Therapy in Frankfurt is mostly paid for privately, and the statutory system runs on a separate track. Public health insurance (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung) will pay for four recognised treatment approaches: behavioural therapy, depth psychology, psychoanalysis and, since 2020, systemic therapy. It pays only where the therapist holds a Kassensitz, a contracted practice place, which is a matter of registration rather than qualification.
Finding one of those places takes an average of three months across Germany. The Terminservicestelle is the central office meant to arrange an initial assessment appointment within four weeks of your first enquiry. The Kassenärztliche Vereinigung Hessen covers Frankfurt, and its practice search is where contracted psychotherapists are listed. Your GP or your insurer can also point you to names.
Starting privately is usually quicker than waiting for a contracted place. Most therapists on It's Complicated work with self-paying clients (Selbstzahler:innen) and set their own rates, and can't bill public insurance, though a few do offer insurance options, which is something to ask them about directly.
The titles carry different training behind them. Psychologische Psychotherapeut:innen hold a psychology degree, further regulated training and a state licence, and can bill public insurance. Heilpraktiker:innen für Psychotherapie (non-medical practitioners for psychotherapy) pass a state exam and work privately. Counsellor is not a protected title in Germany, and It's Complicated lists a good number of counsellors in Frankfurt.
If you hold public insurance and can't find a contracted therapist, ask your insurer about Kostenerstattung. It covers sessions with a state-licensed psychotherapist who doesn't hold a Kassensitz, and insurers like TK are legally obliged to pay where psychotherapy is necessary and urgent, as long as you can show you approached several contracted therapists and kept a note of when you asked and what each one said about availability.
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