In my practice I work with patients who are insured in a gesetzliche Krankenversicherung (GKV, such as TK, AOK, BARMER) or have a private health insurance (PKV).

Gestalttherapy and Couples Therapy and Counselling are not covered by most health insurances and need to be paid directly by you unless you have a supplementary insurance (Zusatzversicherung) to cover the costs.

Procedure

Initial consultation and probationary period

In all cases, an Initial Consultation (Sprechstunde) takes place as a consultation prior to treatment.

  • The initial consultation for individual, couple and group therapy lasts 50 minutes and costs €100 for self-payers if your supplementary or health insurance does not cover the costs.
  • The initial consultation for the therapeutic theme groups lasts 30 minutes and costs €50.

In the initial consultation you describe your situation and motivation to seek therapy. This session also allows you to get an impression of whether you could imagine working with me. This first consultation also serves to clarify whether a pathological disorder could be present. I am available for all your questions and will give you additional information about treatment methods, ways and costs.

Further consultation hours and probationary sessions

These initial, probationary sessions allow both of us to develop a sense of whether a trusting working relationship is conceivable. As a therapist, I also weigh up whether my training and way of working makes sense for your concerns and therapy goals and which therapeutic measures could be taken.

  • In group therapy and therapeutic theme groups there may be an optional second consultation session before you enter the group session for the first time.
  • In couples therapy two introductory sessions are purposeful. Only after the first session can the couple discuss among themselves. The second session is then used for decision-making, either saying goodbye or develop a first draft of a treatment plan.
  • For individual therapy, the health insurance companies have set the required number of probationary sessions.

Fee

Here is a tabular overview of what we offer. More detailed information can be found in the respective sections on individual, couple and group therapy. The abbreviations GKV and PKV stand for statutory and private health insurance.

Session Orientation Duration Frequency Honorarium / Provider
Individual psychodynamic / Gestalt 50 Min. tbd €100 / PKV
Couple psychodynamic / Gestalt 90 Min. tbd €150
Group psychodynamic 100 Min. weekly €100 / GKV, PKV
Group therapeutic theme groups 100 min. weekly €50

The stated fee is based on the schedule of fees for psychodynamic psychotherapists (Gebührenordnung für die Tiefenpsychologisch fundierte Psychotherapie, EBM Ziffer 35405 Langzeittherapie, Einzelbehandlung), currently at €103,87 per 50 minutes. (Link: Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung Berlin, Stand 2022/3, erstellt am 01.07.2022)

In the case of self-payers, the duration and frequency and thus also the fee can be adjusted.

As a curative treatment, therapy is VAT exempt (value added tax) – § 4 Umsatzsteuergesetz Nr. 14.a).

Please also read the Advantages for Self-payers below carefully. It may be possible for you to pay the costs yourself or to orientate yourself more towards coaching.

Services.

Individual therapy

Psychodynamic therapy or Gestalt therapy in my practice may currently be covered by your private health insurance or private supplementary insurance. Please ask your insurance company to what extent the costs are covered as Heilpraktikerleistungen für Psychotherapie (health practitioner in psychotherapy).

You should also ask your tax advisor to what extent coaching would be tax-deductible for you as continuing education costs. You might be interested in Gestalt coaching.

Of course, you can also pay for the treatment yourself (see section Self-payers).

Couples therapy

Couples therapy is not part of the Leistungskatalog der Gesetzlichen Krankenversicherungen (benefits catalogue of the statutory health insurances GKV). You have to pay for the treatment (see section Self-payers).

Grouptherapy and therapeutic theme groups

I offer two types of groups.

  • Grouptherapy is therapy in a group, the costs of which are covered by the statutory health insurance funds.
  • The therapeutic theme groups have been designed to match the needs for self-payers. These are groups whose members wish to receive affordable treatment without a clinical diagnosis and for a self-determined period.

You can find more details and current offers on the page about therapy in groups (link in footer).

Self-payer.

Self-payer is the term for those who pay themselves. The health insurance is not involved. You decide whether you pay directly for the individual sessions or whether I send you a monthly invoice which you can pay by bank transfer.

Advantages for Self-payers

  • Fast and unbureaucratic: neither the application procedure nor the approval of reimbursement by your health insurance company delays the start of therapy.
  • No diagnosis filed: no diagnosis (according to ICD-10) has to be made before treatment. This also means that there is no need for an entry in the medical record, which can be relevant in the case of impending civil service, life insurance or occupational disability insurance.
  • Free choice of methods: the choice of setting (individual, couple, group) is just as free as the method used (psychodynamic therapy, Gestalt therapy).
  • Individual planning: no limit of 50 minutes. Duration and frequency of sessions can be adapted to your needs.
  • Inform yourself: self-paid treatments may be tax deductible as extraordinary expenses.