Atelier für Sexualität
Psychoanalytic Sex Therapy
Sexuality touches upon the most intimate dimensions of our experience. Psychoanalytic Sex Therapy offers a protected space in which to understand its personal history, its conflicts, and its often unconscious meanings, and to develop new possibilities for experience.
I. Therapeutic Philosophy
My therapeutic work is not centred on symptoms themselves, but on the underlying psychological organisation from which they emerge. I understand sexual difficulties, conflicts, fantasies and patterns of sexual preference not as isolated phenomena, but as expressions of an individual’s unique organisation of meaning, whose internal logic can only be understood through the shared process of psychotherapy.
As a psychoanalytic sex therapist, I regard sexuality neither as a mere biological function nor as observable behaviour alone. Rather, I understand it as part of a complex psychic reality in which personal biography, unconscious relational experience, fantasy, embodiment and present-day relationships are inextricably interwoven. Therapeutic change begins where these connections become understandable, allowing what was previously disconnected, unspoken or psychologically unrepresented to be gradually integrated into the individual’s inner world.
My clinical and forensic engagement with human sexuality has continually deepened my respect for its complexity, its creative power and its inherent ambivalence. It has taught me that every expression of sexuality must first be understood before it can be evaluated or therapeutically transformed. From this understanding arises my commitment to approach every therapeutic concern with the same scientific rigour, profound respect for the individual and professional openness. Guided by this conviction, I approach human sexuality—regardless of how it is expressed—with a therapeutic attitude shaped equally by precision, respect and a genuine commitment to understanding.
Juliane Kröner
II. Areas of Practice
Clinical sex therapy is dedicated to the psychoanalytic reconstruction of individual sexuality in both its conscious and unconscious forms of psychological organisation. The focus of treatment is not the sexual symptom itself, but the underlying psychological organisation within which sexual difficulties, conflicts, fantasies, patterns of sexual preference and relational experiences acquire their subjective meaning. Treatment addresses clinical sexual concerns whose psychotherapeutic exploration takes place independently of criminal or offence-related contexts. Its aim is to foster a comprehensible, personally integrated and psychologically sustainable relationship with one’s own sexuality, while enabling sexuality to be experienced as a self-determined, pleasurable and fulfilling dimension of life.
Indications for Clinical Sex Therapy
Forensic sex therapy is dedicated to the psychoanalytic reconstruction of sexual preference structures, fantasy organisation and psychological processes that may be associated with offence-related risk or the potential violation of another person’s sexual autonomy. The focus of treatment is not the offence itself, but the underlying psychological organisation within which offence-relevant fantasies, patterns of sexual preference, affective dynamics and behaviours acquire their subjective meaning. Treatment addresses sexual concerns of forensic relevance whose psychotherapeutic exploration aims to prevent sexual boundary violations, reduce offence-related risk and foster a responsible and psychologically sustainable relationship with one’s own sexuality. Its ultimate goal is to support the development of a self-determined, non-harmful and socially responsible sexuality that respects the sexual autonomy of others while allowing the individual to integrate and understand their own sexual reality.
Indications for Forensic Sex Therapy
III. Assessment and Commencement of Therapy
The assessment phase serves to determine collaboratively whether psychoanalytic sex therapy is the most appropriate treatment for your individual concerns. From the very first consultation, the therapeutic process begins. The initial sessions provide an opportunity to reconstruct the psychological organisation within which sexual difficulties, conflicts, fantasies or patterns of sexual preference have acquired their individual meaning.
The Therapeutic Assessment Process
01. Initial Contact
Contact is made via email and includes a brief description of your concerns and the reason for seeking therapy.
02. Initial Consultation
An initial therapeutic consultation providing an opportunity for mutual acquaintance, preliminary therapeutic orientation and clarification of your presenting concerns.
03. Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation
Comprehensive psychodynamic, psychosexual and biographical assessment, together with an initial reconstruction of the underlying psychological organisation.
04. Joint Treatment Planning
Collaborative consideration of whether psychoanalytic sex therapy represents the most appropriate treatment approach and formulation of the therapeutic objectives.
05. Exploratory Sessions
Development of a therapeutic working alliance and further clarification of the treatment focus and therapeutic goals.
06. Commencement of Therapy
The psychoanalytic sex therapy process formally begins.
The assessment phase serves to determine collaboratively whether forensic sex therapy is the most appropriate treatment for your individual concerns. From the very first consultation, the therapeutic process begins. The initial sessions provide an opportunity to reconstruct the psychological organisation within which offence-relevant fantasies, patterns of sexual preference, risk dynamics or sexual boundary violations have acquired their individual meaning. The purpose of this phase is to establish the therapeutic focus, formulate an individual risk profile and define the objectives of treatment.
The Therapeutic Assessment Process
01. Initial Contact
Contact is made via email and includes a brief description of your concerns or the reason for seeking therapy.
02. Initial Consultation
An initial therapeutic consultation providing an opportunity for mutual acquaintance, preliminary therapeutic orientation and clarification of the therapeutic remit.
03. Assessment and Forensic Diagnostic Evaluation
Comprehensive psychodynamic, psychosexual and forensic assessment, including an initial reconstruction of offence-relevant sexual preference structures, fantasy organisation and individual risk dynamics.
