Ways to find a therapist in Germany, compared

116117 and the Terminservicestelle

Free for anyone with public insurance. It has to arrange a psychotherapeutische Sprechstunde within weeks, and with the code from your PTV 11 also Akutbehandlung or trial sessions. The catch: you can't choose the therapist, it doesn't match by language, and it arranges first appointments, not a place for long-term therapy. Best for getting your first assessment and your PTV 11 quickly.

Directories

The practitioner search at arztsuche.116117.de lists every practice with a Kassensitz and can filter by language. State chambers of psychotherapists keep their own directories, and the search of the Deutsche Psychotherapeutenvereinigung at dptv.de can also show private practices that work through Kostenerstattung. All are free. None of them shows who has a free place, and languages are entered by the practices themselves. Best for building the list of practices you then contact.

Contacting practices yourself

Free, and it works, but it takes persistence. Many practices answer the phone only at short set times, often in German, and many don't reply to email at all, so it usually takes a long list to find one with room. Best if you have the time and some German, or someone to help with the calls.

Kostenerstattung

Not a search method in itself, but it widens the search: if no Kassensitz therapist can treat you in time, your Krankenkasse can be obliged to pay a licensed therapist in private practice (§ 13 Abs. 3 SGB V). It costs you nothing if approved. The catch is the paperwork: a log of your attempts, an application sent before therapy starts, and a written decision that can be a no. Best once a search for a Kassensitz therapist has run for a while without result.

Paying a private practice yourself

Often the fastest route, because private practices aren't limited by the Kassensitz system. A 50-minute session usually costs around €130 to €170, and a short-term course of therapy can add up to the low thousands. Private insurance may cover it, depending on the tariff. Best if you're privately insured or can afford to bridge the wait.

DiGA: therapy apps on prescription

Digitale Gesundheitsanwendungen (DiGA) are apps that the federal institute for drugs and medical devices (BfArM) has assessed and listed. A doctor or psychotherapist can prescribe one, or you can apply to your Krankenkasse directly, and public insurance then pays for it. Several are self-help programmes for depression and other conditions. They are structured courses, not a therapist, and are meant to go alongside treatment rather than replace it. Many are in German only, so check the language before you ask for one.

Employer and university programmes

Many employers offer an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) with a limited number of free, confidential counselling sessions, often available in English, and universities run psychological counselling for their students. Both are quick to reach and free to you. They offer counselling rather than long-term therapy, but they are a good first stop while the rest of the search runs, and the counsellors usually know the local options.

Expat directories and platforms

These list practitioners who work in English, which saves a lot of filtering. They usually mix licensed psychotherapists with psychologists, Heilpraktiker and counsellors, and many listings are for self-paying clients only. Before you book, check whether the person holds Approbation, because that decides whether public insurance or Kostenerstattung can pay.

A booking service like TheraPlatz

TheraPlatz does the contacting for you: we search practices that match your language, insurance and availability, chase replies and keep going until you have an appointment, and with the add-on we prepare your Kostenerstattung application. It costs a one-time €34.75, at most €44.50 with the add-on, and you get the fee back if we can't find you a fit. It is the one route here that charges for the search itself, and it works within the same system: it can't create therapy places that don't exist, only save you the work of finding them. Best if you'd rather spend the time and energy on something other than the search.

Which route when

• Publicly insured and no Sprechstunde yet: call 116117 and start a directory search in the same week.
• A PTV 11 in hand and still no place after several weeks: keep logging every contact and look into Kostenerstattung.
• You need a therapist who speaks English: use the language filters and the city guides, and ask every practice directly.
• Privately insured or paying yourself: contact private practices directly, since the pool is much larger.
• No time or energy to run the search yourself: that is what a booking service is for.