Couples therapy in Vienna — marriage & relationship counselling

A fair question, and my honest answer is this: couples therapy is no instant promise, but it works when both of you are ready to look honestly. What matters is not who is right, but that you understand again what is happening between you.

In my work as a couples therapist in Vienna, I see again and again that even a few sessions set something in motion: the tone becomes calmer, old hurts get a name, and you start talking with each other again instead of about each other.

What couples therapy can do:

• understand and dissolve entrenched patterns of conflict
• listen to one another again without immediately becoming defensive
• clarify what carries you as a couple, and what is allowed to change

It does not have to save every relationship. It creates a space in which change becomes possible, whether you find your way back to each other or fairly clarify what is right for you both.

The first meeting is a free and non-binding psychotherapeutic first interview in which the three of us get to know each other. You do not have to prepare anything or prove anything.

How it works:

• you both tell me, in your own time, what is on your mind as a couple
• I ask questions and explain how I work in a psychoanalytically oriented way
• together we sense whether the chemistry is right for working together

No one is made the guilty one, and there is no pressure to commit straight away. How things continue afterwards you decide calmly, as a couple.

As a rule yes, because couples therapy thrives on talking together. Only when both of you are in the room do the patterns become visible that have settled in between you over time.

There are phases, however, in which individual sessions with just one person can make sense, for instance to sort through a topic calmly. We always agree on that together and transparently, so that no one feels passed over.

This is one of the most common questions that reach me, and you are not alone with it. Often there is no rejection behind the hesitation, but rather fear, shame or a bad earlier experience.

A few thoughts from my experience:

• invite your partner instead of pushing, even the tone makes a difference
• point out that the first interview is free and entirely non-binding
• sometimes it helps if you come on your own first and we consider together how to bring up the topic gently

Even the wish for change from only one side is a valuable beginning. Write to me, and we will find a way that fits your situation.

Especially at the beginning, a rhythm of one to two weeks has proven its worth. It gives the shared work stability and ensures that what was discussed is not lost again between sessions.

How often we meet we decide together and adjust as we go, depending on what does you good as a couple. A session lasts 50 minutes, a little longer if needed.

Couples therapy and couples counselling are usually a private service in Austria and are mostly not covered by statutory health insurance, unlike individual psychotherapy with a recognised clinical need.

What this means specifically for you we clarify calmly in the free first interview. There I answer all your questions about how things work openly, so that you can make a clear decision.

Yes. As a couple too you can take part confidentially by video, whether you are sitting together in front of one screen or are currently in different places.

For many couples this is a real relief: no journey to 1170 Vienna, more flexibility in everyday life and the conversation from familiar surroundings. You can read how it works technically on the Online therapy page.

Especially then a couples therapy is worthwhile. The thought of separation is often a sign that something important wants to be heard, and that is exactly where we start.

In the protected space many couples discover new ways towards each other that had been buried in everyday life. You understand again what connects you, gain fresh perspectives and find a language in which real closeness becomes possible once more. We look ahead together, at your pace and entirely without pressure.

It is rarely truly too late. Even when a lot has already happened and many words have been said, couples therapy helps to clarify calmly what still connects you and what does not.

In my experience the opposite tends to be true: many couples wait too long, until the pressure is barely bearable. The sooner you take a look, the more room remains. But even a late attempt can be worthwhile.