You can reach me in several ways — see Contact & directions.
A physician's referral is not required. All information you share with me is, of course, treated in strict confidence.
Phone pre-consultation
- After you have contacted me, I will have a brief, non-binding and free-of-charge phone consultation with you. I will ask a few questions to get an initial impression of your concerns.
- During this phone consultation we will schedule a binding appointment for a personal first session.
Personal first session
- The personal first session is an opportunity for us to get to know each other and for you to describe your difficulties or suffering as precisely as possible. Based on this conversation I will provide a preliminary diagnosis.
- The first session usually takes place shortly after the phone pre-consultation.
Trial phase ("Probatorik", 2nd–4th session)
- Together with the following four sessions, the first session forms the so-called trial phase.
- This phase serves to establish whether psychotherapy is indicated at all and, if so, which type of therapy is appropriate (indication check). It also gives the patient an impression of how the actual therapy will unfold.
- During the trial phase, physical causes for your psychological suffering should also be ruled out. For this you will need to see a physician (e.g. your GP) and bring me their so-called "consultative report" (Konsiliarbericht).
- If costs are to be covered by a private health insurance / civil-servant aid scheme (Beihilfe), you will need to obtain the relevant application forms from your insurer yourself (each insurer uses its own forms) and bring them to me so that I can draw up the treatment plan and apply for therapy on your behalf. This detailed treatment plan is then assessed by an independent psychotherapist appointed by the insurer (reviewer procedure). This serves to protect the patient and to review the economic viability of the therapy.
- If you come as a self-payer, we are not bound by the model of the statutory or private health insurers. In my experience at least three sessions are still needed to assess the indication properly and to lay a solid foundation for therapy (goal agreement).
Further psychotherapy sessions
- After the trial phase we decide together whether we will work together longer term. If so, we conclude a binding treatment agreement in which the framework and financial aspects of therapy are set out.
- The number of sessions must be decided individually depending on the nature and severity of the issue. As a rough guide, the current model of German statutory health insurance can be used: up to 24 sessions for acute crises or less severe issues (short-term therapy) and up to 60 sessions for, for example, chronic psychological disorders and/or personality disorders (long-term therapy).
- As a self-payer you decide how many sessions you wish to book. Based on my professional opinion I will give you a recommendation of the minimum number of sessions likely to be needed to address your concerns.
Appointment commitments and cancellations
- Appointments that have been firmly scheduled can be cancelled up to 48 hours before the session without any charge.
- If you do not cancel a firmly scheduled appointment within this deadline and do not attend, a cancellation fee of €60 is normally payable. This applies regardless of the reason for the cancellation or non-attendance.
- The background to this rule: I reserve a 50-minute slot for you at the agreed time, with no waiting on your part. During this time I do not book any other patients. If you cancel less than 24 hours beforehand, I can usually no longer fill the slot (hence the term "cancellation fee").