About me
Daniel Hanke
Certified psychological counsellor · ACT-based way of working
I support people in relating differently to difficult thoughts and feelings and becoming more able to act – using an ACT-based approach that combines clarity about personal values with concrete next steps.
I'm curious about how people stay able to act despite doubt, pressure and difficult emotions – and how that can be learned.
I'm a certified psychological counsellor and work in an ACT-based way. That means Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is the methodological basis of my counselling – it isn't part of the certification itself, but the result of my own ongoing study and practice.
My path to ACT
Psychology has been on my mind since university – above all the question of why people so often know what would be good for them and still don't do it. I studied Business Psychology and then completed a master's in International Management, because I wanted to understand how people in organisations decide, work together and act under pressure.
After that I spent eight years in project management, sales and marketing, at software and education companies. Those years taught me something essential: knowing about psychology and actually being able to act under pressure are two different things. I could explain perfectly well what was happening inside me as a deadline approached or a decision loomed – and yet that knowledge alone didn't stop me from overthinking, putting things off or working against myself.
What made the difference was practice. Through regular mindfulness practice and bodywork – including longer stays in Thailand and Sweden in 2025/26 – I experienced what it's like to notice difficult thoughts and feelings without having to react to them straight away. Looking for an approach that combines exactly this experience with a clear, evidence-based structure, I found Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
Since 2026 I've been working independently as a psychological counsellor in Berlin, now with my own practice in Berlin-Kreuzberg. What I offer isn't theory from a textbook, but what has proven to hold up in my own everyday life – combined with the clarity of the ACT model and a first-hand understanding of what pressure, doubt and periods of change feel like from the inside.
Education & qualifications
- 2012–2015
B.A. Business Psychology
SRH University Heidelberg
- 2015–2017
M.A. International Management
SRH University Heidelberg
- 2025–2026
Certified psychological counsellor (Psychologischer Berater)
SGD Studiengemeinschaft Darmstadt
- ongoing
Independent continuing study of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and mindfulness
How I work
Sessions take place on Fridays at my practice in Berlin-Kreuzberg.
My counselling is structured, but not rigid: we focus on what's relevant to you right now, while drawing on the clarity and methods of the ACT model.
It matters to me that you leave each session with more than just conversation – a different perspective, a tool, or a concrete next step.
A session lasts 50 minutes. We talk, but we also practise: short awareness exercises, concrete situations from your everyday life, sometimes a sheet of paper. Most sessions end with a small next step you can try out before we meet again. How many sessions there are is up to you – there's no minimum.
And if it isn't a good fit – whether that's the method, the pace or simply the chemistry between us – we'll say so openly. Then we'll think together about what you need instead, and I'll help where I can with finding somewhere more suitable.
Who I'm not the right person for
Psychological counselling is not psychotherapy and doesn't replace it. I'm not the right place to turn if
- you're in an acute crisis or having thoughts of harming yourself,
- you've been diagnosed with a mental illness or want a diagnosis clarified,
- you need psychotherapy – for example for depression, anxiety or eating disorders, the effects of trauma, or addiction.
In these cases, psychotherapeutic or medical treatment is the right path. I'll also tell you openly if, during our introduction or in the course of counselling, I get the impression that you'd be better supported there.
Where to turn
- Berliner Krisendienst (Berlin crisis service) – available around the clock, anonymously if you wish
- Finding a psychotherapist via the appointment service (116 117)
- Telefonseelsorge (helpline): 0800 111 0 111 or 0800 111 0 222 – free, around the clock, German-speaking
- In an emergency: call 112
Away from work
When I'm not working, I'm happiest outside – running, cycling or by the water. I read a lot about psychology, philosophy and behavioural science, enjoy cooking for friends, and have been writing a series of novels for a while now. Since 2026, Berlin has become my home for the second time.
I offer counselling in both German and English. You decide which language feels most natural to you – and it's always fine to switch between the two during a conversation.
Let's have a short conversation first.
In person on Fridays in Berlin-Kreuzberg · English and German.
up to 15 minutes · free & without obligation · by phone
Ready to start straight away? Book a 50-minute session