Expat Therapy in Berlin

There's a particular kind of loneliness that comes with living somewhere new. Even when you love it here, even when you've made friends and found your favorite café and can (mostly) order at the Bürgeramt without panicking, something can still feel unsettled. The people who knew you before, who remember who you were at twenty, who don't need context for your family history, they're not here. And building a life from scratch, again and again with every move, takes more out of you than people often expect.

If that sounds familiar, you're not imagining it, and you're not alone in feeling it.

Why expat life affects mental health differently

Moving abroad isn't just a change of address. It's a change of identity, routine, language, and support system, all at once. Many expats carry a kind of low-grade grief they don't quite have a name for: grief for the version of themselves that made sense back home, for relationships that quietly faded with distance, for the ease of simply being understood without extra effort.

On top of that, Berlin itself has its own learning curve, bureaucracy, a housing market that tests anyone's patience, a culture that can feel wonderfully direct or oddly cold depending on the day. None of this is a character flaw. It's an accumulation of small, ongoing adjustments that eventually add up to real exhaustion.

Therapy without the extra layer of translation

Working through this in your second (or third) language adds a layer of effort that's easy to underestimate. Therapy should be the one place where you don't have to work to find the right words, where nuance doesn't get lost, and where you can simply say what's true without stopping to translate it first.

I work with individuals and couples in English, offering trauma-focused work including EMDR, alongside integrative, depth-oriented and systemic approaches, tailored to what's actually going on for you, not a generic expat-wellness script.

A space that's just yours

Sessions take place in person in Prenzlauer Berg or online, depending on what suits your life right now. I work on a self-pay basis, so there's no waitlist and no need to justify why you need support, just a space that's consistently yours.

Let's start with a conversation

If you're not sure whether therapy is the right step, or just want to see if it feels like a good fit, a free initial phone call is a low-pressure way to start.

You can reach me by phone at +49 174 535 86 70, through my about page, or book directly online via Doctolib.