Systemic Family Therapy

Systemic family therapy helps individuals, couples and families understand relational patterns that have developed over time, and explore more helpful ways forward. The focus is not on blame, but on understanding what has brought you here, what keeps the difficulty in place, and what may now need to change.

I support families, couples and individuals. My approach places each person within the relationships, life situation and personal history that shape their experience. Many difficulties become easier to understand when we look not only at the individual, but also at the wider system around them.

I also welcome international and multilingual families living in Estonia or abroad. In these families, difficulties may be shaped not only by personal histories, but also by language, culture, relocation, belonging and distance from familiar support networks.

At a glance

  • Who it is for: individuals, couples and families
  • Languages: English and Estonian; Finnish can be used as a supporting language when helpful
  • Location: online, or in Koidu 18, Tallinn, Estonia
  • Fee: EUR 90 per hour for couples and family therapy or counselling
  • Format: sessions may take place individually, as a couple or with the whole family

Family therapy may be helpful in situations such as:

  • Relationship tensions and conflicts
  • Communication difficulties or emotional distance
  • Separation or family transitions, such as the birth of a child, children leaving home, or changes in family structure
  • Blended family dynamics, roles and boundaries
  • Behavioural or adjustment challenges involving children
  • Crises, loss or significant life changes
  • Recurring relational patterns or inner confusion
  • Difficulties in relationships between adults and their parents

Therapy offers a safe and confidential space where complex and sensitive topics can be explored with care. The aim is greater clarity, improved connection and meaningful shifts in everyday life.

Sessions may involve the whole family, a couple or individual family members. Sometimes it is useful to include other people as well, for example in blended families, with adult siblings, or in situations where relationships with parents continue to affect family life.

Family therapy does not mean that anyone is “broken”. It is an opportunity to pause, reflect and engage with relationships more consciously.

Therapists do not offer ready-made answers, and universal solutions do not exist for complex human situations. Every individual, couple and family is different, as are the challenges they face. As a systemic therapist, I believe that people and families often hold important resources for navigating life’s difficulties. Therapy helps to bring these resources into awareness and to find more effective ways of using them.

Change often begins when we decide to pause and look honestly at our relationships. If you would like to begin family therapy, couples therapy or individual counselling, please get in touch to arrange an initial session. The direction and pace of the process are always shaped by your needs, goals and readiness.

You do not need to have the “right” problem clearly formulated before getting in touch. It is enough to describe briefly what feels difficult at the moment and who may need to be involved.

Practical Information

Sessions in Tallinn, Estonia take place at Koidu 18.

I also work online. However, communication is often richer when we share the same physical space, so I generally recommend that couples and families attend at least the first session in person whenever possible.

My fee for couples and family therapy or counselling is EUR 90 per hour. Payment is possible by bank transfer based on an invoice, or in cash on site.

Sessions are available in both Estonian and English. Due to my family background, I am also sufficiently fluent in Finnish to use it as a supporting language when needed.

Confidentiality and Professional Ethics

All matters discussed in therapy are treated as strictly confidential. Without prior agreement, I do not disclose information discussed in therapy or confirm anyone’s participation to third parties. Likewise, information shared in separate sessions is not passed on to other family members without explicit agreement.

If we happen to meet outside the therapeutic setting, I will not acknowledge our professional relationship in order to protect client confidentiality. Clients are, of course, free to share their own experiences as they wish.

As a standard professional practice, aspects of therapeutic work may be discussed in supervision. These discussions are conducted anonymously, with identifying details removed or altered. Confidentiality obligations also apply within the supervision context. Supervision is an essential part of professional therapeutic practice and helps ensure the quality of care.

Further details regarding confidentiality and ethical standards are defined by the codes of ethics of the Estonian Association for Family Therapy (EPTÜ) and the European Family Therapy Association (EFTA), which I follow as a member of EPTÜ.

Frequently Asked Questions

The duration of therapy depends on the nature of the concern and your goals. Every individual, couple and family is different, as is the pace of change. Therapy involves working with emotions, interpretations, relationships and patterns, which do not always follow a predictable timeline.

In some situations, a few sessions may be sufficient. In others, family or couples therapy may develop into a longer process, especially when the aim is deeper and more lasting change. Clients always retain the freedom to conclude therapy when they consider it appropriate.

For couples and family therapy, the initial session may last up to two hours. Follow-up sessions typically range between 90 and 120 minutes. Individual sessions may be shorter.

Sessions may end earlier by agreement if appropriate.

The frequency of sessions depends on the nature and intensity of the issues involved. When starting with new clients, I generally recommend meeting once a week or every two weeks. Longer intervals are often less effective, as the impact of therapeutic work may diminish and require repetition.

In longer-term processes, sessions may become less frequent, with greater emphasis placed on reflection and change between meetings.

My fee for couples and family therapy or counselling is EUR 90 per hour. The total fee is based on the duration of the session.

Not necessarily. Sessions may involve the whole family, a couple or take place individually. Even individual participation can influence the broader relational system.

However, change is often more sustainable and visible when significant relationships are represented in the therapy room. The participants for subsequent sessions are agreed together, based on the needs of the process.

Yes, often. Blended families are a common contemporary family form. They can be supportive for everyone involved, but because their beginning is always connected with loss — whether through death or separation — the reality is often more complicated.

Usually the question is not that someone is deliberately doing something wrong. More often, emotions have not yet been fully worked through, the system itself is complex, and the situation needs to be carefully unpacked.

Yes. All matters discussed in therapy are confidential in accordance with professional ethical standards. More information is provided in the section “Confidentiality and Professional Ethics” above.

Therapeutic work is often most helpful when challenges are addressed early. Family therapy may be useful both in times of crisis and as a reflective space before difficulties escalate. It can help you understand recurring conflicts, communication patterns or relational difficulties.

Family therapy does not offer quick universal solutions or ready-made answers. It requires some willingness to pause, reflect and examine one’s own role within relationships.

If the primary expectation is to identify someone to blame or to confirm that only others need to change, the therapeutic process may feel challenging.

All emotions are allowed both in life and in therapy. No emotion makes you a bad person. Emotions provide valuable information about personal experiences, needs and boundaries. Therapy often progresses more effectively when feelings can be expressed openly.

If you experience frustration, anger or disappointment within therapy, giving voice to these experiences can become an important part of guiding the process.