Relationship Coaching for Expats and Digital Nomads

Relationship coaching is a professional intervention that focuses on developing skills for healthy communication and conflict resolution, and reigniting intimacy and connection between individuals. As relationship coach I encourage clients to become more self-aware, understand their values and beliefs, and learn how to be open and honest with themselves and their partner. Coaching is about reflection, empowering people to find their own answers, skill-building and supporting clients in making important choices. I will support you in understanding your relationship dynamics and behaviour.

It is important to say that not every person calling himself relationship coach will deliver professional coaching. As relationship coach I underwent training and certification and continously following training by the Gottman Institute. My approach to relationship coaching is systematic and structured, and many interventions (exercises) are used both from coaches and therapists.

It differs from couples therapy in several ways. Firstly, couples therapy will only be offered by a licensed therapist who is trained in dealing with mental health issues and illnesses, trauma, addiction, domestic violence. Secondly, a therapist might put more emphasis on your past to help you identify and work through trauma, family relations, or childhood wounds that influence your behaviour of today. There is a saying "Therapy is about archaeology, coaching is about architecture". While past experiences matter, they are not in the centre of our relationship coaching conversations. Lastly, a relationship coach will neither give you a diagnosis nor a treatment or some medicine, as coaches are experts and facilitators of processes.

The answer is: it depends.

How much you are committed and willing to invest timewise, if you "practice" outside of our coaching calls, and how often we meet to work on your couple. Other factors are of course the complexity and severeity of the issue(s) you want to address. After the free intake call I conduct a thorough assessment of your relationship challenges and strenghts that takes about 2 sessions. This will set the foundation for our work. After the assessment I recommend to book at least 3 sessions to see first results.

My focus is on UNDERSTANDING and ANALYSING patterns of behaviour and REPLACING them with alternatives through hands-on exercises and research-based interventions.

Inter alia, I can help you with

✅ helping you understand why your relationship feels difficult and exhaustive;

✅ reflecting and improving your communication;

✅ understanding re-occuring perpetual problems / discussions;

✅ mediating a conflict that seems unsolvable

✅ making your relationship ready for the big move, so that you avoid the common traps many expat couples experience; and more.

🛑My services are not for you if your relationship problems root in mental disorders, addicitions, substance abuses, trauma, or the like.

Please book a free 30-min. Call to see if we are a good fit and I am the right person for your current issues.

During the training to become a relationship coach, priority is given to making sure that future coaches are unbiased and impartial when working with clients. We know that being biased towards one of the two clients will hamper the outcome of the coaching. I would be lying to say that in reality this is never challenging. However, I am confident to say that impartiality is one of my strengths, as I see couples as objects of research. I take an unbiased approach in my interactions, which includes refraining from taking sides when assessing the dynamics of a couple. Such an objectivity allows me to remain cognizant of all the contributing factors that may be influencing your interactions and communication patterns. By not taking sides I facilitate an environment of openness and trust, which is essential for any therapeutic intervention. If you are concerned that my coaching will be favouring your partner's perspective, I'd suggest we discuss this openly in our free intake call.

I am a German native speaker. I offer coaching also in English and Dutch.

I have an eye for the big picture and am systematic and efficient in the way I work.

I have a talent for recognizing patterns and pitfalls, that others either overlook or underestimate in their effect.

My clients describe me as direct and determined, authentic and warm.

Last but not least, I am an Expat myself and relocated with my intercultural family from Europe to Central Asia and Africa. Therefore I know the challenges that couples face before, during, and after they moved abroad.

Countless scientific studies have shown that the chemistry between coach and client is one of the most important prerequisites for successful relationship coaching and positive changes in the couple.

That is why it is best to find out whether we are a good match for each other in a free intake call!

I am Wiebke Anton, I hold a PhD in political science (LMU Munich), certified relationship coach (BTB Bildungswerk für Therapeutische Berufe) and mediator (WINGS HS Wismar). I completed the advanced training courses of the Gottman Institute, which developed the integrated research-based couples therapy.

To this end, I have undergone various additional trainings, including the Gottman Method of Couple Therapy (Level 2), Solution Based Counselling, work with system boards and system constellations. I am part of a network of colleagues for regular supervision.