What rights do you have as a patient in the context of psychotherapy?

The Professional Code of Conduct, Ethics and Human Rights Committee has drawn up a detailed leaflet on outpatient psychotherapy, excerpts of which are reproduced below:

Anyone who consults a psychotherapist is in a difficult life situation. As a patient, you turn to a professional in need, from whom you hope to receive help. From a legal point of view, two individuals who are in a specific legal relationship meet at the same time.

Self-determination and confidentiality

You have the right to freedom of self-determination, privacy and confidentiality. You are free to choose your psychotherapist and expect them to respect your dignity and integrity. You are entitled to expert information and advice and to conscientious and qualified treatment. A trusting, cooperative relationship between the therapist and you is the most important prerequisite for the success of the treatment.

Payers of outpatient psychotherapy

Statutorily insured persons

Psychotherapy is a standard benefit of statutory health insurance. If you have a mental disorder with disease value, you are entitled to have the costs of psychotherapeutic treatment covered by your health insurance.

If you are unable to find a place with a psychotherapist licensed by the health insurance fund, you can also make use of a place with a licensed psychotherapist who is not licensed by the health insurance fund. You have the option of having the treatment costs reimbursed by your health insurance company.

Privately insured persons

In the context of private health insurance, your respective insurance contract is decisive for the assumption of the costs of your psychotherapy; for the allowance, the allowance regulations apply. Before starting psychotherapy, please clarify the conditions of your health insurance for the assumption of costs for psychotherapeutic treatment.

There are also other cost bearers who cover the costs of psychotherapy (e.g. social service providers, youth welfare offices, employers' liability insurance associations, etc.).

Psychotherapy can also take place in institutions (parenting and family counseling, life counseling, drug counseling, etc.). In this case, the framework conditions of the respective institutions are decisive for further progress. Whether you will incur costs there depends on the conditions of the institution. These range from free treatment (e.g. at district counseling centers) to fixed fees per session.

 

Claim to quality in treatment

Your psychotherapist is obliged to treat you in accordance with the quality standards of the profession.

 

Duty of confidentiality

Psychotherapists are subject to a duty of confidentiality. Information provided to third parties generally requires a written declaration from the patient releasing them from their duty of confidentiality.

 

Full attention for your treatment

Psychotherapists provide you with their full attention for your treatment during the therapy sessions. The therapy sessions should therefore not be disturbed. Therapy sessions usually last (at least) 50 minutes, but can be divided or extended for reasons of content or for certain therapeutic interventions.

 

Documentation - access to records

Psychotherapists are obliged to document the treatment in a patient file, keep it together with all documents provided by the patient for 10 years and then destroy it. Patients generally have the right to inspect their patient file. Access can only be partially or completely denied if there are significant therapeutic reasons or other significant rights of third parties to the contrary. If you wish to view the documents, please discuss this with your psychotherapist.

 

Recordings of therapy sessions only with consent

If your psychotherapist wishes to make video or audio recordings of the therapy sessions for quality assurance purposes, this requires your consent.

(Source: Ausschuss für Berufsordnung, Ethik und Menschenrechte of the Psychotherapeutenkammer Berlin)

Patient brochure of the Bundespsychotherapeutenkammer: Paths to Psychotherapy