Nine euros per hour – psychotherapy in a municipal building in Vienna

Anyone who needs psychological advice or wants to take advantage of personal coaching will be in luck if they live in the Per-Albin-Hansson settlement in Favoriten. There you can now get professional advice and guidance for nine euros an hour at Trap 58, in a 30 square meter apartment converted into a counseling center. The first hour is free. It doesn’t matter “whether it’s professional or family matters and personal development concerns or questions,” as the project description says.

But why here? With a total of 14,000 inhabitants and 6,000 apartments, the Hansson settlement is one of the largest residential complexes in Vienna. It is clear that there are social conflicts and that living together is not always easy. Mass community building is the focus of this year’s International Building Exhibition. In addition to life-saving defibrillators, new children’s play areas and new LED lighting in the stairwells and basement compartments, psychotherapy is now also available at a discount.

FPÖ: “Mocking the residents of the community building”
The new project is not well received by everyone. “The announcement of a coaching center that also has to be paid is a slap in the face to those residents who can no longer afford the rent and heating costs,” criticized Stefan Berger, district chairman of the FPÖ favorites. According to the office of Deputy Mayor Gaál (SPÖ), the exact costs cannot yet be quantified. Depending on how well the offer will be used.

On the spot, the “Krone” asked which topics are really burning under the residents’ fingernails and what they think of the new offer.

The pilot project will run until the end of the year and will be evaluated by Wiener Wohnen. The results should feed into the design of future social offerings for community tenants. If the advisory service is well received, it should in any case be extended to other municipal buildings.