Individual Therapy at PsyShrink

Online and In-Person

Individual Therapy in English — For the Life You’re Living Abroad

Online and In-Person | Germany and Worldwide

Living internationally is one of the more demanding things a person can do — and, at the same time, one of the least acknowledged. From the outside it looks like opportunity. From the inside, however, it can feel like permanent dislocation: always adapting, always performing competence, never quite at home.

Finding a therapist who understands that — not theoretically, but in practice — is harder than it should be. Most therapists in Germany work in German, with German patients, within a German cultural frame. That works well for a lot of people. For international professionals and expats, though, it often falls short.

At PsyShrink, every therapist in our network has been selected specifically for their experience with international clients. As a result, we understand expat life, cross-cultural identity, high-performance environments, and what it means to be far from your support network. This is our specialty — not a sideline.

What Individual Therapy Addresses

We work with adults and adolescents (10+) on a wide range of personal and psychological challenges. In particular, the following areas come up most frequently with our international client base — and what that actually looks like in practice.

Anxiety and chronic stress The low-grade pressure of always operating in a second language or culture. The hypervigilance of never quite knowing the rules. The exhaustion of being switched on all the time. Furthermore, anxiety in expat life often doesn’t look like clinical anxiety — it looks like being very capable and very tired, all the time.

Burnout and professional pressure International professionals are often in demanding roles with limited local support structures. When the job is the anchor and the job becomes too much, there’s frequently nothing else holding things together. As a result, we work with executives, consultants, founders, and professionals navigating high-pressure careers — confidentially, and without the corporate performance management framing.

Cultural adjustment and identity Who are you when you’re between cultures? When you’ve lived in enough countries that nowhere fully feels like home? When your children are growing up with a different national identity than yours? These are real psychological questions, not just philosophical ones. Consequently, we take them seriously.

Loneliness and lack of belonging Expat loneliness is one of the most underreported mental health issues in the international community. It doesn’t respond well to being told to “join a club” or “give it time.” Instead, it responds to being understood and to building a different relationship with where you are and who you are in it.

Relationship difficulties Individual therapy is often the right entry point when relationship problems feel tangled with personal history, self-worth, or patterns that predate the current relationship. In addition, we offer dedicated couples therapy and online couples therapy when partners are ready to work together.

Career transitions and relocation adjustment Whether you’ve just arrived, just been relocated again, or are trying to decide whether to stay or go — transition periods are when people most need a structured space to think clearly. As a result, we help clients make decisions they can stand behind.

Grief, loss, and major life changes Losing someone when you’re far from home hits differently. Similarly, navigating divorce, serious illness, or major disruption without your usual support network nearby carries a particular weight. We work with grief in all its forms.

Trauma and difficult past experiences Our therapists are trained in evidence-based trauma approaches including EMDR, CBT, and psychodynamic methods. Not every therapist in our network specialises in trauma — nevertheless, we’ll match you with the right person for your specific situation.

Depression and low mood Sometimes it arrives without an obvious cause. Other times, the cause is very obvious but the low mood stays anyway. Either way, it’s addressable — and the sooner, the better.

How It Works

Format: Online via secure video, or in-person in Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt, and Straubing

Session length: 50 minutes

Languages: English (primary) — multilingual therapists also available in German, French, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Hindi, and Turkish

Who it’s for: Adults and adolescents aged 10+

Fees: €80–€150 depending on therapist. Senior therapists and founder sessions: €200

Step 1 — Free 15-minute consultation Tell us what’s going on. We ask a few questions, get a sense of what you need, and then match you with the therapist who’s the best fit — not just whoever is available.

Step 2 — First session The first session is about getting oriented. What brought you here, what you’re hoping for, what hasn’t worked before. Your therapist will be direct with you about whether they’re the right fit and what they think the work involves.

Step 3 — Ongoing work at a pace that suits you Some clients come weekly. Others work in focused blocks of 8–12 sessions. Some come less frequently for ongoing support. In all cases, we don’t impose a structure — we build one with you based on what you actually need.

Our Therapists

Our network includes licensed psychologists, psychotherapists (HeilprG), counsellors, and coaches — all vetted personally by our founder, Cynthia Kunze, for clinical quality and cultural competence.

Meet Our Therapists →

Have US Health Insurance?

If you’re an American abroad with a US insurance plan that includes out-of-network benefits, your therapy sessions may be substantially reimbursable. Here’s how it works:

You pay for your session upfront
We then provide a superbill — a receipt with diagnosis codes your insurer requires
Next, you submit it to your insurance provider
Most PPO plans reimburse 50–80% of session costs

Many of our American clients don’t realise this option exists until we tell them. As a result, we make the paperwork as straightforward as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know which therapist is right for me? Book the free 15-minute consultation and let us do that work. We ask about your situation, what you’re looking for, language preferences, and schedule — and then we match you. You’re not choosing blindly from a list.

Do I need a referral or diagnosis to start? No. You contact us directly. There’s no GP referral, no waiting list, and no insurance pre-approval required — though we can provide documentation for reimbursement after sessions.

What’s the difference between a psychologist, psychotherapist, and counsellor? In Germany, these titles reflect different training paths and legal frameworks. A psychologist holds a Master’s degree in psychology. A psychotherapist (HeilprG) is, in addition, licensed under the Heilpraktikergesetz to practice psychotherapy. A counsellor, on the other hand, typically has a more solution-focused or coaching-adjacent training. All of our practitioners are qualified for the work they do — we’ll clarify credentials during your consultation if it matters for your specific needs or insurance situation.

Can I switch therapists if it’s not working? Yes. Fit matters the most. If the therapeutic relationship isn’t right, we’d rather you tell us and move to someone better suited than continue sessions that aren’t helping.

How long does therapy take? It depends entirely on what you’re working on and what you want from it. Some issues resolve in 8–12 focused sessions. Others, however, benefit from longer-term work. In either case, we’ll give you an honest assessment early on — we don’t string sessions out.

Is everything confidential? Yes. Standard professional confidentiality applies. Before your first session, we’ll explain the specifics — including the narrow legal exceptions that apply in all psychological work.

Can I do therapy in English if I live outside Germany? Yes. Our online therapists work with clients across Europe, the US, Asia, and beyond. The legal and ethical framework varies by country and therapist credentials — as a result, we’ll clarify this during your consultation.