How do I get a Therapy spot?

Maybe you have already contacted a service centre or tried searching for a therapeutic office or clinic. You will realize: there are a lot – and many different ones too. Or you might have even tried to get an appointment but did not yet succeed. Don’t give up – even if it is very frustrating. Here are some tips on how to get a spot at therapy, who will help you, and how to bridge the time until you have found a spot. You can decide for yourself how your first steps look like.

The right thing for you

If you want to search on your own…

…then there are many options to give you an overview of contact points and therapists in your area. First points of contacts in and around Cologne are listed on our webpage. If you don’t know which job descriptions and titles to look for in the wide spectrum of therapy and professionals, we have listed the different kinds of therapists here. Before you start with your search, you should answer a few questions for yourself:

How important is it to you that therapy takes place close to your home or hometown? Depending on your answer, this can already narrow down your search a little. However, limiting your options to a specific area also means that there is a limited number of spots available – especially when you live in a more rural environment.
How relevant is your therapists’ sex and gender to you? If you find it important, then you should narrow down your search to therapists that you would feel comfortable with.
Do you know already what therapy form you would prefer? This also is a criterion for narrowing down the search of possible therapy spots for you. If you have no idea yet, this is also no problem. Together with a therapist or an advice centre you can find out what form would suit you best. Besides that, you can already get an overview here.

General Practitioners…

…are a good first place to go to. They oftentimes have a general overview of the therapeutic offerings around, as well as a general understanding of the subject matter. They can rule out any bodily reasons for your mental problems and give tips for who to turn to next, or even write a letter of transfer. This means that they sign a certificate which says that a therapeutic treatment is necessary in your case – something that is important for your insurance. However, this letter of transfer does not have to be present before the first session of therapy and can be handed in later, too.
By the way: If you don’t yet have a general practitioner, your paediatrician (children and youth doctor until the age of 18) serves the same role as mentioned above.

If you first want to contact a service centre for advice…

…then never hesitate to call them! If you feel like they can’t help you, and even if they tell you that you are at the wrong place, they will still do their best to help you in whatever situation you are in right now. They will definitely have some tips on who to turn to and where to get further help.
It can help to make some notes first about what you want to say to them. Have a pen and paper ready, so that you can write down any tips, phone numbers, or addresses.

Hello, this is… (your first name suffices).
Hello, this is… (your first name suffices). I am worried about myself and would like to get counselled on what to do.
Hello, this is… (your first name suffices).
I am worried about my friend/family member/partner…and would like to know how I can help him/her, and where we can get support and counselling.

You might be asked about the symptoms or difficulties that have arisen that make you worried. What has changed that makes you think that you or the person close to you needs help? And don’t worry! – you will not be expected to know any difficult terminology. It is enough to describe why you are worried and how you feel and why you called. This information is important to the person at the other end of the phone line, so that she or he can get a grasp of your general situation and figure out how best to help you.

It may also be that you are asked whether you or the person you are worried about is in any danger. This question is very important to be answered truthfully. Hurting oneself or expressing thoughts about suicide should be taken very seriously and should be acted upon immediately.

You will be helped in any case: Either the person on the phone has an idea on who to call next, or you will directly get an appointment to come by personally and get help that way. These service centers and hotlines can be a quick help and support when trying to find the right therapy spot for you, as well as give good advice in difficult situations. But for long lasting problem solving and the treatment of psychological issues, a therapy is more suited and even necessary.

Now it’s all about getting an appointment with a therapist. Even if things are difficult for you at the moment and you have difficulties talking to someone on the phone and organizing things: You will get through this! We will explain what to do step by step.

Lets go

Health insurance

The costs of psychotherapy are covered by public health insurance. For this, you must either be insured under public law or have an electronic health-card. There are different rulings for private insurances. If you are insured privately, then you can just call them and asked how they handle psychotherapy.
If you do not have an electronic health-card, or if you are not insured in any way, then you can also call the social services department or the health department and ask about any rules for the meeting of therapy costs

Insurances only pay for therapists that approbated, which means that they are licensed by the state to execute a healing occupation, and also to use that job description. Here you can get an overview about the different types of therapists. Also, there are therapists and therapeutic offices that only treat privately insured patients, which means that publicly insured patients would pay for a therapy in these places themselves. But in some cases, you can visit a therapist for privately insured patients – in case of an „Kostenerstattungsverfahren“, that we´re going to explain later.

