Couple Therapy Berlin
About us
Matthias Angelstorf
M.Sc.Clin.Psych.
Psychologist
Couple Therapist
Certified Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy Therapist, Supervisor and Trainer (ICEEFT)
Berlin, Germany
My Values
Helping couples rediscover their love for each other is something I do with great commitment and passion because I really do believe that a strong and loving relationship is the foundation for a fulfilling and meaningful life. And research tells us it is the basis for psychological health. I also believe that couple relationships are the smallest unit of our society. Strong and loving couple relationships create loving families, loving families create loving neighborhoods, loving neighborhoods create loving communities, and loving communities create loving nations and more peace and compassion on this planet. So I view practicing couples therapy as my small contribution to creating a more loving world.
My Education and Training
I am a Certified Emotionally Focused Couple Therapist, Supervisor and Trainer (ICEEFT) and I hold a bachelor's and a master's degree in clinical psychology (cum laude and summa cum laude, respectively). Beyond that, I have lived in the U.S. for two years and have worked at the Sue Johnson's renowned Ottawa Couple and Family Institute for a year.
About me
After completing my bachelor's degree in Psychology, I attained a Master of Science in Behavioral Therapy. In my previous work in the field of neuropsychology, I realized what a decisive effect the emotional cohesion of couples has on the course of neurological diseases such as dementia or Huntington’s disease. These observations inspired me to receive training in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy.
Through the use of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy, I can help more couples return to an emotional level and use their relationship as an important resource for a happy life. Conflicts and difficult living conditions cannot be avoided, but they can be handled much more flexible when couples meet again on a more emotional level and work together.
About me
So many couples live below their happiness potential. What I find so gratifying about my work as a couple therapist is that I can help couples achieve their true potential. Emotionally focused couples therapy provides me with the structure and the tools that help me effectively guide couples on this journey toward long-lasting changes and a new understanding of love and their relationship. I am a clinical psychologist holding a Master of Science degree, and I specialized in Emotionally Focused Couples therapy. Because I am still in the process of completing the practical portion of my training in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy I work under the close supervision of Matthias Angelstorf of couple therapy Berlin and offer reduced fees of 210 Euros per 100-minute session. I have lived and completed my education in France and Great Britain, and therefore offer therapy for couples in English, German as well as French at couples therapy Berlin.
Our Method
As mentioned above, the method we use in our practice is called Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy. That name refers to the fact that couples usually get together and get into trouble for emotional reasons. Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy is one of the best-researched methods of couples therapy to date. There are only two methods whose effectiveness has been proven through rigorous scientific studies. One is Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy and the other one is behavioral marital therapy. So both methods work, however in behavioral marital therapy relapse is a significant problem. In other words, with behavioral marital therapy improvements tend not to last for very long. In Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy relapse rates are much lower, even in high-risk groups, i.e. couples who face massive stressors. Additionally, studies have demonstrated that Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy has much higher improvement rates: Scientific effectiveness studies have demonstrated that in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy 90 % of the couples improve their relationship significantly while 7 out of 10 couples recover fully from their distress. In comparison, in behavioral marital therapy improvement rates are at about 60-70 % on average, while recovery occurs only in about 3-4 out of 10 couples.
Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy seems to be so effective because it focuses on the crux of the problem: How partners feel in relation to each other and how they deal with their emotions in their relationship. The high relapse rate in behavioral marital therapy is most likely due to the fact that in focusing mostly on behavior change, this therapy method only touches on the surface of the problem. To draw on a medical analogy: It only targets the behavioral symptoms without ever specifically addressing and curing the root cause.
Originally developed in Canada, Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy is now successfully practiced all over the world. However, as of today, we can pridefully proclaim that I'm the only couple therapist trained in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy who practices in Berlin.
Under the button "Couple Therapy Berlin" you can read more about how Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy works exactly.
Other Methods
Couples are well-advised to be skeptical in regards to other methods of couples therapy. Other methods have either not been studied at all or not enough to be able to say for sure that they actually work. Of course, that does not mean that other methods don't work at all. But engaging in those methods asks couples to perform a huge leap of faith, as they invest much time, money and effort in a method whose effectiveness is uncertain.
Our Practice - Couples Therapy Berlin
Couples Therapy Berlin is located in the center of Berlin (Berlin Mitte). It is easy to reach via public transportation and there is a fairly good availability of parking lots (the parking situation is not ideal but it is better than in many other areas of Berlin). Of course, Couples Therapy Berlin is open to couples of all sexual orientations.
Couple Therapy Berlin