🔎 Finding a therapy place

Waiting times for a psychotherapy place are a known problem – this page shows which routes exist and what waiting-time studies actually show.

Therapy place Waiting time Psychotherapist search 116117 University outpatient clinic (Hochschulambulanz) BPtK study

In brief

Finding a therapy place can take time – you significantly improve your chances if you use several routes at the same time: the appointment service (Terminservicestelle) 116117, the online psychotherapist search of the state chambers, direct enquiries at several practices and outpatient clinics. The more flexible you are about location, method and therapist, the faster it usually works out.

Step by step

Search on several tracksCall several practices from the psychotherapist search of the state chamber, use 116117 in parallel and ask at outpatient clinics.
Get put on waiting listsEven if a practice currently has no free places, it is worth asking for a place on the waiting list – and calling again later.
Use acute treatment as a bridgeUntil a regular therapy place becomes free, acute treatment can bridge the time (see the separate topic page on acute treatment).
Stay flexible on method and locationAccording to studies, people who commit to a particular therapy method or a particular person wait considerably longer than those open to several options.
Check online optionsVideo consultations and digital health applications (DiGA) approved by the G-BA can be used as a supplement but do not replace treatment in case of severe symptoms.

Deadlines

2 or 4 weeks

Placement deadlines of 116117 for an acute consultation or a regular consultation hour respectivelyPsychotherapy Guideline of the G-BA

no statutory deadline

There is no statutorily fixed maximum waiting time for the start of the actual guideline-based therapy after the consultation hour–

Watch out – common mistakes

According to a BPtK analysis of billing data (data basis 2019), the average waiting time from first contact to start of therapy was around 142 days nationwide – a study value with in some cases considerable regional differences, not a current measurement.
According to BPtK analyses, people who receive consultation hour and therapy from the same person wait a considerably shorter time (median) than those who have to go through several practices.
Rural regions in some cases have noticeably longer waiting times than big cities – the exact difference varies by region and study.
A declined enquiry at a practice is normal and no sign that no treatment is possible – it is worth continuing to search.

In depth · legal basis, figures and practice – for advisers and professionals

What the BPtK studies show

The Federal Chamber of Psychotherapists (BPtK) has analysed billing data several times. A much-cited analysis arrived at an average waiting time of around 142 days from first contact to the start of therapy (data basis: first contacts in the first quarter of 2019); around 40 % of patients could begin at the earliest in the third quarter, and more than 10 % waited a year or longer. A further BPtK study on Bavaria shows in addition clear urban-rural differences. These figures are study results with a specific survey period, not a real-time statistic for September 2026 – more recent, nationwide comparable figures were not available to this research.

Why waiting times vary so much

The Associations of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians plan the number of statutory-insurance practice seats for psychotherapy according to a needs-planning guideline that professional associations have criticised as insufficient for years. Waiting times also depend on region, therapy method and willingness to use several points of contact.

Who is responsible

Psychotherapist
Appointment service 116117
State chamber of psychotherapists (therapist search)

Quick questions

Worum geht es bei „Finding a therapy place“?

Waiting times for a psychotherapy place are a known problem – this page shows which routes exist and what waiting-time studies actually show.

Which deadlines and figures matter?

2 or 4 weeks: Placement deadlines of 116117 for an acute consultation or a regular consultation hour respectively (Psychotherapy Guideline of the G-BA)
no statutory deadline: There is no statutorily fixed maximum waiting time for the start of the actual guideline-based therapy after the consultation hour (–)

What should I do first?

Search on several tracks: Call several practices from the psychotherapist search of the state chamber, use 116117 in parallel and ask at outpatient clinics.
Get put on waiting lists: Even if a practice currently has no free places, it is worth asking for a place on the waiting list – and calling again later.
Use acute treatment as a bridge: Until a regular therapy place becomes free, acute treatment can bridge the time (see the separate topic page on acute treatment).

What do I need to watch out for?

According to a BPtK analysis of billing data (data basis 2019), the average waiting time from first contact to start of therapy was around 142 days nationwide – a study value with in some cases considerable regional differences, not a current measurement.
According to BPtK analyses, people who receive consultation hour and therapy from the same person wait a considerably shorter time (median) than those who have to go through several practices.
Rural regions in some cases have noticeably longer waiting times than big cities – the exact difference varies by region and study.

Evidence

BPtK press release "Mentally ill people wait 142 days for psychotherapy" (bptk.de)
BPtK "Long waiting times for psychotherapy in rural regions of Bavaria" (bptk.de)
Psychotherapy Guideline of the G-BA (g-ba.de)

As of

As of: September 2026 (National Care Guideline/S3 guideline Unipolar Depression, version 3.0, 2025). · Sources and method

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