Talking about it will help

Psychological counseling

The most common form of counseling is still a one-on-one interview between a counselor and the person seeking advice.

Couples can also receive counseling if at least one of them is studying. However we ask you not to bring another person with you spontaneously, please inform us in advance. Our consultants will need time to adjust to the somewhat different consulting situation.

If you are still hesitating to speak directly with someone or prefer to remain - for the time being - anonymous, you can also choose the online consulting route.

In addition, we regularly offer courses and workshops for which you can register. Some of these courses require a personal preliminary talk.

A one-on-one consultation usually takes 50 minutes.

We generally start by clarifying the issue that you want to work on. This includes, for example, the reason for the consultation, expectations and wishes for the consultation, goals, etc., but also questions about previous attempts at a solution or whether there are any previous experiences with consultation or therapy.

Then we decide whether there should be continued sessions or whether psychotherapy is appropriate. We also provide support in the search for a therapist.

The following experts belong to the psychological counselling team:

• B. Albrecht, Psychological Consultant (HPG)
• S. Bärmann, Psychologist (HPG)
• A. Demming, Psychologist (PPT)
• S. Ernst, Psychologist, M.Sc. (PPT)
• S. Kremkau, Psychological Consultant, Dance Therapist BVT/BTD (HPG)
• M. Paschen, Psychologist M.Sc. (PPT i.A.)
• D. Schaper, Psychologist M.Sc. (PPT)
• T. Stahl, Social Worker / Social Pedagogue M.A. (HPG)
• E. Umbach, Psychologist M.Sc. (HPG, PPT i.A.)

We attach great importance to a high standard of counseling and the qualifications of the people who offer psychological counseling. The designation "psychological consultant" is not a legal term in Germany.

All our psychological consultants are therefore either licensed "to practice medicine in the field of psychotherapy" according to §1 HPG (Heilpraktikergesetz) or licensed as psychological psychotherapists (PPT). However, we do not carry out any psychotherapeutic processes in our counseling center, we offer general counseling.

The first five counseling appointments are free of charge. Should more appointments be necessary, we charge a fee of 2.50 euros per session.

We charge a small fee for course offerings.

There is no general upper limit for us. The extent and frequency of the consultation dates depend on your needs and our capacities.

In acute situations sometimes it is possible that we cannot be reached quickly enough.

In these cases you can turn to the following:
The Crisis Line (Telefonseelsorge) service is available around the clock and is free of charge. (Tel. 0800 111 01 11 / 0800 111 02 22)

In mental emergency situations you can contact a psychiatric outpatient clinic. Find out the areas of responsibility of the psychiatric outpatient clinics in Cologne here or call 0221 478 872 91.

In case of danger, you can call the police (emergency call, tel. 110) or the fire department (rescue service, tel. 112).

You do not need a health insurance card: our work is largely financed by your semester fees. We do not bill through health insurance companies.

Here you will find important contact points for finding psychotherapy.  

Federal Chamber of Psychotherapists (Bundespsychotherapeutenkammer)

• On the website of the Federal Chamber of Psychotherapists you will find all important information about the procedures, methods, cost coverage and everything else for patients. 
• You will also find an overview in the brochure "Ways to Psychotherapy" (Wege zur Psychotherapie)
• When searching, you will be referred directly by the Federal Chamber of Psychotherapists to the respective state chamber (Landeskammer). You can filter according to various criteria, here is where the information in the above mentioned brochure will probably be very helpful.

North Rhine Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (Kassenärztlichen Vereinigung Nordrhein)

• On the website of the North Rhine Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians there are additional service centers which arrange specialist and psychotherapeutic appointments (Terminservicestellen) 
• Theoretically, many results can be obtained using the online search form (for students with state health insurance)

Your own health insurance

• Your health insurance company will also help you find a place for psychotherapy. Often, however, the health insurance companies also refer you directly to to make an appointment. 

A look at our FAQs can be helpful. There we answer even more questions that are frequently asked.

If something is still unclear - just call us or send us an email!