How to find psychotherapy in your mother tounge in Germany Step-by-step guide

Psychoanalysis (Psychoanalyse)

As a patient, you typically lie on the couch with the therapist at the head end and use free association to uncover repressed events from your childhood that contribute to current problems. The focus is on the unconscious past.

The goals are a comprehensive understanding of your individual personality and the reduction of the power of inner conflicts and behaviors through the understanding of your own unconscious patterns. Duration: up to 300 hours, up to three sessions per week.

Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (Tiefenpsychologie aka tiefenpsychologisch fundierte Psychotherapie)

As a further development of psychoanalysis, which is anchored in the here and now, you become aware of conflicts and developmental disorders that currently cause complaints. You and the therapist sit opposite each other to clarify the unconscious present. The focus is on the goal-oriented clarification of underlying unconscious desires, motives, and conflicts. Duration: up to 100 hours, up to two sessions per week.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (Verhaltenstherapie)

The basic assumption of this form of therapy is that crisis-inducing behavior has been learned and can therefore be unlearned. In the conversation, you uncover the learned patterns and jointly develop aids for self-help. By the end of the therapy, you will have learned methods that enable you to eliminate your complaints on your own. Duration: up to 80 hours, one session per week.

Systemic Therapy (Systemische Therapie)

The focus of this solution- and conversation-oriented therapy is on understanding the relationship processes among the members of your social systems. These are understood to be involved in the presence of problems and should therefore also be included. The goal is to recognize, eliminate, and integrate new perspectives and action patterns regarding problems. Duration: up to 48 hours, one session per week, also possible irregularly.

Therapy initiates an intensive learning and change process, making it crucial to have the right person by your side. You should feel safe. If necessary, research with the support of friends and family about the practice, any additional training, treatment focuses, and professional orientation. In at least two and up to four (for children, six) trial sessions, the focus is on getting to know each other. Together, you will determine if the chemistry is right and if the therapy form is suitable.

In the 1990s, the demand for psychotherapy was calculated, and a specific number of insurance-covered spots were allocated. An insurance-covered spot allows psychotherapists to bill directly with the statutory health insurers, essentially guaranteeing cost coverage. Unfortunately, these calculations have not been updated since then, despite the enormous increase in demand. This leads to long waiting lists – often longer than 6 months!

If you have a mental illness, you are entitled to treatment. If the system fails, statutory health insurers must pay for an alternative service. This means you can also be treated in a private practice, and your health insurer will cover the costs.

Many trained psychotherapists open private practices because there are far too few insurance-covered spots. This is where the cost reimbursement procedure comes into play. It allows you to be treated in a private practice if you can prove that you urgently need treatment and could not get a spot in regular care (i.e., practices with insurance-covered spots).

Here is the step-by-step guide to finding a therapy spot, proving the need, and searching for a therapy spot, up to assistance with the cost reimbursement procedure.

Note: Both insurance-covered spots and the cost reimbursement procedure refer to one of the four guideline methods recognized by insurers, as described above. Inform yourself about what might be suitable for you and seek advice during the following steps.

Through the appointment service of the KV, you will receive an appointment for an initial psychotherapeutic consultation. The “Zentrale Terminvergabestelle” must be offered an appointment within 4 weeks, or within 2 weeks in acute cases.

You can reach the KV nationwide around the clock at 116 117, or digitally at www.116117.de, or through the app 116117.app. Consultation only in German – ask a friend if they could help you)

This is merely an initial consultation to determine whether there is a suspected psychotherapeutically necessary disorder. Since the appointment usually corresponds to a single consultation, please proceed with Step 2 in the meantime. Once the suspicion is confirmed, you will be issued a form called PTV11, which includes the preliminary diagnosis, urgency, and recommendation.

“The appointment service of KV Berlin can help you to arrange a short-term appointment for psychotherapeutic care (initial consultation as part of the psychotherapeutic consultation and, if necessary, acute treatment or probatoric treatment) with a psychotherapist.”

One step has been taken.

While waiting for your initial consultation, it is advised to make use of the waiting time. At the beginning, it's important to focus your search on practices with insurance-covered spots (“Psychotherapeut / Psychotherapeutin mit Kassensitz”). If you find private practices during your search, you can note them for a later step. You can enhance your search through online search engines, walking around to look for practice signs, and recommendations from friends and family.

Useful links to find a psychotherapist (in your preferred language):

Therapie.de In "Sprache (weitere)" you can set your preferred language.
Kassenärztliche Vereinigung Berlin Click on "weitere Suchkriterien". At the bottom, you will find "Fremdsprachen".
psych-info.de At the top right, use "Filter" option. In "Sprachen," select your desired language.
116117.app 116117-App for Apple or Android ( → Erweiterte Suche → Alle Fremdsprachen → select your language)

The most important thing in this step: Keep a record! Who did you contact, when, and how (phone/email)? Did you reach someone or receive a response? If so, what was communicated, and how long is the waiting time? The overview of practices that you couldn't reach, didn't respond, or don't have therapy spots available is relevant for Step 4.

If things are going well, you may have already found your therapy spot. Congratulations!

The cost reimbursement procedure allows individuals with mental health conditions to have the costs of psychotherapeutic treatment in private practices covered by public health insurance.

A fundamental requirement is a record of at least 5, ideally 10 rejections or non-responses from psychotherapeutic practices. According to the Psychotherapist Chamber, waiting times of more than 3 months for a therapy spot are considered unreasonable. This evidence is necessary for the health insurance to approve cost reimbursement.

You can apply for the cost reimbursement procedure together with your psychotherapist. You will need confirmation of the necessity of treatment (“Ärztliche Notwendigkeitsbescheinigung”) and assurance that you will receive a timely therapy spot. Additionally, you will need a consultation report (“Konsiliarbericht”) from your general practitioner to exclude medical causes of your symptoms and confirm that there are no medical reasons against treatment. This report is also required for therapy spots covered by public health insurance. Include a cover letter with your application, stating your agreement to private psychotherapeutic treatment and the reimbursement of associated costs under §13(3) of the Social Security Code V (SGB V).

Unfortunately, health insurers do not always approve applications in the first attempt. In such cases, an appeal is possible. Threatening or actually seeking legal support can assist you in these situations. Psychotherapy is legally entitled to you in cases of proven urgency and systemic failure.

There are law firms that charge a low fee only upon successful resolution. For further assistance with issues and links to legal support, visit Kassenwatch. (Available only in German.) Feel free to inform your psychotherapist about Kassenwatch.

Best of luck with your therapy!

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