It’s Complicated: Mental health is teamwork

As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Berlin-based therapy platform It’s Complicated is demonstrating how mental health can be cultivated collectively and sustainably. In a rapidly evolving mental health industry, It’s Complicated consciously embraces a socially responsible and people-centered approach. The focus is not only on the individual needs of clients but also on the working realities of therapists.

Berlin, May 2025. For more and more people, psychological counselling and psychotherapeutic care in the digital space are becoming an important source of support. It’s Complicated accompanies this development with a model that places social sustainability at the centre. The platform, founded in 2019 by therapists Johanne Schwensen (36) and Jakob Lusensky (48), aims to provide a framework in which therapy - whether face-to-face, online or in a hybrid format - can be organised in a human-centered, effective and fair way for therapy seekers and practitioners alike.

‘Working as a psychotherapist can sometimes be incredibly lonely. With It’s Complicated we are creating a space where therapists not only find their clients but colleagues with whom they exchange ideas, empower one another, and support each other in building their own practices,’ says Johanne Schwensen, Chief Clinical Officer and Co-Founder of It’s Complicated.

‘We place great importance on ensuring that our company model is firmly anchored in the realities of the therapy room. That is, mental health must not become purely a commercial enterprise, but needs to be built patiently with care and always with the client and therapist relationship at the centre,’ adds Jakob Lusensky, psychoanalyst and co-founder of It’s Complicated.

A jointly supported model

It’s Complicated, a community-driven platform for private mental health care across Europe, has built a model that empowers professionals in multiple ways. Therapists work autonomously while also being invited as professional contributors and co-creators in the platform’s ongoing development. Additionally, the therapist community holds around ten percent ownership in the company, which provides them with a voice, responsibility, and a solid foundation for long-term collaboration.

'By giving therapists more control over their working conditions, we create an environment that supports healthy and sustainable working practices across Europe, which ultimately benefits clients,' explains Johanne Schwensen. 'Unlike many other platforms, It’s Complicated does not impose rigid remuneration models that often lead therapists to see a large number of clients per day, causing overwork and burnout. Instead, therapists are free to set their own fees, which helps safeguard the quality of therapeutic work.'

Diversity and quality of therapy services

The platform provides access to qualified counselors and therapists with various areas of expertise, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), somatic experiencing, EMDR, and other recognized methods. Matching is based on a combination of data analysis and human assessment. This ensures tailored therapeutic support that can take place either in-person at a practice or conveniently from home via a GDPR-compliant software solution in a secure and professional environment.

It’s Complicated supports people suffering from specific conditions such as anxiety, depression, trauma, or stress, as well as challenges related to one's background, identity or experiences of discrimination. At the same time, the platform ensures that these services remain financially accessible. In some cases, reimbursement through public or private health insurance is possible. Use within the framework of workplace health programs is also an option – companies like Ada Health, Babbel, and Omio are already successfully collaborating with It’s Complicated.

Together for mental health

With actually more than 1,500 therapists available in-person and online, as well as in cities such as Berlin, Amsterdam, Lisbon, and Barcelona, It’s Complicated is a grassroot movement of therapists. Johanne Schwensen and Jakob Lusensky, who continue to work as therapists alongside their roles as Chief Clinical Officer (CCO) and CEO, promoting direct exchange with the community through regular local events. Stops in Istanbul, Copenhagen, Munich and Athens are planned for the next tour in autumn.

Contact:

For more information, feel free to visit our website at www.complicated.life or reach out to our press contact, Antje Jochmann, via email at press@complicated.life.

About It’s Complicated

It’s Complicated was founded in Berlin in 2019 by clinical psychologist Johanne Schwensen (36) and psychoanalyst Jakob Lusensky (48) to make therapy more accessible via a diverse, international community of therapists. Headquartered in Berlin Neukölln, the core team also includes Jon Schmidt, CTO, who previously worked at Google and Soundcloud as well as employees from N26.

It’s Complicated sees itself as a community of therapists that consciously sets itself apart from large technology companies: as an independent, community-based alternative in which therapists hold a ten percent stake in the company. The network currently comprises over 1,500 carefully vetted private psychologists and coaches in more than 60 languages. They are active in Germany and all across Europe, on site and online. The platform has already recorded over 100,000 booked sessions. Companies such as Ada, Babbel and Omio also work with It’s Complicated to support the mental health of their employees.