Rotem Hess
Psychotherapist & EMDR Therapist
I specialise in:
About me
I am a psychotherapist licensed by the Austrian Ministry of Health and based in Vienna, with more than ten years of clinical experience. I work with adults in English, German and Hebrew, both online with clients from all over the world and in person in Vienna. Many of the people who come to me are thoughtful, capable and highly self-reflective. They may understand their patterns very well, yet still find themselves becoming reactive, overwhelmed, shut down or unable to switch off when pressure rises.
My clinical foundation is in psychodynamic psychotherapy and group analysis, with additional training in EMDR, Lifespan Integration, neurofeedback and HRV biofeedback. I am also a certified HeartMath trainer. My experience includes work in outpatient, psychiatric and rehabilitation settings, as well as private practice.
I am particularly interested in the gap between understanding and change. Therapy can help make intellectual insight available at emotional, physiological and relational levels, so that familiar patterns no longer determine what happens when they are activated.
I speak:
Location:
Approach
My therapeutic style is active, collaborative and depth-oriented. I listen carefully to what is happening in the present while also considering the emotional history, bodily responses and protective strategies that may be shaping it. I explain my thinking openly, and we regularly consider whether the work is addressing what you actually came to change.
My approach follows three connected stages: Regulate → Integrate → Consolidate. Regulation comes first when the nervous system does not yet have enough capacity to remain present with difficult material. HRV biofeedback, HeartMath and practical regulation work can make this process observable and help develop greater physiological flexibility.
Integration addresses what is still generating the reaction. Where appropriate, I use EMDR or Lifespan Integration to work with emotional memories and experiences that continue to feel active, even when you understand them intellectually. This work is carefully paced; moving quickly is not useful if it leads to overwhelm, detachment or emotional shutdown.
Consolidation helps make change durable. Through psychodynamic exploration, values and strengths, we examine how new responses can become part of your relationships, decisions and everyday life. The aim is not only to feel calmer during a session, but to have greater freedom when familiar patterns are activated outside therapy.
This sequence is a framework rather than a rigid protocol. Some clients need more regulation, some are ready for focused processing, and others benefit most from reflective relational work. We adapt the balance together according to your needs, responses and goals.
