Couple Therapy

Love, happiness and contentment

Whether married or not, living together or separately in different places – as a young couple or as a couple in the second half of life – with children together or in a patchwork family – as a couple firmly rooted in NRW or living together multiculturally and communicating bilingually – whether hetero- homo- or bisexual partnerships, whether monogamous, polygamous or polyamorous:

Love, happiness and satisfaction can now be lived in a variety of relationship forms. These new, diverse options demand a great deal of compromise, flexibility and reflection, which often leads to dissatisfaction and stress.

As a couple, both people are constantly developing together, but each partner is also developing personally. Developments also mean changes and these do not always run smoothly, but can cause irritation and anxiety or resistance in the other person and plunge a couple into a crisis.

I invite you to view this crisis as a harbinger of impending further development; to see it as an opportunity to breathe new life intoyour relationship, to change things and to throw ingrained behaviour patterns overboard.

Possible Topics of Couple Therapy:

  • Different needs for closeness
  • Infidelity / affairs
  • Communication that does not lead to results
  • Unresolved offences
  • Fear of loss
  • Conflictual everyday coping
  • Differing parenting styles
  • Ways out of the mental load
  • Division of care work
  • Different sexual needs
  • Unfulfilled wishes and needs
  • Problems in sexuality
  • Dealing with (mental) illness
  • Dealing with addictions within the relationship
  • Dealing with emotions
  • Giftedness and high sensitivity in relationships
  • Developing a new relationship model
  • and much more.

Methods of Couple Therapy:

More about systemic-integrative couples therapy

More about sex therapy

More about ego-state therapy

More about hypnotherapy

More about attachment orientated therapy

More about emotion-focused therapy

More about The Zurich Resource Model

Frequently asked questions about Couple Therapy (FAQ)

Is couples therapy also available online?

Yes, I also offer online sessions. This can be a good alternative if one of the partners travels a lot or if there are no suitable therapists nearby. Online therapy can be done via video calls and often offers more flexibility.

However, this is not possible if the relationship is very fragile, one of the partners has a hard time regulating their own emotions or the couple does not have a good way of dealing with conflict. In such cases, in-person therapy on site usually makes more sense. It is also often helpful to have the initial consultation take place ‘live’ in order to create a stable foundation for further work.

Generally speaking, neither statutory nor private health insurance covers the costs of couples therapy. Health insurance funds only finance the treatment of medically recognised illnesses. Unfortunately, relationship problems are not considered as such by the legislator.

The advantage: therapy can be started quickly, as there is no need to submit lengthy cost reimbursement claims.

Yes, couples therapy can also be useful in such cases. Feelings can change over time or be hidden, for example, by stress, old wounds or unresolved conflicts. Therapy can help you gain clarity about whether and how a connection can be restored or whether separation is the better option.

In principle, it is rarely ‘too late’ for couples therapy. However, many couples wait several years too long – on average four years, according to scientific research. Therefore, the earlier the better.
Once a certain level of escalation has been reached, or when talking is no longer possible, couples therapy reaches its limits.

If your partner is not interested in couples therapy, you have the option of seeking support on your own in relationship coaching to gain clarity about your own situation.

Yes, that often makes a lot of sense. For most people, sexuality is inextricably linked to partnership. Many relationship problems have a sexual component, and conversely, an unsatisfying sex life can put a strain on a partnership. A combination of couple and sex therapy can help to talk about intimacy, needs and desires and to find solutions together.

Yes, I also offer separation support. This can be helpful in dealing with hurt feelings and disappointments. It can also help you to finally put the relationship behind you and work out why it didn’t work out – a valuable insight for avoiding making the same mistakes next time.

Particularly when children are involved, structured separation support can help to find a good co-parenting solution and to prioritise the children’s well-being. Practical arrangements can also be part of the support, e.g. dividing up possessions, dealing with mutual friends and family, clarifying external communication or dealing with issues around shared pets.

Separation counselling can also help to clarify on-off relationships and to make a conscious decision for or against further attempts.

Confidentiality and discretion

I am legally obliged to maintain confidentiality in accordance with § 203 of the German Criminal Code (StGB) and naturally treat your information and data with the utmost confidentiality.

I share premises with other therapists, counsellors and service providers. The signage does not indicate that this is a practice for couples and sex therapy.

To ensure confidentiality, I plan sufficient breaks between individual appointments.

Quality assurance

To ensure a high standard of quality, I regularly have my work professionally reviewed, as is customary in the medical-psychological professions. In such so-called supervisions, cases are presented anonymously to a group of experts and reflected upon. This means that my work is subject to regular professional supervision and control.

Appointments & costs

Unfortunately, the costs of couples therapy are not covered by health insurance. I therefore only treat self-pay patients, which has the advantage for you that I can offer you appointments at relatively short notice, as there is no need to submit lengthy applications for reimbursement.

Initial consultation

You will first arrange a non-binding initial consultation with me. You then decide whether and how you would like to work with me in the longer term and whether you would like to arrange further sessions.

The purpose of the initial consultation is for you to get to know me and my way of working. However, the focus of the session will be for me to gain a deeper insight into your problem together with you, to discover any pitfalls and to work out what you would like to work on together in order to develop initial solutions. After the session, you decide whether you would like to enter into a longer therapy process with me.

Further sessions

The sessions take place every 3-6 weeks, depending on the agreement. Exceptions can be made in phases of acute crisis, when a shorter period between sessions seems appropriate.

The number of appointments depends on the issues, the relationship dynamics and the symptoms. I am therefore unable to make a reliable statement in advance. Sometimes 1-5 sessions are sufficient, in other cases 10-15 sessions may be necessary.

My hourly rate is 140 euros.
For individual sessions, you can choose between 60 / 90 and 120 minutes.
Couples therapy sessions are more complex and therefore last at least 90, optionally 120 minutes.
All prices plus VAT.