About Me
Three Sides of Me
Therapy works where people truly meet each other. Before we begin to work together, you should have a sense of who is sitting opposite you. Three sides that, taken together, describe how I work with you.
Empathetic 01 Empathetic
What people experience carries weight. I don't listen in order to answer quickly, but in order to understand what is unspoken between you. As a psychologist who is also a husband and father, I know longing, pressure and doubt not just from books.
Humorous 02 Humorous
Therapy doesn't have to be heavy in order to work deeply. Where honest laughter finds its place, things that were stuck often start to loosen. My maxim: when I have a choice between crying and laughing, I choose laughter. Humour doesn't distract — it leads you back to the lightness every relationship needs.
Intercultural 03 Intercultural
We live in sun-blessed Bulgaria. Here our three-year-old son grows up between three languages, and our intercultural everyday life blends German directness, Bulgarian calm and English ease. What I keep noticing: there is rarely just one truth. I bring that same openness to my work with you — curious, without labels, with great respect for your very own path.
My Path in Brief
Beginnings
First clinical experience with psychotherapist Gunter König: work in the field of sexual-offender treatment and MPU preparation. Alongside that, couples counselling, systemic consultations and coaching.
Previously
Salaried psychologist for life counselling and supervised family contact. Counselling of high-conflict parents and group work with children and adolescents around separation and divorce. In parallel, school-psychological service at three schools in Heilbronn, Germany.
Today
I welcome clients from all over the world: from A like Amsterdam through D like Dubai to Z like Cyprus.
My Approach
Instead of only talking about the problem, we look together at what is already carrying you. Often there is more movement and clarity there than you might suspect.
You already bring much with you — often more than you currently realise. Once we bring these strengths into the light together, you know where to begin.
Real change rarely arrives as a big bang. It grows out of small, conscious steps that you take, day by day, together.
There is no single right path for all couples. My approach grows with you and shifts the moment you need it to shift.
We look at your story honestly, but we don't get stuck in it. The compass points forward, together, to where something in you wants to grow.
What we discuss should live on at home with you. That's why you take home concrete exercises — so that change finds its way into your everyday life.
Career
The stations at which I learned and developed my craft.
"Counselling by Psychologists" quality mark (German Academy of Psychologists)
Independent psychologist & BDP member
Doctoral researcher in cognitive psychology (NBU Sofia)
M.Sc. Mental Health and Psychotherapy (SRH Gera)
"Competent online counselling" (German Caritas Association)
Course instructor for Progressive Muscle Relaxation according to Jacobson (SRH Gera)
B.Sc. Psychology (NBU Sofia)
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 appointment
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!
Straight from my practice
Here you'll find mini impulses from the practice.
