An English-speaking counsellor for women in Vienna

If you are looking for an English-speaking counsellor in Vienna, I offer online person-centred counselling by secure video. I am a trainee counsellor in the UK, working under supervision, and my focus is women living abroad. Sessions cost £45, charged in pounds. This is counselling from the UK, so it sits outside the Austrian health system.

Finding an English-speaking counsellor or therapist in Vienna

Vienna is far more international than its postcard image suggests. At the start of 2025, 36.4% of the people living in the city held a foreign passport and 40.9% had been born abroad, according to the City of Vienna. Germany is the third most common country of origin. Plenty of people get through a working week in English, but the health system, the forms and the insurer's letters are in German.

The way psychotherapy is paid for in Austria can be confusing when you first meet it. The ÖGK, the main public insurer, covers psychotherapy in two ways. You can be treated by an organisation that has a contract with the ÖGK, in which case the costs are covered. Or you can see a therapist in private practice, pay the full fee yourself and then claim back a fixed subsidy. In both cases the ÖGK expects a mental disorder that counts as an illness, a medical examination before the second session, and approval before the eleventh. It says plainly that it does not pay for counselling about family or work problems.

Supply is tight. The Austrian psychotherapy association (ÖBVP) reported in February 2026 that the ÖGK provides fully funded psychotherapy for only 1.3% of the people it insures. So many people in Vienna either wait or pay privately. If you are comparing options, my guide on how to find a therapist abroad has a checklist of questions to ask.

There is one newer route worth knowing about. Since late January 2026, clinical-psychological treatment has been available as an insured benefit through a service called psyhelp. ORF Wien reported in May 2026 that 145 psychologists in the city were taking part, that people were waiting at most four weeks, and that almost two in three of those who registered in the first 100 days were women. The report did not say which languages are offered, so ask when you get in touch.

If you would like someone local who works in English, the ÖBVP's online search lets you filter by the therapist's language, by free places funded by insurance, and by therapists "in Ausbildung unter Supervision" (in supervised training), who the association says usually charge less. It only lists ÖBVP members.

A note on words. In Austria, "Psychotherapeut" and "Psychotherapeutin" are protected titles for people on the government's list. I am not on that list and I don't use those titles. I am a counsellor, trained in the UK.

Expat life in Vienna: what it can feel like

Vienna has a reputation as an easy, comfortable city, which can make it harder to admit that you are struggling. The trams run on time, the parks are beautiful, and still you might find yourself sitting in a Kaffeehaus thinking that no one in this city really knows you.

Some of it is practical. If you came as a family member of someone on a Red-White-Red Card, you may have needed A1 German before you arrived. Family members of Blue Card holders and of very highly qualified workers are exempt. Once here, the Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte plus gives unrestricted access to the labour market. On paper, then, you can work. In practice, finding work that fits who you were before the move can take far longer than the visa did.

Some of it is quieter. You might be:

• raising small children in a language you are still learning, far from your own mother and sisters
• the one who moved for a partner's job, and now unsure where your own life went (I write more about this on the trailing spouse page)
• from a family that expected you to stay close, and carrying guilt about the distance
• simply lonely, in a way that doesn't fit the picture of a successful move (more on expat loneliness)

None of this needs a diagnosis to be worth talking about. If you would like a private way to take stock first, the free loneliness test takes a minute, and the free resources for expats and migrants are there whatever you decide.

How online therapy in English works from Vienna

We meet by secure video for 50 minutes. You can join from your flat, a quiet room at work, or anywhere you feel private enough to speak freely. Sessions are in English. If you are wondering what actually happens, I describe it in what to expect in your first counselling session.

Vienna is one hour ahead of the UK all year round, since Austria and the UK change their clocks on the same Sundays in March and October. A 7pm session in Vienna is 6pm for me. When you book, please check the time zone shown before you confirm.

The fee is £45 per session, charged in pounds. Your bank may add a small conversion fee. I keep a limited number of lower-cost places for students, trainees and people on a low income, and you can read the details on the fees page. When you are ready, you can book a first session, or read more about online therapy for expats first.

Who I am: a trainee counsellor working from the UK

I am Michelle Fernando, a trainee person-centred counsellor and a BACP student member. I am completing an MSc in Counselling and Psychotherapy at Keele University, and I work under regular clinical supervision. I am based in Shrewsbury, in the UK, and also in Rajagiriya, Colombo, in Sri Lanka. Sessions with clients in Vienna happen online from the UK.

Person-centred counselling means I won't arrive with a plan for your life. I listen closely, try to understand how things feel from where you stand, and trust that you know more about your life than I do. I am especially interested in culture and context: what it means to belong to a family and a place, and what happens when you move away from both.

Being a trainee is also why my fee is lower than many qualified practitioners. I would rather you know that from the start. There is more about my training on the about page.

When to look for local help in Vienna instead

Online counselling with me is not an emergency service, and I am not part of Austrian healthcare. If you are thinking about ending your life, are in danger, or need urgent help, please contact local services straight away. The numbers on this page are a starting point, and the help centres in Vienna page lists more local services, with the Austria helplines page covering the rest of the country.

I also don't work with active suicidality, psychosis, eating disorders, specialist trauma treatment, addiction, couples or children. For those, a local psychiatrist, your GP (Hausarzt), a contracted psychotherapy organisation or psyhelp is a better first step, and I would gently encourage you to start there.

If you are not sure whether online counselling suits you at all, the Austria overview has more context, and you are welcome to email me with a question before booking.