Author: Maria Fernanda Eivar Fonseca

In Germany, health insurance covers four different types of psychotherapy. Before you go to a trial session, you should check whether you feel comfortable with the therapy the specialist offers.

Psychoanalytic therapy was developed based on the teachings of Sigmund Freud. According to his theory, mental illnesses are caused by inner conflicts. Hidden conflicts, often from our childhood, influence our daily life and can lead to mental illnesses. Through psychoanalytic therapy, a psychotherapist can help you uncover these repressed feelings and relationships, such as describing your dreams, thoughts, and memories. During sessions, patients typically lie on a couch, and therapy can last several years.

Psychodynamic therapy draws on Freud’s theories as well, and also focuses on early experiences and repressed feelings. Sessions usually involve sitting across from your therapist, and treatments last about one year.

Behavior therapy is based on another theory. It assumes that our behavior and our thoughts are influenced by our life experiences. From these experiences we learn and conclude how to behave best. The therapist works with you to identify reasons for your mental problems. Together, you discuss your patterns of thinking and how to change them. As a patient, you are an active part of therapy and you might have to collaborate by practicing learned skills at home. Patients typically sit opposite to your psychotherapist, with one session per week. Treatment usually lasts several months.

Systemic therapy assumes that mental illness can be caused by the way people interact with each other. This type of psychotherapy usually involves your family or partner. The therapist helps you developing solutions for existing conflicts. As a patient, you and your family are empowered to solve conflicts in your daily life. Therapy sessions are usually scheduled for two to three weeks.

On our List of Psychotherapists around Siegen you’ll find some options if you’re thinking about starting therapy.

Your SLR host Alessa 🙂

At some point in their life, most people ask themselves, if they need therapy. Therapy is not only for difficult cases, therapy can often be helpful! Thus, you do not need to worry, that your symptoms are „not bad enough“. If you are still insecure, if you need or want to do therapy, this article might help you!

Mental Illnesses

Daily life is full of mental ups and downs. Some people can live well  with their problems by talking to friends or letting off stress through  a hobby or pastime. Others find it hard to restore that state of inner  balance. If, even after several weeks, you find that you are struggling  to move past a down cycle, it might help to seek support from a  professional psychologist. Arrange an initial appointment with a  psychotherapist to discuss your symptoms and receive professional advice  about whether more extensive therapy is necessary. Your general  practitioner can also help you identify whether you need help from a  specialist. Because many mental illnesses are associated with physical  symptoms, including stomach pain and poor sleep, doctors are trained to  check whether your physical symptoms might have a mental origin. Where  necessary, he or she can refer you to a specialist.

Common signs that therapy might be helpful

• Emotional signs that therapy might help you: Often feeling sad, anxious, irritable
• Physical signs that that therapy might help you: feeling tired and exhausted a lot, issues with sleep schedule, physical problems like stomach ache without medical reasons
• Changes in behaviour: Staying a home a lot more than before, Problems with handling everyday life (like cleaning, studying, hygiene or social life)
• Recurring or distressing thoughts 

How to Decide If Therapy Is Right for You – Initial quesitions to ask yourself

• Do my problems impact my everyday life?
• Does my problem impact my relationships or my work?
• Am I not myself? Do I feel different from how I usually feel?
• Does the way I’ve changed bother me?
• Is there an explanation for the change?
• Does the explanation insufficiently account for the duration and severity of the trouble I’m having?
• Has it become a struggle to perform my day-to-day work?
• Am I constantly worried and anxious?
• Do I suffer from any physical ailments?
• Do I have a sleeping disorder? Do I sleep too little or too much?
• Do I often feel aggressive, hateful or irritable, or am I very intolerant?
• Am I often on sick leave?
• Do I have suicidal thoughts?
• Do I hardly have anyone left to talk to about my problems?
• Does speaking to friends about how I’m feeling no longer help?
• Is the change in me clearly noticeable to others, as well?
• Have I been feeling like this for more than three months?
• Am I ambivalent about everything?

(Source: Rosemarie Piontek: Mut zur Veränderung Methoden und Möglichkeiten der Psychotherapie. Bonn, 2009)

How to Find a Therapist 

• You can call any of the therapists listed on our website ( List of Psychotherapists around Siegen ).Most probably there will be certain telephone hours which an automized announcement will tell you. Then you can call again during these telephone hours and make an appointment for a consultation.
• If the therapist has availability, you can attend a few initial sessions—often called “probationary sessions”—to go through diagnostics and see whether you feel comfortable working with them. After that, regular therapy can begin.

Be ready to call more than one psychotherapist, as demand is high for these services and many practices have long waiting times for appointments. If you still have questions about the process of finding a therapist, feel free to drop by the Student Living Room — we’ll do our best to support you.

Your SLR host Alessa 🙂

There are different options to find a general practitioner. We listed a few for you here:

1. Ask friends, fellow students and colleagues: People who have lived in the same area for a long time often have tips on which general practitioner or specialist is recommended.
2. Search option of the „Kassenärztliche Vereinigung“ (Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians). As it is available in German only, please see here the tutorial: How to find a doctor in Siegen and surrounding area
3. Online search: a simple search on Google helps to find doctors in the immediate vicinity. Platforms like Jameda collect reviews on doctors, giving you a first impression. However, keep in mind that these reviews can also be wrong, outdated or very subjective.

After you found someone that fits your expectations, call or visit them during their office hours. Ask them if they still accept new patients, and if so make an appointment with the new doctor to get to know him or her to see if the chemistry is right and you will feel comfortable in the future.

If you’re not yet comfortable speaking German, we have a list of general practitioners in Siegen who offer consultations in other languages, including English. Hopefully, you’ll find someone who suits your needs.

List of General Practitioners Around Siegen

Your SLR host Alessa 🙂