Relationship crisis
You are asking yourselves whether there is still a future for you at all.
A warm welcome!
My name is Patric Pförtner,
A short video greeting from your psychologist and couples therapist Patric Pförtner. Consider this a personal invitation to get to know me.
A warm welcome
I'm glad you're here. I'm an M.Sc. psychologist and doctoral researcher in cognitive psychology, and for many years now I have been accompanying people who have reached a point in life where things can no longer move forward on their own.
My online practice builds on my work at Caritas with high-conflict parents, on counselling at three schools in Heilbronn with pupils, parents and teachers, and on scientifically grounded methods.
Today I live with my wife — who has built her own practice as an architect — and our 3-year-old son in sun-blessed Bulgaria.
My heart beats for couples who don't want to give up. Couples who sense: this can't go on the way it is. And who are ready to change something, together.
First consultation with a satisfaction guarantee
Book a free 20-minute initial conversation via video call. Together we'll clarify your concern and whether my way of working fits with yours — without obligation and in strict confidence.
Yours, Patric Pförtner, M.Sc. Psychologist
What I Offer
Whether couples therapy, a workshop or first an anonymous self-test — choose the format that fits your situation.
Build bridges, develop understanding, rediscover closeness — together. Support for couples in crisis, after a breach of trust, or with communication that has run aground — online, location-independent, confidential.
Discover Couples Therapy
Workshops in a comfortable online setting or as a retreat in Bulgaria with a wine tour and group sessions in nature. Clear impulses, small groups, real craftsmanship for your relationship.
Browse Workshops
70 free, anonymous online tests by psychologist Patric Pförtner. From jealousy to attachment styles to relationship satisfaction — an initial self-assessment in just a few minutes.
Take a Self-TestWhy Online Couples Therapy?
As an M.Sc. psychologist with many years of counselling experience, you can trust in my professional expertise and rely on empathy, clarity and absolute confidentiality.
We work on your relationship together, location-independent, via video call. Whether you both sit at the same screen or join from different places: online couples therapy adapts to your reality, not the other way around.
You choose the platform that suits you: Google Meet, Zoom, FaceTime, Teams or another provider of your choice. All you need is a quiet room and a stable internet connection.
Online couples therapy is especially valuable when you:
"I would give Patric a whole sky full of stars for his professional, human and authentic way of being. Chapeau! Our conversations went deep, full of opportunities to reflect, grow and develop. With all my heart I can recommend Patric as a 5-star psychologist who masterfully practises the art of psychological counselling — with great joy, a pinch of humour and plenty of lightness. Thank you, Patric!"
Doro G. 
M.Sc. Psychologist Patric Pförtner
When does online couples therapy make sense?
Relationship struggles are part of life. The question is not whether crises come, but how you respond to them.
Inside every crisis lies a genuine opportunity: to release old patterns and try something new. Many couples emerge from a crisis stronger — with their best chapter still ahead of them.
This is exactly where online couples therapy helps: it creates a protected space where you can speak openly and find new paths together. No waiting list, no commute, comfortably from home.
Unsure whether this is for you? Take one of my free self-tests first. Or book a first consultation with a satisfaction guarantee directly.
Topics & Concerns
You are asking yourselves whether there is still a future for you at all.
An affair or a lie has shaken the trust between you.
Money, parenting, chores, too little time together: the same conflict, over and over.
Instead of talking, you either go silent or escalate. You can't actually move forward.
Intimacy and touch have become rarer. You miss the connection you once shared.
A crisis lies behind you, or a life change lies ahead. You're searching for orientation.
You want to step out of well-worn reactions and truly meet each other again.
You live apart or abroad and are looking for location-independent support.
Do you recognise yourselves in any of these points? Then book a free initial conversation. In 20 minutes we'll clarify together whether and how we might work with one another.
Marie B.
After Jan's confession I genuinely thought that was it. For days I couldn't look at him without everything boiling up inside me. With Patric we learned how to actually talk through the anger and the pain — instead of just reacting or slamming the door. He held space for the uncomfortable questions and, at the same time, showed us how to listen to each other again. Today we're not the old couple — we're a new one. Not easy every day, but finally honest with each other again.
Anna L.
I had found messages that wouldn't let me go for days. In the sessions with Patric we learned the difference between mistrust and being attentive. Stefan and I haven't become naive — we're a team again, one that talks to each other honestly.
Lena K.
Two small children, barely any sleep, more arguing than tenderness. That's how we ended up with Psychologist Pförtner. We felt we had completely lost sight of each other and were only functioning as parents. In just a few sessions we re-learned how to listen to one another instead of only trading demands. We found small rituals that carry us through hectic days, and we even laughed together again. We still argue — but now with respect, not out of exhaustion. Above all, we feel like a couple again, not just parents.
Sarah W.
Three years of long distance between Hamburg and Munich took more out of us than we wanted to admit. We called each other daily but kept talking past the real issues. Jealousy, doubts, the feeling of no longer being part of each other's lives. With Patric we learned not to measure closeness by presence, but by reliability and honest communication. Today we have steady rituals, expectations are spoken out loud, and our weekends together no longer feel like an exam — they feel like home.
Julia R.
We had both known for a while that it no longer carried us as a couple. But there was no way we wanted our two children caught in the crossfire, the way we had seen happen with friends. With Mr Pförtner we spoke the hard decision out loud, calmly, and found a way to part fairly and with respect. Today we talk about hand-overs, school and finances without tearing open old wounds. We're no longer a couple — but we are a reliable parenting team, and the children can clearly feel that both of us are there for them.
Katharina B.
In my conversations with Patric I quickly felt very comfortable. He meets you on eye level, is attentive, warm, there's also laughter, and of course he listens beautifully. Thank you for walking with me through my jungle of emotions — and for stopping and looking more closely where it was needed!
In our first conversation you tell me where you stand right now and what you expect from your couples therapist. At the end, you decide whether the chemistry feels right.
Book your free first appointmentStraight from my practice
Here you'll find mini impulses from the practice.
