Overview

• The GKV-Spitzenverband has formally requested a legal duty for psychotherapists to report free treatment slots and to route all initial and follow-up appointments through centralized service centers.
• This push builds on a June positions paper that blamed organizational failings—not a shortage of seats—for Germany’s multi-month psychotherapy waiting lists.
• In 2023, existing Terminservicestellen failed to mediate over 54 percent of therapy requests within the four-week window required by law.
• The Deutsche PsychotherapeutenVereinigung and patient advocates caution that mandatory reporting and central allocation could burden service centers without expanding actual care capacity.
• Demand surged after the pandemic and one-third of current therapists will retire by 2030, leaving many patients facing months-long waits for treatment.