An English-speaking counsellor for women living in Austria

I offer person-centred counselling in English, by secure video, for women living anywhere in Austria. I am a trainee counsellor based in the UK, a BACP student member, and I work under regular clinical supervision. Sessions cost £45, charged in pounds. This is counselling delivered from the UK. It is not Austrian healthcare, and I am not a Psychotherapeutin under Austrian law.

English-speaking counselling across Austria, not only Vienna

On 1 January 2026, 1,881,309 people living in Austria did not hold Austrian citizenship, according to Statistik Austria. That is 20.4% of the population. Vienna has the highest share at 36.8%, and if you live there, my page for Vienna has more local detail.

This page is for the rest of the country too. If you live in Graz or Innsbruck, in Linz or in a village in Vorarlberg, the questions tend to be national ones: how the insurance works, what the titles mean, and where to turn when your German runs out.

You might have moved for a job with an English-speaking team, and found that everything outside the office happens in German. The landlord, and every letter from the Krankenkasse. It's okay if that has worn you down more than you expected. The free mental health resources for expats and migrants are a gentle place to start reading.

How mental health care works in Austria if your German is limited

In Austria you can go to a psychotherapist directly, without a referral. The national health portal says insurance usually only helps when there is a mental disorder that counts as an illness, together with a doctor's confirmation. Counselling or personal development on its own is paid privately.

The ÖGK, the main health insurer, has two routes. With one of its contract partners, the ÖGK pays directly. With a freelance psychotherapist on the national list, you pay the bill yourself and claim back a fixed subsidy. Either way, you need a medical examination before the second session, and approval from the eleventh session onwards.

Since 1 January 2026, treatment by clinical psychologists has also been available at the ÖGK's cost, booked through a national service point. Places are allocated by need, with urgent requests first.

The ÖGK is also clear about what it does not cover. Counselling for school, family or career problems is not paid for.

Most of this happens in German. The forms and the medical examination are usually in German, and the number of practitioners who work in English varies from region to region. My guide on how to find a therapist abroad has questions worth asking any practitioner, local or online.

Is an English-speaking counsellor the same as a Psychotherapeutin?

If you searched for an English therapist in Austria and landed here, it helps to know what I am, and what I am not.

Psychotherapy is a regulated health profession in Austria. The national health portal states that a person may only practise after being entered on the Berufsliste Psychotherapie.

I am not on that list, and I don't use that title. If you want to know how a UK counsellor can work with clients abroad at all, I explain it in can a UK counsellor see clients abroad? I am a trainee person-centred counsellor, studying for an MSc in Counselling and Psychotherapy at Keele University, and a student member of the BACP. I see clients online from the UK under regular clinical supervision. My fee is lower than a qualified practitioner's because I am still in training.

So please don't expect the ÖGK to reimburse my sessions. If you have private international health insurance, ask your insurer directly before you assume anything either way.

Online therapy in English in Austria: how sessions with me work

We meet by secure video for 50 minutes. You need a private space where you won't be overheard, and a reasonably stable connection.

Austria is one hour ahead of the UK all year, because both countries change their clocks on the same dates. A 6pm session in the UK is 7pm in Austria.

The fee is £45 per session, charged in pounds. Your bank may add a conversion fee. I keep a few low-cost places for students, trainees and people on low income, and I ask for 48 hours' notice to cancel. The details are on my fees page, and you can book a first session when you feel ready.

What you can bring to counselling in English

There is no wrong reason to come. Some people arrive with a clear question. Others just feel that something is off and want room to think.

You might be the partner who followed someone else's job, which I write about on the trailing spouse page. You might feel caught between your family's expectations and the life you are building here, as on family duty and the self. Or you might simply be lonely in a country where you can't yet joke in the language, which I write about on expat loneliness. If you want a quiet way to put words to it first, the free loneliness test takes about a minute.

My approach is person-centred. I won't diagnose you or hand you a plan. I'll listen closely, try to understand how things feel from where you stand, and trust you to find your own direction. You can read more about me.

When online counselling from the UK isn't the right support

Online counselling from the UK is not the right setting for everything. I don't provide crisis care, and I don't work with active suicidal intent, psychosis, eating disorders, addiction treatment, specialist trauma treatment, couples or children.

If any of these apply, local care is the better first step. Your GP (Hausarzt or Hausärztin) can examine you and refer you on. The 1450 health line gives nurse-led advice around the clock, including on where to go next. For insured treatment, the ÖGK routes described above, with a contract partner or through its clinical-psychology service point, are built for exactly these situations. If you are affected by violence at home, the free safety information for women sets out options carefully. We can always talk later about whether counselling might help alongside.

Crisis support in Austria

If you are in danger now, call 112 or the ambulance on 144.

• Telefonseelsorge, 142. Free and confidential, open 24 hours. In German. There is also a chat every day from 16:00 to 23:00.
• Ö3-Kummernummer, 116 123. Free, every day from 16:00 to midnight. In German.
• Frauenhelpline gegen Gewalt, 0800 222 555. For women affected by violence. Free, 24 hours, and all counsellors offer English.
• 1450. Nurse-led health advice around the clock, including on where to go next.

These numbers were checked on the official websites listed below on 19 October 2026. There are more services, including regional ones, on the Austria helplines page, and Vienna has its own list of help centres in Vienna.