Therapy & Counseling

When working with couples, I use Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) developed by Dr. Sue Johnson as a roadmap. Following the EFT route, I guide couples to make sense of their emotional experiences, to understand their interaction patterns, and to experience how emotional connection and a felt sense of security soothes their bodies and hearts and allows them to find a safe haven in each other’s arms. The experiential, compassionate, and collaborative nature of EFT makes room for the safe exploration of the cultural frameworks of both partners to achieve their unique cultural balance.

The effectiveness of EFT has been extensively researched over the last 30 years. Research shows that 70-75% of couples move from distress to recovery, and almost 90% show significant improvements in marital satisfaction. EFT is a short-term approach and requires 8-20 sessions on average.

I am experienced in helping couples with a range of problems, including:

• fighting/conflict;
• emotional distance or lack of connection;
• affairs (both physical and emotional);
• trust/jealousy issues;
• other life-related problems (financial, communication, parenting disagreements, family and work issues).

Using EFT, I help couples recognize the patterns that drive them apart, and together we identify their underlying emotions, vulnerabilities, and needs. Once these needs for love, support, and protection are expressed and heard, once partners understand how it is to be in each other’s shoes, and once they learn to support each other to face vulnerabilities, the couple moves into the problem-solving stage.

Contraindications of EFT:

• ongoing violence
• alcohol and substance abuse
• ongoing affairs

We are living in a globalized world. Born into our families, we perceive the world through the lens of our family culture. In our families of origin, we learn basic rules of communication and cooperation, how to deal with emotions in the family context, how to make decisions. These “rules of the game” are learned by experience; there is no book for your partner to read and memorize. In premarital counseling, we will explore your backgrounds to make sense of your behavioral reactions and the emotions behind them in order to reach better emotional connection and more profound understanding both within yourself and between you and your partner. We will establish a safe ground from which to explore your differences, find meaning, and connect on a deeper level.

If you’d like to use your insurance for psychotherapy, please note that I am an “out-of-network provider.” This means that you would pay my full fee at the time of our session and upon request. In Germany my services are not covered by public health insurance (gesetzliche Krankenkasse) but may be partially covered by private insurance. Please check in advance. According to German regulations, couples’ conflicts are not a disease, so it is not a part of a health insurance plan.