Medical Services and Support Organisations
The names and contact details of medical services and support organisations in Germany appearing below have been compiled by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) from publicly available information. DFAT does not endorse any of the organistations appearing on this list, provides no guarantees as to its currency and does not accept any liability.
Finding a doctor or hospital in Germany
Please note that not all of the websites and resources are in English. Most browsers offer auto translations of websites.
Practices usually operate Monday - Friday in Germany. For urgent medical assistance, please visit your nearest hospital or dial 112. If you need medical help outside of standard consulting hours, you can visit an on-call practice or request for an on-call doctor to visit you at home. Please call 116 117 for assistance when required.
| Doctors and non-emergency medical advice |
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| Overview of hospitals in Germany | |
| Other resources |
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Mental Health Support - Australian resources
Lifeline - please call the Embassy if you are an Australian citizen and wish to speak with a Lifeline counsellor.
Beyond Blue - please call the Embassy if you are an Australian citizen and wish to speak with Beyond Blue counsellor.
Head to Health - a Federal Government platform that provides a directory of Australia’s most trusted mental health organisations.
Mental Health Support - German resources
- THROUGH GERMAN HEALTH INSURANCE
If you have German health insurance, there are some ways to get counselling or a therapy covered by the insurance. Please see our step-by-step guide below for further information or visit www.kbv.de.
- THROUGH PRIVATE THERAPISTS
If you are privately insured or willing to pay out of pocket, you can contact therapists with a private practice. Waiting periods for appointments are usually shorter, however, prices for private counselling sessions can vary between approx. 80-150€ per session.
- THROUGH LOCAL ORGANISATIONS
Should you need general information or guidance or situation specific support (e.g. as a victim of a crime), you can contact local support organisations that offer mental health services. Their support is often free of charge and easy to access. Please check our list of German support organisations or contact us for city specific contacts.
How to access therapy -covered by German health insurance
- CONTACT YOUR GP
The best way to assess if a therapy would be the right option for you is through your GP. They can rule out any physical illnesses and write a recommendation or prescription for you or might be able to recommend local therapists. If you do not have a GP, you can also contact therapists directly, however, an assessment by a GP might become necessary at a later stage.
- BOOK AN INITIAL CONSULTATION
Accredited therapists are obliged to offer an initial consultation which will be paid by your insurance, however, they not always have a free spot to keep you as a patient. In an initial consultation, the therapist will assess you and write a recommendation if a therapy is advisable and if so which type of therapy would be the most suitable for you. Visit www.116117.de/psychotherapie or call 116117 to book the initial consultation.
- FIND THERAPISTS IN YOUR AREA
With this recommendation, you can start contacting therapists in your area. Many therapists that accept German health insurance do not have comprehensive information on their websites and only publish their contact details. You generally have to call them and leave your details on their answering machine. If they have a free spot, they will call you back.
- MAKE AN APPOINTMENT
If a therapist has availability, you can make an appointment which will be paid by your insurance. During this appointment you and the therapist can decide if you feel comfortable and if you want to continue together and start a therapy.
- APPLY FOR THERAPY
If you agreed to continue and start a therapy, your therapist will apply for it through your health insurance provider. Therapy sessions are usually 50 min. and health insurances generally cover 12 sessions with the option to extend the therapy for another 12 sessions.
Support Organisations in Germany
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Weißer Ring e.V. – Victim Support Organisation
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Contact when: you have become the victim of a crime committed in Germany |
WEISSER RING e. V. (weisser-ring.de) Branches all over Germany, donation-based organisation, support often available in several languages |
| Heimwegtelefon e.V. | Contact when: You are walking home at night, feel uncomfortable and want someone to accompany you on the phone |
Support predominantly in German |
| Malteser | Contact when: you are experiencing homelessness, require bereavement support, require medical treatment without insurance | Malteser in Deutschland Most support is offered in German |
| Krisenchat | Contact when: you are experiencing a personal crisis |
krisenchat | 24/7 Krisenberatung per Chat Service available to young adults under 25 years, chat Support in several languages including English |
| Info-Telefon Depression | Contact when: You are dealing with depression and need general information and guidance |
Info-Telefon Depression - Stiftung Deutsche Depressionshilfe (deutsche-depressionshilfe.de)
Support in German, toll-free number |
| Frauenkrisentelefon (Women in Crisis Hotline) | Contact when: you are a woman in a difficult situation, want to talk to someone and to get guidance/support |
Startseite (frauenkrisentelefon.de) Support is offered in different languages, including English |
Support Organisations in Berlin
| Berliner Krisendienst - Berlin Crisis Support | Contact when: You are in an acute crisis and need psychological support or guidance |
24/7 hotline and personal support in 9 locations in Berlin, support available in several languages incl. English |
| Offene Tür e.V. | Contact when: You are in an acute crisis and need psychological support (first consultation with a therapist is free, for follow up consultations an individual donation is recommended) |
Startseite - Offene Tür Berlin (ot-berlin.de) Donation-based NGO, one-on-one or couple consultations are offered in German |
| BIG e.V. | Contact when: You are a woman and have become victim of domestic violence |
Startseite | BIG e.V. (big-berlin.info) Hotline and In-Person support, support available in several languages incl. English |
| Opferhilfe Berlin e.V. | Contact when: You have become victim of a crime and require guidance or are a witness of a crime and want to be accompanied by someone in court |
Donation-based NGO, support predominantly offered in German |
| Lara e.V. | Contact when: You became a victim of sexualised violence against women and require support or counselling |
Donation-based NGO, support available in several languages, incl. English |