What this is — and what it is not
Psychosocial support that works alongside your neurologist
I do not prescribe, diagnose, or replace your medical team. What I do is work with you on everything your neurologist does not have time for: the fear between cycles, the effect on your relationships, and how to keep your life going when the illness is relentless.
All sessions are online. All sessions are one-to-one. I have had cluster headache since I was 18 — you will not need to explain the basics.
Online counseling – how we work together
Free initial call
In our first conversation, it's all about you and your experiences. You talk about what burdens you, and I listen attentively and without judgment. At the end, you will know if counseling is right for you – completely non-binding.
Choose a package
Together we define your goals and choose a suitable counseling package (e.g. 10 hours). The conscious decision for the package is part of the systemic approach: You actively invest in your change.
Support & evaluation
In regular sessions, we work on your goals. At the end of the package, we evaluate together: What has changed? Were the goals achieved? Then you decide on further steps.
How pricing works
You buy a block of hours up front. Within that block, billing is by the minute.
You pay only the minutes we actually used.
If a session ends after 43 minutes, that is what is deducted. Not 60. Not rounded up. Just the time we spent.
Counseling Packages
In the initial consultation, we define your goals together and choose a suitable package. Pay for 5 hours (300 minutes) for €600, 10 hours (600 minutes) for €1,200, or an agreed number of whole hours at €120 per hour.
300 minutes
600 minutes
60 minutes per unit; choose whole hours at payment
€2/minute · EUR base prices worldwide · no expiry
Where supported, Stripe offers local-currency payment using Adaptive Pricing. Its exchange rate includes a 2–4% customer conversion fee. You see the exact total before payment. You can pay in EUR instead; your bank’s conversion rate and fees may then apply.
Per-minute flexibility
Within your package, billing is by the minute. This gives you full flexibility for each individual session:
- ✓Consultation time is accounted for separately in minutes; only time actually used counts.
- ✓You can stop if a cluster attack starts or continuing becomes difficult.
- ✓We can extend a session by mutual agreement when both schedules allow.
Appointment policy
Please give 48 hours’ notice where possible for appointment changes. The acute-attack exception continues to apply. These payment terms introduce no new cancellation fee or automatic minute deduction.
What this is — and what it is not
Knowing the difference matters. Here is exactly where I can help and where you still need your doctor.
✓What I offer
- →Psychosocial counselling — online, one-to-one
- →Support from someone who has had cluster headache since 18
- →Coping strategies for attacks, fear, and the impact on daily life
- →Sessions for patients and for family members separately
- →Flexible timing — including early mornings and evenings
- →Minute-accurate billing: you pay only what we used
✗What I do not offer
- ✗Medical advice or diagnosis
- ✗Medication prescriptions
- ✗A replacement for your neurologist or pain specialist
- ✗Psychotherapy in the clinical or legal sense
- ✗Emergency or crisis intervention
This is psychosocial counselling. It complements your medical care — it does not replace it. If you are in crisis, please contact your local emergency services or a crisis line.
Systemic counseling
I am dedicated to systemic counseling. This means that I look not only at the cluster headache itself, but also focus on how it interacts with and affects your life and relationships. Together we develop strategies that help you improve your overall quality of life.
Frequently asked questions about costs & process
Contact
How would you like to take the first step?
Do you have questions, or do you sense that a first conversation might do you good? Please do not hesitate to get in touch. Your message is safe with me and treated in absolute confidence.
Stefan Kohlweg
Cluster Headache Counselling
This counselling is not a crisis service. If you are in acute distress or in immediate danger, please contact your local emergency services or a crisis line in your country right away.
Or write to me directly: [email protected].
There are no “right” or “wrong” concerns. A brief appointment request or general question is enough. I will answer you as soon as possible, and we can then discuss in peace how to proceed.
About me
Stefan Kohlweg, MSc
I have had cluster headache since I was 18. My first attack came during military service. Five years passed without a diagnosis. A 2022 episode finally made me understand why people call this the suicide headache.
That experience is why I trained as a psychosocial counsellor. I counsel patients and their families online, one to one – not as a substitute for your neurologist, but as the support that medicine does not cover.
- MSc in Psychosocial Counselling at the Sigmund Freud University Vienna
- Licensed Life and Social Counsellor (trade licence confirmed under Austrian WKO guidelines); training at the ARGE Bildungsmanagement (GISA no. 37428013)
- Founder and chairman of the Austrian Cluster Headache Association
- Active internationally in cooperation with the European Migraine and Headache Alliance
You can find more background on the detailed about page.
Psychosocial counselling only — not medical advice, not psychotherapy. In a crisis, contact your local emergency services.