Hi there, friends! Today’s topic is close to my heart: finding a psychologist or therapist in Germany. And I’ll be honest with you: it can feel like a part-time job. 😅 Calling practice after practice, hearing “no free places,” and doing it all while you’re not feeling your best is exhausting. But it’s possible, and a few tricks make it easier.

My therapist journey was quite a tiresome one, and in fact still is – as I am again searching for one. I had quite a few unfortuante events when it comes to therapy. My first therapist ever moved to another city, another one was alright but her therapy method didn’t suit me and I had to quit, another time I found group therapy but got pregnant and could not attend since I had nausea for more than 5 months, and last one I had to quit because I changed my insurance provider – those were online sessions that my previous insurance was covering.

So, here I would like to share my process, what I learned about the search, what helped me and useful lingo I learned along the way.

A quick note: I’m not a therapist or a doctor. This is general information and my own experience, not medical advice in any way. And if you’re in crisis, please skip to the box at the end. 💛

🤔 First: who is who in German?

When you search for a therapy place or even check out the websites of different therapists, you might be confused. Well, I surely was. German language is generally confusing, and German medical titles and name of medical terminology even more so. But here is a small cheat sheet for you on how to understand who is who in this case:

Title	What they do	Can the insurance pay?
Psychologischer Psychotherapeut	Licensed therapist (not a doctor). Does talk therapy.	✅ Yes, if they have a Kassenzulassung (statutory-insurance license)
Ärztlicher Psychotherapeut / Facharzt für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie / Psychosomatik	Doctors who do therapy. Psychiatrists can also prescribe medication.	✅ Yes, with a license
Psychologe	Studied psychology, but doesn’t automatically have a therapy license	❌ Not for therapy paid by insurance
Heilpraktiker für Psychotherapie	Alternative practitioner	❌ Usually not covered by statutory insurance

The takeaway: if you are looking for therapist and want the insurance to cover it, look for a therapist with a Kassenzulassung.

Covered methods include cognitive behavioral therapy (Verhaltenstherapie), psychodynamic therapy (tiefenpsychologisch fundiert), psychoanalysis, and systemic therapy.

🗺️ Step by step

1. Start with the “Psychotherapeutische Sprechstunde” 🗣️
This is a consultation, usually at least 50 minutes, where a therapist checks what kind of help you need. You don’t need a referral. You can book it directly with a practice, or through 116117 (the appointment service), which must arrange this consultation within about four weeks. When you call, say you need a Sprechstunde, not a therapy place.

⚠️ Important: the Sprechstunde doesn’t mean that this therapist has a free place for you. They’ll assess your needs and give you a recommendation. I had few of those, and it is indeed a bit upsetting as initially I did not know that was possibility. Like, why would they even meet me if they have no intentions to actually be my therapists? Still a mystery to me.

2. Call or write to several practices 📞
Most therapists have only a few phone hours per week, and outside of them, you’ll reach an answering machine. You can find the phone hours at 116117.de (the official doctor and therapist search) or their respective websites. Some, though, give you their phone hours only via answering machine when you call, so always have a paper and pen when you are calling to be able to write those down right away and listen carefully. I had to call again few times as I was not very attentive and missed something all the time. You can also write them some emails to ask for availability. In my experience, they answer within few days.

Some phrases that can be useful for your emails:

• “Guten Tag, ich möchte gern einen Termin für die psychotherapeutische Sprechstunde vereinbaren.” (I’d like an appointment for the psychotherapeutic consultation.)
• “Ich bin gesetzlich versichert bei [Krankenkasse].” (I have statutory insurance with…)
• “Haben Sie freie Therapieplätze, oder können Sie mir jemanden empfehlen?” (Do you have free therapy places, or can you recommend someone?)
• “Sprechen Sie Englisch?” (Do you speak English?)

3. Keep a list 📝
Write down who you called, when, and what they said. (It’s helpful for you, and it can become handy later.). I used to have big Excel spreadsheet with all the therapists names, their location, phone number, email, phone hours and what they answered eventually. Came in handy, especially if you like me always forget who you already called and torment one poor therapist several times in a row.

4. At the Sprechstunde: ask for the form 📄
If the therapist decides that you need therapy but has no place, ask them for the PTV 11 form with a recommendation. With it, you can get help from 116117 to find probatory sessions or acute treatment.

5. Try before you commit: “probatorische Sitzungen” 🤝
These are 2-4 trial sessions to check whether you feel comfortable with the therapist and their method. Chemistry matters a lot in therapy, and you’re allowed to say “this isn’t for me” and try someone else. I did it myself once. The therapist was really kind and empathetic, but her method was not something that resonated with me, I did not feel much improvement as I needed more diagnostics and therefore, other method and treatment.

6. Then comes the application ✅
When you click with the therapist and decide to go on with him/her, the therapist submits an application to your insurance for it to approve your sessions. Short-term therapy is up to 24 sessions. Long-term therapy is longer, depending on the method, and can be extended with approval.

7. If nobody has a free place 🔄

• Call 116117: with your PTV 11 form, they can arrange probatory sessions or, if it’s urgent, acute treatment (within two weeks). Your family doctor/general practitioner can also give you transfer slip which can also contain code.
• Ask about “Kostenerstattung” (cost reimbursement): if you can show that you couldn’t find a therapist with a statutory-insurance license in a reasonable time, your insurance may cover a private-practice therapist instead. It’s decided case by case, so write to your insurer first, keep your list of attempts, and ask what proof they need. Do this before you start.

⏳ While you wait

• Therapist training institutes (Ausbildungsambulanzen) and university outpatient clinics sometimes have shorter waiting times, with therapists in training under supervision.
• Digital health apps (DiGA) can be prescribed by doctors or therapists and paid for by insurance. Ask in your Sprechstunde. This you can also check on the website of your insurance, they often give overview of current offers they provide. My last therapy, although short one, was done digitally via app, and this app was part of my insurance’s offers. Quite handy I would say.
• Your Hausarzt can be a good first contact and may know therapists. it is always worth asking your Hausarzt, they are all connected and may work with each other and can refer you to someone. In some cases if you in treatment by neurologist, you can also ask him for any advice. It never hurts to ask.

🌍 Therapy in English (or Ukrainian)

Use the language filter at 116117.de or therapie.de, and ask in each Sprechstunde whether they offer therapy in English or another language, or whether they can recommend a colleague. It’s okay to say that language matters to you, since talking about feelings in a second language can be hard.

🎒 How to prepare

• ✅ Your health card (eGK)
• ✅ A short list of what bothers you, how long it’s been going on, and examples
• ✅ Information about earlier treatment or medication, any health issues that can be relevant to your therapy if needed
• ✅ Your questions
• ✅ (Optional) What you hope to change

💛 Tips for a good fit

• Trust your gut. It’s okay if the first therapist isn’t the right one.
• Ask questions: “How do you work?” “What would a typical session look like?”
• Be patient with yourself. Looking for a therapist is part of the work.

🆘 If you need help right now

If it’s an emergency, call 112. For urgent but not life-threatening situations, call 116117. And in Germany, the Telefonseelsorge is free and open around the clock: 0800 111 0 111 or 0800 111 0 222 (or 116 123).

🍀 Final words

Finding a therapist can be the hardest part of the journey, and if you’ve made it this far, I’m proud of you. 💛 Keep going, one phone call at a time.

Have you looked for a therapist in Germany? What helped you? Tell me in the comments 👇