04. Joint Treatment Planning
Collaborative consideration of whether forensic sex therapy represents the most appropriate treatment approach and formulation of the therapeutic objectives and individual treatment plan.
05. Exploratory Sessions
Development of a therapeutic working alliance and further clarification of the therapeutic focus.
06. Commencement of Therapy
The forensic sex therapy process formally begins.
IV. Treatment Framework
The therapeutic framework provides the foundation for a professional, reliable and trusting therapeutic relationship. Transparency regarding the organisational, legal and therapeutic conditions of treatment establishes a secure therapeutic setting and supports the continuity of the therapeutic process.
01. Frequency
The frequency of sessions is determined by your individual therapeutic concerns and the treatment goals agreed upon collaboratively. Session frequency is established during the assessment phase and may be adjusted over the course of treatment as clinically appropriate.
02. Duration
Individual Session: 50 minutes
Couples Session: 90 minutes
03. In-Person and Online Therapy
Therapy may be conducted either in person or online by mutual agreement. The choice of treatment format is determined by the nature of the therapeutic concerns, practical considerations and the clinical requirements of the treatment.
04. Confidentiality
All therapeutic treatment is subject to professional confidentiality. Any information disclosed or obtained during the course of therapy is treated in the strictest confidence. Disclosure to third parties occurs only with your explicit written consent or where required by law. Statutory exceptions apply only in legally defined circumstances, particularly where there is an acute risk of serious harm to yourself or others, or where disclosure is otherwise required by law.
05. Treatment Agreement
Prior to the commencement of therapy, the essential therapeutic, organisational and legal aspects of the treatment are set out in a written treatment agreement. This agreement defines the therapeutic remit, fees, appointment arrangements, cancellation policy and the respective rights and responsibilities of both parties throughout the course of treatment.
06. Fees
The practice operates as a private practice. Treatment is provided on a self-funded basis.
Individual Session (50 minutes): €150
Couples Session (90 minutes): €200
07. Language
Therapy can be conducted in either German or English. The language of treatment is determined collaboratively according to your individual linguistic needs and the requirements of the therapeutic process.
08. Appointment Cancellations
Appointments are considered binding once scheduled. Details regarding cancellations and cancellation fees are set out in the treatment agreement.
09. Data Protection
The protection of personal data and the confidential handling of all therapeutic information are of paramount importance. Personal data are processed exclusively in accordance with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), applicable professional regulations and all relevant data protection legislation governing healthcare practice. Personal information and clinical records are processed solely for legitimate therapeutic purposes, stored securely and protected through appropriate technical and organisational safeguards against unauthorised access. Further information regarding the processing of personal data is provided in the Privacy Policy.
V. Quality Assurance
The quality of therapeutic practice is founded not only upon professional qualifications, but also upon the continuous reflection of clinical work, ongoing scientific education and the critical engagement with current developments in research and clinical practice. Quality assurance is therefore understood as a continuous professional process that integrates therapeutic practice, scientific knowledge and ethical responsibility.
01. Continuing Professional Education
Continuous participation in scientific continuing education, academic conferences and interdisciplinary training programmes ensures the ongoing development of therapeutic, sexological and forensic expertise and provides the foundation for guideline-informed, evidence-based treatment conducted in accordance with the current state of scientific knowledge.
02. Scientific Activity
Clinical practice is maintained in close dialogue with ongoing scientific research. Current developments in psychoanalysis, sexology, psychotherapy, criminology and investigative psychology are continuously integrated into clinical work.
03. Professional Societies and Scientific Networks
Membership in national and international professional societies, together with the continuous exchange with colleagues across different disciplines, promotes scientific quality, methodological reflection and interdisciplinary collaboration.
04. Supervision, Intervision and Professional Self-Reflection
Professional therapeutic practice requires the continuous reflection of one’s clinical work. Regular supervision, structured peer consultation (intervision) and ongoing professional self-reflection support the critical evaluation of diagnostic and therapeutic decision-making, foster the continued development of clinical competence and constitute essential components of quality assurance in therapeutic practice.
05. Interdisciplinary Collaboration
Complex psychosexual and forensic presentations frequently require collaboration across multiple professional disciplines. To ensure comprehensive diagnostic assessment and therapeutic care, the practice seeks to establish a trusted interdisciplinary network with specialised professionals and institutions. Depending on the clinical presentation, collaboration may include university hospitals, university outpatient clinics, consultant psychiatrists, specialists in sexual medicine, urologists, gynaecologists, infectious disease specialists, solicitors and veterinary surgeons. Any interdisciplinary collaboration takes place exclusively with the patient’s informed consent and in full accordance with the legal requirements of professional confidentiality.
06. Evidence-Based Practice and Theoretical Reflection
Therapeutic decision-making is informed by scientific evidence, clinical expertise and theory-driven psychodynamic case formulation. Different scientific perspectives are critically evaluated and integrated into the therapeutic process according to their respective explanatory value and clinical relevance.
07. Ethical Responsibility
Therapeutic practice is guided by the applicable professional, psychotherapeutic and research ethical standards. Respect for the dignity, autonomy and sexual self-determination of every patient constitutes the foundation of all therapeutic decisions.
