Guide · Cologne
On paper, Cologne has twice as many insurance-funded therapy places as needs planning requires, yet many people still wait for months. This guide explains how that fits together, how to plan the first four weeks of your search and which services exist in your part of the city.
Tap what fits best and get your next step for Cologne straight away.
It is acute, I need help now
Do not wait for a therapy place. If there is immediate danger, call 112 now. You can talk to someone straight away here:
I need a first appointment
In the North Rhine region, 116117 is available around the clock and offers you a consultation within one week. Search the KV Nordrhein practice finder at the same time.
I am already waiting for a place
On paper, Cologne has twice as many insurance-funded places as planned. Email ten practices in the same week and add the university clinic and training institutes.
I cannot find a place covered by insurance
If three to five practices that bill statutory insurance turn you down, your insurer can pay for a private practice. Record every enquiry with date and answer.
I want to use the waiting time
MindMotion helps you understand recurring conflicts and the patterns behind them, free and without sign-up. Not therapy, but good preparation for your consultation.
At a glance
supply level in Cologne according to needs planning, March 2026. The area is closed to new practices2
was the average wait in North Rhine-Westphalia until psychotherapy began (2018 study)1
districts, each with its own number at the social psychiatric service10
availability of the 116117 appointment service in the North Rhine region6
No current waiting time for Cologne alone has been published. The best regional figures come from the waiting-time study of the German Federal Chamber of Psychotherapists (BPtK): in North Rhine-Westphalia it took 5.7 weeks on average to get a first appointment in the psychotherapeutic consultation (psychotherapeutische Sprechstunde), and 23.1 weeks, more than five months, until the actual psychotherapy began. That was longer than the national average of 19.9 weeks. In large cities like Cologne, the national figure was 16.9 weeks1.
According to the official needs planning, Cologne has more than twice as many insurance-funded psychotherapy places as planned: its supply level (Versorgungsgrad) is 206 per cent, compared with 143 per cent in neighbouring Düsseldorf2. This has two consequences for you. First, Cologne has comparatively many practices you can contact. Second, the planning area is closed to new insurance-funded practices, so hardly any new ones open2.
Supply level according to needs planning, in per cent
That there are still waiting times is not a contradiction. The NRW Chamber of Psychotherapists points out that needs planning is based on figures from 1999 that were below actual need even then. Large cities like Cologne also serve many people from the surrounding region3.
You do not need a referral for the consultation4. Treating the search like a small project gets you further faster. A month could look like this:
“Subject: Request for a psychotherapy place. Hello, I am … years old, insured with … and looking for a place for outpatient psychotherapy. It is about … I had a consultation on … (or: I am still looking for a consultation appointment). I am flexible and can come at short notice. Do you have a waiting list? You can reach me by phone on … Kind regards …” Do not put detailed health information in an unencrypted email. Many practices work in German, so a short message in German helps.
In Cologne, the psychiatric hospitals are assigned by district. Their emergency departments are staffed around the clock9. This overview saves you searching in an emergency:
| If you live in | this hospital is usually responsible |
|---|---|
| Innenstadt (except Altstadt-Süd and Neustadt-Süd), Deutz, Ehrenfeld, Nippes, Chorweiler, Mülheim, Kalk | LVR-Klinik Köln, Wilhelm-Griesinger-Straße 23, 0221 8993 0 |
| Lindenthal | University Hospital Cologne, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Joseph-Stelzmann-Straße 9, 0221 478 0 |
| Porz and Rodenkirchen, Rondorf, Meschenich, Hahnwald, Weiß, Immendorf, Godorf, Sürth | Alexianer Köln, Kölner Straße 64, 02203 3691 10000 |
| Bayenthal, Marienburg, Raderberg, Raderthal, Zollstock, Altstadt-Süd, Neustadt-Süd | Tagesklinik Alteburger Straße, Alteburger Straße 8–12, 0221 3394 0 |
| Niehl, Riehl | St. Agatha Krankenhaus, Feldgärtenstraße 97, 0221 7175 0 |
Catchment areas according to the TH Köln guide, as of August 2022. They can change. In an acute crisis, any psychiatric emergency department will see you.11
The public health office’s social psychiatric service (Sozialpsychiatrischer Dienst) helps in crises, advises those affected and their relatives, arranges further help and makes home visits when needed. It is available Monday to Thursday 9 am–3 pm and Friday 9 am–1 pm10.
| District | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Innenstadt | Laurenzplatz 1–3 | 0221 221 22980 |
| Rodenkirchen | Laurenzplatz 1–3 | 0221 221 24511 |
| Lindenthal | Laurenzplatz 1–3 | 0221 221 22424 |
| Ehrenfeld | Philippstraße 72 | 0221 96567 36 |
| Nippes, Chorweiler | Niehler Straße 85–87 | 0221 976532 0 |
| Porz | Laurenzplatz 1–3 | 0221 221 22424 |
| Kalk incl. Deutz | Olpener Straße 110 | 0221 99182 0 |
| Mülheim | Regentenstraße 48 | 0221 96559 0 |
Central number: 0221 221 24710, Cologne public health office, Laurenzplatz 1–310.
