Guide
How to find an English-speaking therapist in Germany
The fastest way to find an English-speaking therapist in Germany is to work out your insurance route first, public, private, or self-pay, since that decides which therapists you're even allowed to see for free, and then search several channels in parallel: the official 116117 appointment line, German directories with a language filter, expat-focused directories, and your employer's assistance program if you have one. No single list covers everyone with capacity, so the parallel search is what actually saves time.
Start with your insurance, not the therapist search
Before you open a single directory, know which of these three situations you're in, because it changes who you're even looking for.
- Public insurance (GKV, gesetzliche Krankenversicherung): you can see any Kassensitz therapist, meaning one with statutory approval, for free. The catch is that Kassensitz therapists are the ones with the longest waitlists, since everyone on GKV is drawing from the same pool.
- Private insurance (PKV) or a private tariff: you can usually see any licensed therapist, including ones who don't take GKV patients at all, which is a much bigger pool and often includes more English speakers. What's actually covered depends entirely on your specific tariff, so check it rather than assume.
- Self-pay: the widest pool of all, since you're not restricted to anyone's panel. You pay upfront, and depending on your insurance you may be able to claim some of it back afterward.
Where to actually search
- 116117 (the Terminservicestelle): the official, insurer-run appointment line and app. By law it has to offer you a psychotherapeutic Sprechstunde (initial consultation) within four weeks, no referral needed. It doesn't filter well by language online, so call and ask directly for "einen englischsprachigen Therapeuten" or "englischsprachige Therapeutin."
- Therapie.de and Psychotherapiesuche.de: German directories that let you filter by language and specialization, and list both Kassensitz and private-practice therapists.
- Your regional Kassenärztliche Vereinigung's own Arztsuche (doctor search) portal, which usually has a language filter too.
- Expat-focused directories, like IamExpat's healthcare listings, which are built specifically around English-speaking providers for internationals in Germany and are often faster to filter than the German-language portals.
- University psychology clinics (Hochschulambulanzen), for example at Freie Universität Berlin or LMU Munich, which sometimes offer English-language sessions at lower cost, supervised by licensed staff.
- Your employer's Employee Assistance Program (EAP), if you have one. Many multinational employers offer a set number of confidential counseling sessions in English, often free and much faster to book than a regular appointment. Check with HR before you look anywhere else.
- Expat communities: Facebook groups for your city, Internations, and Toytown Germany's forums all have recurring threads recommending specific English-speaking therapists, which is often the fastest signal for who currently has capacity.
What to ask when you actually reach someone
Most practices are full, so expect to contact more people than feels reasonable before you get a yes. Ask the same three things every time, so you can compare answers and keep track:
- Do you currently have capacity for new patients ("Nehmen Sie aktuell neue Patienten auf?")
- Do you take gesetzliche Krankenkasse patients, or is this private-pay or Kostenerstattung only?
- Do you offer sessions in English?
A lot of practices simply won't reply. That's normal given demand, not a reflection on you. Keep a running list of who you've contacted and when, and follow up once after a week or two before moving on.
If the search stalls
If you're on public insurance and genuinely can't get an appointment within a reasonable time, German law has a specific mechanism for this: Kostenerstattung under §13 Abs. 3 SGB V. If your Krankenkasse can't provide timely treatment through its own network, you're allowed to see a private-practice therapist and have the statutory rate reimbursed, but you generally need to request this from your insurer before you start, not after. This is the exact gap TheraPlatz's paid concierge service is built around: contacting therapists on your behalf and handling that reimbursement paperwork, but it's one option among several here, not the only way through.
Don't rule out video sessions
Videosprechstunde (video consultation) is a normal, GKV-covered option now, not a pandemic-era workaround. If you're flexible on meeting in person, opening your search to therapists offering video sessions instantly widens your pool past your own city, which matters most if you live somewhere smaller or in a region with fewer Kassensitz therapists to begin with. Ask about it explicitly when you contact a practice.
Before you commit, double-check two things
- Credentials: confirm the person is an approbierter (licensed) Psychologischer Psychotherapeut or Psychotherapeutin, or a Facharzt/Fachärztin für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, not an unlicensed coach using therapy-adjacent language.
- Insurance status, in writing: get clear, ideally written confirmation of whether sessions are billed to your Krankenkasse, billed privately, or subject to Kostenerstattung, before your first paid session. It's much harder to sort out after the fact.
One last thing worth knowing before you start calling: the wait between finding someone and actually starting treatment is genuinely long in Germany, regardless of language. It's worth reading up on what to actually expect on timing, so a slow reply doesn't feel like you're doing something wrong.
