ENThe question “how much does therapy cost in Germany” has no one-figure answer: outpatient sessions, a day clinic and a psychosomatic hospital stay are billed differently, and the total depends on the number of sessions and the fee for each service. The page is for self-paying patients from abroad; German statutory insurance rules are not covered.
It covers how sessions are billed, what changes the total, language, departments and AlenMed’s help. Care in psychiatric hospitals in Germany has its own page.
How Psychotherapy Sessions Are Billed in Germany
Private and self-paying patients are billed under the GOÄ, the official fee schedule for physicians (Gebührenordnung für Ärzte). Each service has an item number and points; points times the point value of 5.82873 cents give the base fee. Section G of the official GOÄ schedule of services covers neurology, psychiatry and psychotherapy. Psychological psychotherapists, who are not physicians, use their own schedule, the GOP, which refers to the GOÄ and allows only items from sections B and G.
An item’s price is the base fee times a factor from 1.0 to 3.5. Above the usual ceiling of 2.3, the factor must be justified by difficulty, time or circumstances and explained in writing for each such item. So the same service may cost more with one therapist than another, and a factor above 2.3 without explanation is worth questioning. A factor above 3.5 needs a written agreement signed before treatment.
GOÄ items for individual behavioural, psychodynamic and psychoanalytic therapy are sessions of at least 50 minutes, so bills count these units. The first sessions cover diagnosis and goals; then the therapist suggests how many sessions are needed, which drives the total.
| Cost item | Depends on | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnosis | interviews, examinations | GOÄ 801 — detailed psychiatric examination, 250 points; GOÄ 860 — biographical history before psychodynamic or psychoanalytic therapy, 920 points, once per treatment case; per practice estimate |
| Psychological tests | tests needed | GOÄ 855–857, 116 to 722 points; per practice estimate |
| Individual session | method, sessions, factor | GOÄ 870 — behavioural therapy, 750 points; GOÄ 861 and 863 — psychodynamic and psychoanalytic therapy, 690 points each; per practice estimate |
| Group session, up to eight people | method, duration | per participant: GOÄ 871 — 150 points; GOÄ 862 and 864 — 345 points for at least 100 minutes; per practice estimate |
| Day clinic | programme days | per hospital estimate |
| Inpatient stay | daily rate, expected length | per hospital estimate |
| Interpreter | language, hours | outside the hospital estimate |
| Accommodation | city, length of stay | outside the hospital estimate |
Outpatient Sessions, Day Clinic or Inpatient Stay: What Changes the Price
The setting matters most: outpatient therapy is paid per session, a day clinic or inpatient stay per day. Outpatient therapy means individual, sometimes group sessions in a practice or hospital outpatient department; it suits patients staying in Germany longer, since therapy runs as a series with one therapist.
A day clinic (Tagesklinik) runs a weekday programme; patients sleep at home or in a hotel, so accommodation is budgeted separately.
Inpatient psychosomatic treatment usually lasts several weeks. By law, psychiatric and psychosomatic hospitals and departments are paid by daily rates (the PEPP catalogue), so the estimate gives the daily rate and expected length of stay; the final amount follows the actual days.
Therapy in Your Own Language: Interpreter or Native-Speaking Therapist
Both are possible — an interpreter, or a therapist who speaks your language if available — but talking therapy depends on language more than any other treatment. Interpreted sessions are slower, and a third person in the room changes the conversation: personal topics can be harder to raise, nuances easier to miss.
The options are a therapist who speaks the patient’s language, with availability checked case by case; an interpreter experienced in medical settings; or an assessment and treatment plan in Germany, with therapy continued at home. Interpreter costs are a separate line.
Hospitals with Psychosomatic and Psychotherapy Departments
Such departments exist, for example, at AlenMed’s partner hospitals Schön Klinik, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf and Nuremberg Hospital (Klinikum Nürnberg). At Schön Klinik Roseneck in Prien am Chiemsee, part of the Schön group, the chief physicians include Prof. Ulrich Voderholzer, specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy, and Prof. Andreas Hillert, specialist in psychiatry, psychotherapy and psychosomatic medicine. In Hamburg, Prof. Bernd Löwe heads the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy. In Nuremberg, Prof. Thomas Hillemacher is chief physician of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy.
The right department depends on the diagnosis: depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders and burnout-type exhaustion are treated in different programmes, and the hospital decides after reviewing the reports. Addiction treatment is a separate topic; see the page on addiction treatment costs.
Frequently asked questions
How much does one psychotherapy session cost in Germany?
There is no single price: it depends on the GOÄ item and the therapist’s factor. An individual behavioural therapy session is item 870 with 750 points; psychodynamic and psychoanalytic sessions carry 690 points each. Points are multiplied by the point value and a factor from 1.0 to 3.5. Ask the practice for the exact amount in writing first.
How many sessions will I need?
The therapist decides after the first meetings, based on diagnosis, method and goals. The first sessions are diagnostic; then the therapist proposes a plan, and the estimate follows it. If your stay in Germany is short, say so at once so the setting can be chosen accordingly.
What should a psychotherapy bill show?
Under the GOÄ, the bill shows each service’s date, item number and name, any minimum duration set in the item description, the amount and the factor. A factor above 2.3 must come with a written explanation. You can check the bill against the official schedule and pass it to an insurer or employer that reimburses costs.
How AlenMed Arranges Psychotherapy in Germany
AlenMed translates the documents — psychiatric or psychotherapy reports, a medication list, discharge summaries from earlier stays — requests a suitable department and passes on the hospital’s answer: format, expected length and estimate. The steps are explained on the page about arranging treatment in Germany.
Patients pay the hospital or practice directly; AlenMed’s fee is a separate line. Accommodation, interpreter and visa are outside the hospital’s estimate. AlenMed’s office is in Munich; its partner hospitals are across Germany.
This material is for reference only and is not an offer. Amounts are set by the hospital or practice; the treatment plan is decided by the doctor or psychotherapist in person. In an acute crisis, such as suicidal thoughts or a risk to yourself or others, contact local emergency services first.