Wegweiser Loneliness · Contact & help Deutsch

📞 Advice and contact points for loneliness

Overview of who is responsible for which concern around loneliness – from the hotline to specialist counselling.

Contact points Advice centre TelefonSeelsorge Silbernetz Kompetenznetz Einsamkeit Parenting counselling

In brief

Because loneliness can have many causes and forms, there is no single "loneliness authority" but a network of different contact points depending on the situation: immediate help by phone, advice centres for particular life situations, municipal contact points for meeting people and – where distress needs treatment – the health system. This page brings together the most important addresses and points to the relevant topic pages.

Step by step

  1. Acute crisis? Get help immediatelyIn acute danger, emergency number 112; otherwise TelefonSeelsorge (0800 111 0 111 / 0800 111 0 222) or, for people aged 60 and over, Silbernetz (0800 4 70 80 90).
  2. Children, young people, parentsNummer gegen Kummer: children's and youth helpline 116111, parents' helpline 0800 111 0 550.
  3. Meeting people and everyday contact locallyMulti-generation house, neighbourhood help association, senior citizens' office or neighbourhood management in your own municipality.
  4. After bereavement or separationOutpatient hospice and grief services, advice centres of the welfare associations.
  5. Distress needing treatmentGP practice, psychotherapeutic consultation hour, appointment service centre 116117.
  6. Professional context and strategyKompetenznetz Einsamkeit (coordinating office of the National Strategy against Loneliness) for background knowledge – no individual case counselling.

Deadlines

No statutory deadline
There is no statutory deadline for contacting advice centres. Exceptions with their own deadlines are named on the respective specialist pages (e.g. psychotherapy cost coverage, BEM procedure).
Watch out – common mistakes
  • There is no nationwide uniform "loneliness hotline" for all concerns; a different office is suitable depending on the situation.
  • Regional services (neighbourhood management, senior citizens' office, neighbourhood help) differ greatly from one municipality to another – a nationwide directory does not replace asking locally.
  • The Kompetenznetz Einsamkeit pools knowledge and strategy but does not arrange individual counselling or therapy places.
  • If you are unsure which office is responsible, the TelefonSeelsorge is a good first point of contact, as it refers callers on where needed.
In depth · legal basis, figures and practice – for advisers and professionals

Structure of contact points

The German landscape of contact points around loneliness is organised in layers: nationwide, free hotlines (TelefonSeelsorge, Silbernetz, Nummer gegen Kummer) for immediate need to talk; municipal and Land structures (neighbourhood management, senior citizens' offices, multi-generation houses, youth welfare under SGB VIII) for meeting people and longer-term support; the health system (GP practice, outpatient psychotherapy) for distress needing treatment; and federal-level coordination by the Kompetenznetz Einsamkeit on behalf of the BMBFSFJ as the coordinating office of the National Strategy against Loneliness.

Interplay with other topic pages

This page summarises the contact points described in detail on the other 14 topic pages of this module (including TelefonSeelsorge and crisis services, relatives and neighbourhood help, self-help groups, psychotherapy cost coverage). It does not replace individual case counselling but serves for initial orientation.

Who is responsible
  • Varies depending on the concern – see the steps above
  • Kompetenznetz Einsamkeit (professional coordination, no individual case help)
Further reading
TelefonSeelsorge and crisis servicesWhen professional help is neededRecognising loneliness: overview

Quick questions

Worum geht es bei „Advice and contact points for loneliness“?
Overview of who is responsible for which concern around loneliness – from the hotline to specialist counselling.
Which deadlines and figures matter?
No statutory deadline: There is no statutory deadline for contacting advice centres. Exceptions with their own deadlines are named on the respective specialist pages (e.g. psychotherapy cost coverage, BEM procedure).
What should I do first?
  • Acute crisis? Get help immediately: In acute danger, emergency number 112; otherwise TelefonSeelsorge (0800 111 0 111 / 0800 111 0 222) or, for people aged 60 and over, Silbernetz (0800 4 70 80 90).
  • Children, young people, parents: Nummer gegen Kummer: children's and youth helpline 116111, parents' helpline 0800 111 0 550.
  • Meeting people and everyday contact locally: Multi-generation house, neighbourhood help association, senior citizens' office or neighbourhood management in your own municipality.
What do I need to watch out for?
  • There is no nationwide uniform "loneliness hotline" for all concerns; a different office is suitable depending on the situation.
  • Regional services (neighbourhood management, senior citizens' office, neighbourhood help) differ greatly from one municipality to another – a nationwide directory does not replace asking locally.
  • The Kompetenznetz Einsamkeit pools knowledge and strategy but does not arrange individual counselling or therapy places.
Evidence
  • telefonseelsorge.de, silbernetz.org, nummergegenkummer.de, retrieved September 2026
  • Kompetenznetz Einsamkeit, kompetenznetz-einsamkeit.de, retrieved September 2026
As of

As of September 2026. · Sources and method

A question about your situation that this page does not answer? Write to us or use the contact form – we will tell you which office is responsible and what to bring. Free of charge, without individual legal advice.