Getting in Contact

If you found a psychotherapist with whom you’d like to start a therapy, then the next step is to call. You can also write a mail, if this is offered on the website and if you feel more comfortable that way. Just as it would be with service centers, you will definitely receive help. You don’t have to prepare anything – just answer the questions as truthfully as possible.
It can happen that no one answers the phone, and you will be asked to leave a message. It could be that the therapist is in the middle of a session and will call you back. Don’t be afraid to leave a voice message saying that you are searching for a spot in therapy – just be sure to leave your name and phone number when asking him or her to call you back. It can also help to prepare a note of what you want to say before calling.

Hello, this is… (your first name suffices). I’m calling because I am searching for a spot in therapy. I’d be glad if you could call me back. My phone number is…

It is advised to keep track of who you called and when, as well as what they told you in regard of any vacant therapy spots. This will help you in keeping an overview, as well as serving another important point: It may take several months until you get a spot in therapy. This also means that, if chances are low for you to get access to therapy, you can request a „Kostenerstattungsverfahren“. That means, that you and a therapist ask your insurance to meet the costs of a private therapeutic office – meaning an office or clinic which normally only treats people who are privately insured. To make this request you will have to provide evidence for

the fact that you would get a therapy spot in a private office – and also which office this if (name, address, phone number),
the fact that you have previously called several therapeutic offices that would have been covered by public insurance – when and which ones,
the fact that these offices all declined, said that they don’t have a spot, or named a long waiting-time until something would be vacant.

It can be very exhausting to search for therapists, call these offices, as well as noting down all the important information as mentioned above. If you can’t deal with all of this on your own, then don’t hesitate to ask a friend or a family member – someone you trust – for help. This all can be a rather big obstacle to overcome at first – but you will be all the gladder once you’ve dealt with it, and your initial problem can be tackled.

Testing out is allowed

Your therapist and you should match somewhat, and you should both feel comfortable and follow the same aims. To find out whether this is the case, you are allowed to have so-called probatory sessions to test out your relationship. Health insurance actually covers 2-4 of these sessions for adults, and up to 6 for youth and children.
The only thing you need to bring for the first session and the probatory sessions that follow is your insurance-card. If you feel like you and your therapist don’t really get along, or the selected therapy doesn’t feel right for you, you are allowed to say so and try out a different therapist. The same right applies for therapists: they might realize that they are not able to give you the help you need and decide against working with you. This is not meant in any harmful way but is an expression of the wish to help you as optimally as possible. Some therapists may also be able to transfer you to one of their colleagues, who they feel would suit you better and provide better support – or they might give you tips on how to optimize your search.

The only thing you need to bring for the first session and the probatory sessions that follow is your insurance-card. If you feel like you and your therapist don’t really get along, or the selected therapy doesn’t feel right for you, you are allowed to say so and try out a different therapist. The same right applies for therapists: they might realize that they are not able to give you the help you need and decide against working with you. This is not meant in any harmful way but is an expression of the wish to help you as optimally as possible. Some therapists may also be able to transfer you to one of their colleagues, who they feel would suit you better and provide better support – or they might give you tips on how to optimize your search.

If at this point you have not yet talked to a doctor about your wish and need for therapy, then you still need to get a written confirmation from her or him that says that your psychological problems need to be treated in psychotherapy.

For this, as well as for all following organizational steps, you will get the support from your therapist. Service centers are also there to support you on your way to therapy. So, you are being helped as much as possible in your preparation for therapy. The only thing that is up to you, is to make that first phone call to a service centre or a therapist’s office. Don’t be afraid of the formalities and the confirmations and all – they are necessary, and they are easily handleable with professional support.