Astrid Riehl-Emde

Astrid Riehl-Emde is a Professor and deputy director at the Institute for Psychosomatic Cooperative Research and Family Therapy within Heidelberg University Medical Center. Her work focuses on psychotherapy, couple therapy, and family therapy for older adults, particularly addressing sexual and emotional dynamics in long-term relationships. She leads a specialized consultation hour for older couples (ages 60–75) and emphasizes the impact of retirement, asynchronous aging, and unresolved conflicts on relationship satisfaction.

• Affiliation: Heidelberg University Medical Center
• Role: Deputy director, Head of special consultation hours for older couples

Her research highlights that sexual activity in older age is more influenced by relationship duration than biological aging. She co-edits the journal Psychotherapy in Older Age and authored the book Love in the Focus of Couple Therapy (2003). She integrates psychological and social factors in sexual health, advocating for a "second language of sexuality" combining emotional intimacy and humor.

Key themes in her work:

• Sexuality in long-term relationships
• Impact of retirement on intimacy
• Role of Viagra and medical interventions
• "Marriage burnout" and emotional exhaustion