Psychological counselling for what is weighing on you
Online sessions with a psychologist to understand what lies behind it,
recognise patterns and find your own way forward
At a glance
Grounded in psychology
You work through what is on your mind with a psychologist with a doctorate in psychology who draws on psychological expertise and scientifically grounded methods.
A space to speak openly
I create a setting in which you can speak freely: attentive, empathetic and without judgement. You decide what we talk about.
Understanding what lies beneath
Understanding how a situation came about makes it easier to deal with. So we look at connections and recurring patterns. This brings clarity and room for change.
Relief and prevention
In a difficult time, we work towards relief. When there is no immediate problem, the focus is on prevention and on looking after your mental health in the long term.
Between sessions
After each session, I usually send you an email with the key points of our conversation and, where it fits, an exercise or questions to reflect on. That way, the work continues between sessions.
No clear concern needed
You do not need to know where to start. A sense that something is not quite right, or simply knowing you want to change something, is enough. We will sort out the rest together.
Talking to a psychologist: what to expect from your sessions
Sometimes a situation is simply hard: a separation, a setback at work, a move to another country or a phase in which too much comes together at once. Under heavy strain, our attention narrows, thoughts circle around the same questions, and it becomes harder to see options that are actually there. Sometimes something keeps repeating, such as the same argument or the same exhaustion, without it being clear why.
Our sessions focus on your concerns and on what is weighing on you. We work towards relief and a better way of handling your situation. Often this also means understanding how things came about and whether there are patterns behind them. Not everyone comes because of an acute problem: some use the sessions to grow personally and to look after their mental health and stability in the long term.
A psychological conversation is more than a good talk with a friend. In our one-to-one video sessions, I give you my full attention and draw on proven conversational techniques: I summarise, reflect back what I notice and ask focused questions that get to the heart of your concern. With psychological expertise and an outside perspective, I help you make sense of what you are experiencing and point out connections that are often hard to see from the inside.
Sometimes a few sessions are enough, sometimes we work together over a longer period. This depends on your needs and wishes.
What brings people to me
People come to me with very different concerns: with a specific question, in a difficult phase of life, to look after their mental health, or with a sense that something is no longer quite right. Common reasons include:
Stress, exhaustion and restlessness
When a lot comes together at once and you are running low on energy, even if you keep functioning on the outside. When you find it hard to switch off, do not feel rested even after time off, or lack motivation. Often this is connected to work, family or your relationship. We look at which demands are adding up and what drains you most, and where relief is possible.
Difficult life phases and crises
When a separation, a loss, illness in the family or another turning point throws you off balance. Or when a crisis comes more from within: when you have lost a sense of meaning or joy in things that used to matter to you, and you are not quite sure why. We clarify what is most pressing right now and what helps you regain stability and balance.
Life abroad
When moving to another country changes more than your address: relationships, roles, routines and your sense of belonging shift at the same time, often far from the people who would usually support you. Cultural differences can also shape how you communicate and what others expect of you. We look at what this transition means for you and what helps you feel settled in your life, wherever you are. As a German living in Denmark, who has also lived in Australia and South Africa, I know many of these questions from my own experience.
Relationships and recurring conflicts
When arguments with a partner, family, friends or colleagues keep playing out the same way, or when you do not feel understood in a relationship. We look at what happens between you and others, and at your part in it. Relationships are among the most important areas of our lives. I spent several years researching communication, and in my podcast Perfectly Human (in German) I explore in depth how we understand and shape our relationships.
Work, role and responsibility
When work is getting on top of you, responsibility weighs heavily, expectations are unclear or contradictory, or you are still finding your feet in a new role. We look at your situation, clarify how much room for manoeuvre you have, and think about what you want to take on and where your limits lie. Here I draw on my experience in aptitude assessment, research on teams and personnel selection.
Parenthood
Parenthood is one of the most rewarding and at the same time most demanding phases of life. Priorities, relationships and your sense of self shift, and there is often little time left for you, all the more so when family support is far away. We sort through what has changed and look at what matters to you in this phase and what eases the load. As a mother, I know these shifts from my own experience too.
Self-doubt and inner pressure
When your own standards become a burden, when you doubt yourself even though others have confidence in you, or when an inner voice keeps pushing you. Sometimes it is less outside circumstances that stand in the way than the way we treat ourselves. We explore where the pressure comes from and which expectations lie behind it, your own and those of others, and what a kinder way of relating to yourself could look like.
Decisions, transitions and new directions
When you face a decision that still feels unclear, however long you think it through, or when so much is changing at work or at home that it feels overwhelming and you lose sight of what matters. We sort through the options and work out what you want to base your decision on. Often this also means understanding yourself better: what you really want and what gives you direction.
Maintaining mental health and personal growth
When you are generally doing well and want to look after your mental health before problems arise, or to grow personally. We look at what gives you strength and at what you would like to strengthen or change.
