The health insurance company covers the costs for these psychotherapy procedures

Not all psychotherapy is the same. There are many procedures. How to find the right one and which therapies statutory and private health insurance companies pay for: an overview.

Anxiety, depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder: Anyone who is mentally ill needs professional help. Statutory health insurance in covers the costs for adult patients for four psychotherapy procedures.

You can read here which procedures are included, how they differ and what applies to private patients.

questions and answers

  • For which psychotherapy procedures does statutory health insurance cover the costs?
  • Who is allowed to carry out psychotherapy if the health insurance company has to pay?
  • Do private health insurance companies also pay for psychotherapy?
  • Behavioral therapy: what is it?
  • Psychotherapy based on depth psychology: what makes it special?
  • Analytical psychotherapy: What is typical of the procedure?
  • Systemic therapy: how does it work?
  • Which therapy method is right for me?

For which psychotherapy procedures does statutory health insurance cover the costs?

by statutory health insurance (GVK) The following psychotherapy procedures are recognized :

  • Behavioral therapy
  • Psychotherapy based on depth psychology
  • analytical psychotherapy
  • systemic therapy

The GVK covers the costs of these procedures if someone has a mental illness. Because their effectiveness is scientifically proven. The exact duration of therapy depends on the needs of the patient and the chosen procedure.

Who is allowed to carry out psychotherapy if the health insurance company has to pay?

Psychotherapy can be carried out by either medical or psychological psychotherapists. Medical psychotherapists have studied medicine and completed appropriate specialist training, for example in psychiatry and psychotherapy. Psychological psychotherapists have studied psychology and then completed several years of training.

The GKV does not cover the costs of psychotherapy carried out by alternative practitioners. Their training content is not regulated by law.

Do private health insurance companies also pay for psychotherapy?

That depends on the tariff that the person has private insurance. The scope and type of psychotherapeutic services that private health insurance (PKV) pays for vary. For orientation: “Private health insurance coverage generally includes around 50 sessions of psychotherapy per year,” says the Association of Private Health Insurance . However, particularly in older contracts, it could be that psychotherapy is not covered by insurance or is only covered to a limited extent. This can only be changed by changing the tariff.

Some private health insurance companies also insist that only doctors with appropriate specialist training, for example in psychiatry and psychotherapy, are allowed to provide treatment. Some private health insurance companies also reimburse costs for treatment by alternative practitioners.

 

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Behavioral therapy: what is it?

Fear of spiders, being isolated at home or constantly brooding: From the perspective of behavioral therapy, such problems are learned behavior – and people can unlearn it again. Behavioral therapists guide their patients to reflect on and actively change their actions, thoughts and feelings. “It is often not just the things and situations themselves that cause problems, but also the perhaps far too great importance that is given to them,” explains the “Health Information” portal.

Behavioral therapy focuses on the here and now, not much on the past. It requires personal initiative in the form of actively implementing the behavioral changes discussed in everyday life. Sometimes there are tasks that patients should complete before the next therapy session.

Psychotherapy based on depth psychology: what makes it special?

The name itself suggests that psychotherapy based on depth psychology goes more in-depth than behavioral therapy. The basic assumption in this procedure is that current illnesses result from unconscious and unresolved conflicts. An example: A child grows up with parents who are only nice to him when he excels at school or in hobbies. As an adult, this person has internalized the need to earn other people’s affection – and suffers from a lack of self-esteem.

Therapists with a background in depth psychology help their patients through discussions to become aware of the underlying conflicts for current problems. The aim is to reduce or completely solve these current problems. So we look for causes in the past, but the focus of therapy is on current experiences. The therapist mirrors the patient’s behavior so that he or she learns to understand himself better, but also understands his effect on other people. During the course of therapy, the patient also learns to perceive, name and classify their own feelings.

Analytical psychotherapy: What is typical of the procedure?

Analytical psychotherapy is considered a further development of classical psychoanalysis according to Sigmund Freud. The focus of this procedure is on the unconscious. “According to analytical psychotherapy, mental illnesses are caused by internal conflicts that people have experienced in their lives and relationships – especially in the first years of life,” explains the Federal Chamber of Psychotherapists.

During the therapy session, patients often lie on a couch. They don’t see the therapist. This setting makes it possible to talk about thoughts and feelings more freely without, for example, being able to judge what has been said based on the therapist’s facial expressions. This so-called “free association” is intended to help make unconscious conflicts and the resulting behavioral patterns conscious. The aim is to understand yourself better and “to find new ways out of the recurring mental dead ends,” says the.

In contrast to the other procedures, analytical psychotherapy usually lasts several years. It also includes two to three sessions per week.

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