FAQ Psychotherapy

The reasons for starting with psychotherapy are manifold:
Anxiety, depression, compulsions, eating disorders, addictions, sleep disorders, relationship problems, sexual problems are all very serious difficulties that are usually detected by the affected person.
Also non-specific problems like despair or persistent dissatisfaction can be a burden, which may reduce the quality of life dramatically.
Physical problems such as pain, allergies, skin diseases and high blood pressure are often in close interaction with psychological distress, such as stress or covered mental health suffering.
In all of these symptoms psychotherapy may be useful or necessary. Crucial is always the subjective experience of the perceived stress level.
In case your management of everyday life is debilitated by emotional stress, it is advisable to consider professional help. Especially if the situation is ongoing and and there is little chance of improvement, psychotherapy often proves to be the way to recover the lost quality of life and happiness.

Yes, you may come in for an exploratory session. Then you decide whether or not you want to start your process, which duration depends on your goals and issues. Usually you can tell pretty quickly whether we can work with each other.

It has been my experience that new clients are often unsure what to expect during the first counseling session. At times, they are uncertain what to say or do. There can be nervousness or anxieties about opening up to someone you are meeting for the first time. Especially, when you are about sharing difficulties you may not have discussed with anyone else.
The first session is an opportunity for both the therapist and the client to get a sense of each other and whether they can work well together. As the client, you will want to see how comfortable you feel in the presence of the therapist. You are not expected to trust the therapist completely from the beginning, but you should be able to have a sense of him or her as someone you could trust over time. Here I always recommend trusting your gut feel. Your subconscious is often the better judge in these situations.
It’s entirely okay to ask the therapist about his or her training, education and other work related topics.
The first session is often an assessment on many levels. The therapist assesses what your therapeutic needs are and how he/she can help guide and support you in session.

Each therapeutic relationship is unique and developed individually. It may also vary according to your personal constitution and your problem area.
If you should be following advice from friends depends on both your personality and your particular problem. It can be very helpful to receive a recommendation for a particular therapist. However, you want to be careful as these recommendations are based on the subjective perception of your friends. Please realize that your actual needs may differ from the perceptions of your friends. Trust your gut.
Please note that the client-therapist relationship is bound by confidentiality (similar to medical confidentiality) and no information may be shared with third parties without client’s written permission.

After determination of your need statutory health insurance may cover behavioral therapy performed by a psychotherapist. The health insurance may cover up to 80 hours of therapy.
Privately insured clients should request approval for funding from their Health Insurance. Based on my experience the cost of behavior therapy are covered by most insurance plans.

Psychotherapy practices are ordering practices, which means that the scheduled time is reserved for you and cannot be assigned to someone else at short notice.
As an exception you may cancel a scheduled appointment and will not be charged if you notify the therapist 48 hours in advance.

Psychological psychotherapists have studied psychology with a specialization in clinical psychology.
Afterwards they have completed 3-5 years of specialized training in a psychotherapeutic method to a medically approved institution. After successfully put-away state exam the approval is issued by the state health department and there is an entry in the register of medical practitioners.
Currently about two-thirds of the psychotherapies are carried out by psychological psychotherapist.

Counter question: What is a “big” problem? Many people make the mistake of regarding a supposed cause of her discomfort as the crucial problem. Often the perceived problem seems very big, but is reduced to a manageable size when put in perspective together with a psychotherapist.