Is your concern not listed here, or is it more a vague feeling than a clear concern? You are very welcome all the same. In my experience, the sessions often achieve more than solving a single problem: because I look at the whole person and their surroundings, what becomes clearer in one area often has an effect on others too.
Psychological counselling is not suitable if you have a mental illness or disorder. In that case, psychotherapy is the right path, and I will tell you so openly. You can read more about this in the FAQ.
How I work as a psychologist
No two processes are the same. To give you an idea of what to expect, here are some key aspects of how I work. My work is based on psychological expertise and scientifically grounded methods.
A space where you can speak openly
It is grounded in the person-centred approach developed by Carl Rogers. This approach assumes that every person is able to understand themselves and find their own solutions when they feel understood and accepted. That is why I listen closely, summarise and reflect back what I understand, without judging. This builds trust, so that you can also talk about things you find difficult. You set the pace and decide what we talk about.
Structure when everything feels tangled
From decision-oriented interviewing as developed by Westhoff and Kluck, I use focused questions: What exactly happened? How did you react, and what followed? This makes situations concrete rather than vague, and complex concerns become manageable. I worked with this method for several years in psychological selection procedures.
You, your relationships and your surroundings
My approach is humanistic and systemic. Humanistic means that I see you as a whole person, with your thoughts, feelings and resources, and trust in your capacity to grow. Systemic means that I also see you as part of your relationships, roles and circumstances, because strain rarely arises within one person alone. So we look at both: what is going on inside you and what is going on between you and others. For people living abroad, this often includes the cultural context they live and work in.
After each session
It has become a habit of mine to send you an email after every session, with the key points from our conversation and, where it fits, an exercise or questions and thoughts to reflect on. That way, you can look back on what we discussed, and the work continues between sessions.
FAQ: psychological counselling
When is psychological counselling helpful?
Psychological counselling is helpful when something is weighing on you or on your mind: stress, exhaustion and restlessness, conflicts with a partner, family or at work, difficult life phases and crises, self-doubt and inner pressure, questions about work, role and parenthood, the challenges of life abroad, or decisions you cannot seem to make. It can be just as helpful if you simply want to look after your mental health or grow personally.
If you are in an acute crisis, please contact a crisis line or the emergency services in the country where you live. Within the EU, you can reach the emergency services on 112.
What are your areas of focus?
I support people with a wide range of concerns. Four areas are particular focuses because I bring a lot of experience to them. They touch on major areas of life from which much strain arises:
- Relationships and communication: For my doctorate at Freie Universität Berlin, I researched how people communicate and interact. In my podcast Perfectly Human, I explore how we understand and shape our relationships. This helps me to notice and make sense of subtle dynamics between people, whether with a partner, in the family or at work.
- Work, role and responsibility: For several years, I conducted psychological assessments with pilots and flight engineers at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and led a research project on social interaction and team composition. Before that, I worked on executive selection processes and HR projects. As a result, I am familiar with the demands of roles that carry a lot of responsibility and with the question of how people and roles fit together.
- Parenthood and changing life phases: As a mother, I know from my own experience how much priorities, roles and relationships shift in this phase, and how much energy that can take.
- Life abroad: I am German, live in Denmark and have also lived in Australia and South Africa, more than eight years abroad in total. I work online with clients across Europe and beyond, many of them expats. I know from my own experience how a move abroad can affect relationships, roles and the sense of belonging.
Of course, I am equally happy to support you with other concerns. You can read more about my background on my About me page.
Do I need a clear concern?
No. Many people come with a specific concern, such as a conflict, a decision or a stressful situation. Others want to look after their mental health or simply sense that something is not right, for example because they have lost some of their joy in life. Both are good starting points.
Sometimes a concern also changes as we work together, when it becomes clear that something else lies behind the original topic.
How many sessions does it take before something changes?
This varies a great deal. In my experience, though, things often start to fall into place after just a few sessions: what weighs on you has been put into words, your thoughts feel more ordered, and there is more clarity. How often and for how long we work together is ultimately up to you. You can find more on this under Working together.
What does it cost, and is it covered by health insurance?
Psychological counselling is paid for privately and is generally not covered by public health insurance. No diagnosis is made and nothing is billed to an insurer. A 45-minute session costs €100. The initial consultation is free of charge.
Will anyone find out that I am seeing you?
No. What you tell me in our sessions remains confidential. I also do not share the fact that we work together with anyone, whether family members, employers or insurers. The only exceptions are cases where the law requires or permits it, for example if someone’s life is in danger.
If your employer pays for the sessions, they will know that sessions are taking place. They will not learn what you discuss in them. You can read how I handle your data in the privacy policy.
Do you work with couples, families or teams?
No. In our sessions, I work with you as an individual, not with several people at once. Relationships and communication are often a central topic, though, and they are one of my areas of focus, whether with a partner, in the family or at work. We look at what happens between you and others and how much room for manoeuvre you have.
