Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy bla bla bla blalbal balblabalb.
Finding Psychotherapy
(that is covered by public health insurance)
A very detailed brochure to maneuver the often difficult and overwhelming system of finding psychotherapy and professional help with clear information about what a mental illness is, whether scheduling an initial appointment is advisable, and the circumstances in which psychotherapeutic treatment is necessary.
A guide for how to get your psychotherapy with a private therapist covered by public health insurance. If you can't find a therapist over a longer period of time, your health insurance is obliged to pay for a private therapist. The guide leads you through the necessary steps.
Some Anecdotal Advice
Unfortunately finding therapy often means talking to a lot of mailboxes instead of people. Apart from their consultation hours, the best times to reach therapists is often between their sessions in the last 10 minutes of every hour (between .50 and .00). Therapy sessions usually take 45-50 minutes and they often start at the full hour.
If it is too much for you to call someone, try writing an email where you briefly explain your situation and what you are looking for in therapy. Remember that the therapists only have 10 minutes between their sessions, so try to keep it short. Although the whole process shouldn’t be like a job application it does feel like it sometimes and it can be helpful to treat it like a more personal and emotional application to be an “interesting” patient. If the therapist feels some kind of connection to what you wrote it might be more likely that they call you back.
Registers of psychotherapists
KV Berlin - German Register of Psychotherapists
Register of psychotherapists who all work with public health insurance - here you can find a therapist that works in the language you prefer. (the website is in german unfortunately)
Instructions and translations to use the search filter:
On the left is a search filter. First you enable Psychotherapeut:innen u. Ärzt:innen mit psychoth. Leistungen (psychotherapists and doctors with psychotherapeutic services).
Next you click on Fachrichtungen (profession) and choose Psychologische Psychotherapie (psychologic psychotherapy).
Then you go into the Weitere Suchkriterien (advanced filter) and choose the language (-> Fremdsprachen) you need and it will show you all the psychotherapists in Berlin that work with public health insurance in that specific language.
If you click on Sprechzeiten (consultation hours) under the entries of psychotherapists, you can see when you can call them to ask for an appointment.
Psych-Info - German Register of Psychotherapists
Here is another directory of psychotherapists with the option to look for therapists that are experienced with queer people. (the website is in german unfortunately)
Instructions and translations to use the search filter:
You can set both the language (-> Sprachen) and if they should be covered by public health insurance (-> Kassenzulassung).
Additionally, you can write "queer" or "trans" in the field Stichworte to get all the psychotherapists shown that have experience with queer and trans people in their profile description.
List of Psychotherapists who are experienced with harassment, assault and rape from LARA
This is a list made by LARA, a counselling center for women, girls, trans*, inter*, and non-binary people over the age of 14, who have been raped, sexually abused and/or sexually harassed.
Rehab Clinics near Berlin
Haus Lenné can accommodate women and men from the age of 18 who are addicted to legal and illegal substances. A special feature of their therapeutic offer is a combination of inpatient and outpatient therapy. (Website in German)
Tannenhof is a rehab clinic with multiple facilities around Berlin and various services. They are experienced with chemsex and queer topics. (Website in German)
St. Hedwig hospital has multiple therapeutic offers for people who are addicted to substances. (Website in German)