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How it works

The beginning is smaller than most people expect.

You write me a few lines. Everything after that we decide together.

This page sets out what happens in what order, so that you know what you are getting into.

In order

In four steps, from the enquiry to the therapy.

See the fees

  1. Enquiry

    You write to me using the form; three lines are enough. I get back to you within two working days. The current wait for a first appointment is one to two weeks.

  2. First appointment

    An appointment in which we work out what this is about and whether therapy with me is right for you. If it is not, I say so.

  3. Trial sessions

    Five sessions in which we get to know each other and both check whether we can work together.

  4. Therapy

    Weekly, 50 minutes. This is where the work together begins.

Rhythm

Fifty minutes, weekly to begin with.

A session lasts 50 minutes. At the beginning we usually work weekly. That is the rhythm in which change actually gets going.

How long therapy takes depends on what we are working on. Some concerns are well dealt with after twelve to twenty-four sessions, others take longer. We do not fix that on the first day. What we write down from the start is what we are working on and what would tell you that things are better. Roughly every ten sessions we look together at where we stand and whether the course is still right.

Towards the end the intervals get longer: first fortnightly, then monthly. That is part of the treatment, not a slackening off.

Online

Appointments by video, when getting here is not possible.

Sessions by video are possible and are billed exactly like appointments at the practice: under the German fee schedule for psychotherapists (GOP), on the same invoice. For this I use a platform certified for the healthcare professions and compliant with the GDPR, not an ordinary video call.

Initial diagnostic assessment, deciding whether treatment is indicated, and explaining what it involves take place in direct personal contact at the practice as a matter of principle. Whether a video session is professionally justifiable in an individual case is something we decide together.

I do not provide therapy entirely at a distance: it matters that we also meet in the same room. The group takes place in person only.

Confidentiality

Without your written consent, nobody learns of it.

Everything you tell me is covered by the statutory duty of confidentiality under § 203 StGB. In practice, that means nobody learns about your treatment without your written consent: not your employer, not your family, not your GP.

Nothing is passed to a statutory Krankenkasse. If you are privately insured or receive Beihilfe (the reimbursement scheme for German civil servants), you submit my invoice yourself; it carries a diagnosis, because reimbursement requires one. If you pay for yourself, there is not even that.

Ending

Therapy does not end because a quota has been used up.

It ends because you can do for yourself what we have worked out together. That is what we work towards from the first day.

The last sessions are given over to the question of what you do when things get harder again: which early signs you recognise in yourself and which steps help then. You take that away in writing.

And the door stays open. If you get in touch months later for one or two refresher appointments, that is not a step backwards; it is sensible.

Common questions

What people ask before they get in touch.

How quickly can I get an appointment?
I get back to your enquiry within two working days; for the first appointment at the practice, please allow one to two weeks. If it is going to take longer than that, I will tell you honestly in my reply, so that you can look elsewhere at the same time.
Do I need a referral?
No. As a privately insured patient, as someone entitled to Beihilfe, or as a self-payer you can get in touch directly, without a referral. Only in two cases are documents from a doctor needed: Kostenerstattung, the statutory reimbursement route through a Krankenkasse, which includes a Konsiliarbericht (a doctor's report confirming that physical causes have been checked), and a few private insurers that want a doctor's certificate.
What should I bring to the first appointment?
Just yourself; nothing else is needed. Helpful, if you have them: previous reports or discharge letters, a list of your medication and, if you are entitled to Beihilfe, the paperwork from your Beihilfe office. If you have none of that, it is no obstacle.
What if the two of us are not a good fit?
That is exactly what the trial sessions are for. You can say at any time that you do not want to continue, and you do not have to give a reason. I will be just as open with you the other way round if I believe someone else is better suited to what you bring, and I will then help you look.
A beginning

Three lines are enough.

Tell me roughly what it is about. I will get back to you within two working days. If I am not the right person for you, I will say so and suggest someone better suited.

Request an appointment

In a crisis please do not wait for me: call 112, where you can speak English, or go to the emergency department of the nearest psychiatric hospital. Telefonseelsorge, 0800 111 0 111, counsels in German.