I am thinking about therapy. Is psychological counselling right for me?
That depends on what lies behind your wish. Many people who are thinking about therapy mainly want to talk to a professional about what is weighing on them: stress, conflicts, a difficult phase of life or questions they cannot let go of. This is exactly what psychological counselling is for.
If, on the other hand, you have the impression that a mental illness could be behind it, for example because low mood, anxiety or other difficulties have lasted for a long time and are seriously affecting your daily life, psychotherapy is the right path. In that case, please contact your GP or a psychotherapy practice.
If you are unsure, we can work out together in the free initial consultation what suits your concern. If it turns out that psychotherapy would be more helpful, I will tell you openly.
How does psychological counselling differ from psychotherapy?
The main difference lies in what people come with. Psychotherapy treats mental illnesses and disorders. It is the right choice when such an illness is present, and it is provided by licensed psychotherapists.
Psychological counselling is for people without a mental illness. That does not mean their strain is minor: many of the people I work with are under considerable pressure that also affects their daily lives. The sessions are grounded in psychology and go into depth. However, I do not make diagnoses or “treat” illnesses, and the process is structured differently from psychotherapy.
If it becomes clear that psychotherapy would be the better path, I will tell you openly. Psychological counselling does not replace psychotherapy or medical treatment. If you have a mental illness, please contact a psychotherapist or a doctor.
How does psychological counselling differ from coaching?
Coaching is not a protected term and does not require any particular training. It usually focuses on goals and performance: achieving something, becoming more effective.
Psychological counselling is based on a degree in psychology and psychological expertise, and it usually goes deeper. The focus is on your experience and your mental health. We look not only at what you want to achieve, but also at what is weighing on you, where recurring patterns come from and how thoughts, feelings and relationships interact.
Personal growth can be part of this too, for example when we work with your strengths and resources. And the work can be preventive, to maintain your mental health before strain takes hold. You could therefore think of psychological counselling as lying somewhere between coaching and psychotherapy: more grounded and in greater depth than coaching, but without diagnosis or the treatment of an illness.
Will you give me advice?
Not in the form of ready-made recommendations. Advice from outside rarely fits your life, your values and your relationships exactly. Instead, we explore your individual situation in depth, and you develop your own insights. A solution you have understood and worked out yourself usually fits your life better, and the changes tend to last longer.
I support you in this with focused questions and a psychological perspective, so that you can see more clearly what speaks for and against something and what you want to base your decisions on.
What do ‘humanistic’, ‘systemic’ and ‘scientifically grounded’ mean?
Humanistic
The humanistic approach places the person and their experience at the centre. It assumes that people are able to understand themselves and change when they have a suitable setting for it. In our sessions, this means that appreciation, empathy and genuineness create a space in which you can speak openly without being judged. It also means paying attention to resources: strengths, experience and support that are already there.
Systemic
Systemic thinking never looks at a person in isolation, but in the context of their relationships, roles and environments. Behaviour is understood as part of a bigger picture, whether private, professional or social. In our sessions, this helps to recognise how things influence one another and to find room for manoeuvre, without rushing to label solutions as right or wrong.
Scientifically grounded
Scientifically grounded means that the approach rests on scientific findings rather than intuition or trends. Research, proven methods and professional experience are combined with your concerns, so it always remains clear why we proceed the way we do.
What is the person-centred approach developed by Carl Rogers?
The person-centred approach was developed by the American psychologist Carl R. Rogers (1951) and is regarded as a cornerstone of humanistic psychology. In psychotherapy, it is known as person-centred therapy; I use its attitude and conversational techniques outside a therapeutic setting. It assumes that every person has the capacity to understand themselves and to change when they experience a suitable setting for it.
This setting is shaped by three core conditions: empathy, meaning a sensitive understanding of the other person’s inner world; unconditional positive regard, meaning respectful acceptance without judgement; and congruence, meaning genuineness and transparency on the part of the psychologist. Together, these create trust and make it possible to look at oneself more closely.
In my sessions, the person-centred approach forms the foundation of every conversation. Active listening and careful reflecting help to put thoughts, feelings and values in order. Understanding does not come from analysis from the outside, but from within you.
What is decision-oriented interviewing as developed by Westhoff and Kluck?
Decision-oriented interviewing was developed by the German psychologists Karl Westhoff and Annelie Kluck. It is a structured psychological method based on decision psychology and diagnostic interviewing. Its aim is to make decisions transparent, verifiable and self-determined.
The approach follows a clear sequence: information is gathered systematically, examples of behaviour and situations are described precisely, alternatives are considered, and the results are put into context together. The interviewer does not steer, but makes decision-making processes visible.
In our sessions, I use this method to work through complex topics in a structured way. Focused questions about the situation, your own behaviour and its consequences show which paths are open to you.