This page is initial orientation and does not replace medical or legal advice. If there is immediate danger, call 112 right away.
Costs: who pays for therapy?
Good news: if your child has statutory health insurance (gesetzlich versichert), therapy is free for you. Here is the key point.
Statutory health insurance (gesetzliche Krankenkasse)
Statutory insurance fully covers child and adolescent psychotherapy in the recognised methods (Richtlinienverfahren). There is no co-payment.
All you need is the child’s health insurance card (Versichertenkarte). The consultation needs no referral.
Insurance-funded place (Kassensitz) versus private practice
Practices that work with statutory insurance have an insurance-funded place (Kassensitz). Some practices work privately only (privat); there you usually pay yourself.
Do not hesitate to ask whether a practice bills statutory insurance: “Rechnen Sie über die gesetzliche Krankenkasse ab?”
Cost reimbursement (Kostenerstattung, § 13 SGB V)
If you cannot find an insurance-funded place within a reasonable time, the insurer can also pay for a practice without such a place. For this you must document your calls (date, practice, result) and have confirmation from the consultation (PTV-11 form).
Many insurers refuse at first. An objection (Widerspruch) often works, so do not give up.
The search is in German, but you can filter by language (Sprache) to find practitioners who speak English.