Online couples therapy: When and why is it useful?
Everyday life, especially as parents with children, can be wonderful and enriching, but also extremely challenging. Many couples only realize late on how much stress and an unequal distribution of tasks can change their relationship. Arguments in marriage increase, intimacy decreases, and at some point it feels as if you are just roommates or managers of everyday family life. Do you wonder why your partner no longer understands you?
Online couples therapy is particularly useful if:
- Your daily life is so busy that regular appointments at a practice are difficult.
- You don't live in Munich or would have to commute a long way – I can reach you online anywhere.
- You feel more comfortable and secure in your own home.
- You live abroad and are looking for online marriage counseling or support in your native language.
- Your relationship is strained and you can't move forward on your own.
- You feel like you're at an impasse, but want to give your relationship another chance, maybe even save your marriage.
I support parents who are going through difficult times in their relationship in developing new interaction and communication strategies—flexibly and from anywhere in the world via video call. My goal is for you to feel like a team again, to be able to resolve conflicts constructively, and to deepen the closeness, love, and trust in your partnership despite exhaustion.
As a systemic couples therapist, I work with the scientifically-based Gottman Method of couples therapy. This proven approach can also be implemented excellently online via video calls.
Procedure and technology for your online sessions: For our online sessions, I use Zoom, a secure and user-friendly platform for video conferencing. All you need is a stable internet connection, a microphone, and a camera (a laptop, tablet, or smartphone will suffice). Before our first session, I will send you a simple link that you can use to join the virtual therapy room. All conversations take place in a protected environment and are, of course, subject to confidentiality.
Classic version of online couples therapy: We meet at regular intervals for online sessions via Zoom. It has proven effective to start with weekly sessions in the initial stage. As the therapy progresses, the sessions become less frequent until you feel that the relationship has stabilized and you are coping well on your own. We decide on the intervals together, depending on your situation. From experience, I can say that you should expect 8 to 15 online sessions.