If you cannot find a place with a practice that bills statutory insurance despite a thorough search, your insurer can pay for treatment in a private practice (§ 13(3) SGB V). You need confirmation from the consultation that therapy is necessary and urgent, documented refusals from at least three to five practices that bill statutory insurance, and a private practice qualified in an approved method that can take you8. So write down every enquiry with date, time and answer from the start.
The KV Nordrhein practice search has a filter for therapy languages7. For psychoanalytically based methods, you can also search by treatment language in the directory of the German Society for Psychoanalysis, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Depth Psychology (dgpt.de)7. The Kölner Studierendenwerk counselling service does not list its languages, so ask them directly18.
Outpatient clinics, counselling centres and services we compiled from publicly available sources and checked. Opening hours can change, so it is best to call ahead. Most services work in German.
Cognitive behavioural therapy for adults, with a special clinic for health anxiety. Statutory insurers usually cover the costs. The office can currently only be reached by email: info@hapuk.de.131415
Psychotherapy for children and adolescents. The university hospital’s child and adolescent psychiatry also runs a crisis line, 8 am–5 pm, on 0221 478 5337.16
State-recognised training institute for behavioural therapy. Ask about free places in its outpatient clinic.19
State-recognised training institute for psychodynamic (depth-psychology-based) psychotherapy. Ask about free places in its outpatient clinic.19
State-recognised training institute in the south of Cologne. Ask about the methods offered and the wait for its outpatient clinic.19
State-recognised psychoanalytic training institute. Ask about free places in its outpatient clinic.19
Services for young people up to 27 in psychological crises, including the Alexianer counselling café Proberaum. There is a second site east of the Rhine at Siegburger Straße 233, and Plan 27 has contacts in every part of the city.17
For students; the first five sessions are free, no health insurance card needed. General counselling, not psychotherapy. Book online or by phone.18
Each of the nine districts has its own number, see the overview above. Crisis help, advice for those affected and their relatives, referral to further help, home visits when needed.10
Psychiatric hospital with a 24-hour emergency department, responsible for large parts of the city east of the Rhine and the city centre.911
Responsible for Lindenthal.11
Psychiatry and psychotherapy, responsible for Porz and parts of Rodenkirchen.11
Psychiatric hospital in the south of Cologne.11
It often takes months for a therapy place to become free. You can already do something for yourself in that time: understand what keeps happening in your conflicts and try out small first steps. That is what we built MindMotion for.
What MindMotion can do
What MindMotion is not
No figures for Cologne alone have been published. According to the German Federal Chamber of Psychotherapists, people in North Rhine-Westphalia waited 5.7 weeks on average for a consultation and 23.1 weeks until therapy began. In large cities nationwide the figure was 16.9 weeks.
The supply level of 206 per cent measures the number of insurance-funded places against needs figures that go back to 1999. The NRW Chamber of Psychotherapists criticises that these figures were below actual need even then. Large cities also serve the surrounding region.
LVR-Klinik Köln covers large parts of the city centre and the districts east of the Rhine, the University Hospital covers Lindenthal, the Alexianer cover Porz and parts of Rodenkirchen, Tagesklinik Alteburger Straße covers the south and St. Agatha Krankenhaus covers Niehl and Riehl. In an acute crisis, any psychiatric emergency department will help you.
The university outpatient clinic for psychotherapy (HAPUK) at Pohligstraße 1 in Zollstock can currently only be reached by email at info@hapuk.de. It offers cognitive behavioural therapy for adults, and statutory insurers usually cover the costs.
Yes. The practice search of the KV Nordrhein has a filter for therapy languages. For psychoanalytic methods you can also filter by treatment language in the DGPT directory.
No. You do not need a referral for the psychotherapeutic consultation. The 116117 appointment service is available around the clock in the North Rhine region.
No. MindMotion does not provide psychotherapy and does not make diagnoses. The app is a tool for psychological self-reflection that you can use while you wait, to better understand recurring conflicts and inner patterns.
All details were checked against the linked sources on 11 November 2026. No guarantee. Spotted a mistake or missing a service? Write to us at info@scalevanta-ai.com.
This page is for information only. MindMotion is a tool for psychological self-reflection and does not provide psychotherapy. The app does not replace assessment or treatment by a psychotherapist or doctor. MindMotion is not affiliated with any of the organisations listed.
