Most practitioners on It's Complicated are independent, private practitioners, and the majority work on a private-pay basis, which means you pay for your sessions yourself. Some accept private insurance, and very few, if any, work with public health insurance. Because this varies from one practitioner to the next, it is worth understanding how someone works before you book.
Finding practitioners who accept insurance
You can see how a practitioner handles payment in two places. In the directory, open the Session Cost filter, and under Payment options choose what you need, such as Private Pay, Private Insurance, or Reimbursement, to narrow your search to practitioners who offer it.
You can also check an individual practitioner's profile, where the payment and insurance options they accept are listed under Services. One of the options you may notice is Workplace Mental Health Programme (EAP). That is for therapy paid for by your employer rather than an insurer, and it works differently, so it is covered in its own article.
Confirm the details with your practitioner
Whatever the filters and profiles show, we always recommend confirming the details directly with your practitioner before your first session. Ask whether they accept your specific insurer and what they are able to offer, as arrangements differ from practitioner to practitioner.
If you plan to claim part or all of your costs back through private insurance, the invoice you receive needs to contain the right information for your insurer to accept it. Requirements differ between insurers, so check what yours asks for, then confirm with your practitioner that they can issue an invoice that meets it. Agreeing this in advance is far easier than trying to correct invoices after your sessions have taken place.
💡 Before you book, it is worth confirming two things with your practitioner: whether they accept your insurer, and, if you intend to claim, that their invoice will include everything your insurer needs for reimbursement.
Public health insurance
Public health insurance is a different picture. Very few practitioners on It's Complicated, if any, work within the public health system, so in most cases sessions booked here will not be covered by public insurance. If you are exploring whether public cover might be an option for you, our blog article on How to Get Therapy Covered by German Public Health Insurance explains how the German system works and what routes may be open to you.