payment of your annual deductible and the 10% co-payment. To continue treatment beyond 30 sessions, a psychiatrist must prepare an additional report, which will be submitted to your insurance provider alongside mine.
Contact
Joachim Knuchel
Federally recognized psychologist-psychotherapist
Rue du Grand-Chêne 2, 1003 Lausanne
joachim.knuchel@psychologie.ch
078 620 11 64
Opening hours:
Monday: 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
Tuesday: 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
Wednesday: 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
Thursday: 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
My practice opens in January 2027