Patients' rights & complaints offices

Ombudsman's office

The ombudsman's office of the Psychotherapeutenkammer Berlin - express and clarify your own concerns

• Do you have the feeling that something is not going right with your psychotherapeutic treatment?
• Do you suspect violations in the billing procedures?
• Are you in trouble with a colleague that you cannot resolve?
• As a psychotherapist, are you afraid of finding yourself in a situation where you could be in breach of professional law?

Call us: 0800 6648201 (free in Germany)

The ombudspersons are experienced, impartial members of the PtK who will advise you confidentially and, if you wish, anonymously on behalf of the PtK.
The ombudspersons will advise you on the (professional) legal framework, on further steps to take in the event of a dispute (e.g. submitting a written complaint) and give you recommendations on how to proceed.

The next telephone consultation hours of the ombudsman's office will take place on:

• Tuesday, September 17, 2024 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, October 1, 2024 from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, October 15, 2024 from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, October 29, 2024 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Please note that if you call during the ombudsman's office hours, a telephone conversation may already be taking place. In this case, please try several times during the specified office hours. We ask for your understanding! Thank you.

Your rights as a patient

The Professional Code of Conduct, Ethics and Human Rights Committee has drawn up a detailed leaflet on outpatient psychotherapy, excerpts of which are reproduced below:

Anyone who consults a psychotherapist is in a difficult life situation. As a patient, you turn to a professional in need, from whom you hope to receive help. From a legal point of view, two individuals who are in a specific legal relationship meet at the same time.

• Self-determination and confidentiality
• Payers of outpatient psychotherapy
• Claim to quality in treatment
• Duty of confidentiality
• Full attention for your treatment
• Documentation - access to records
• Records of therapy sessions only with consent

Further information on your rights as a patient

Submit a written complaint

By submitting a written complaint, you can have it checked whether there has been a breach of the professional code of conduct and whether this must be punished. A violation exists, for example, if

• you have not been properly informed about the psychotherapeutic procedure and the costs,
• you have doubts about the way in which psychotherapy is practiced,
• your psychotherapist disregards the “abstinence requirement”, i.e. if they make private contact with you or makes sexual propositions,
• the duty of confidentiality is broken,
• unrealistic hopes or promises are made to you,
• your therapist does not behave in a respectful and dignified manner towards you or your relatives,
• therapy sessions cannot be conducted without disruption, e.g. because the telephone is constantly ringing,
• therapy reports of other patients are lying around on the table,
• an unreasonably high cancellation fee is demanded for a session that you did not cancel in good time.

Die Kammer stellt Ihnen hier ein Formular für das Einreichen einer Beschwerde zur Verfügung.

In Streitfällen, bei schwerwiegenden Konflikten oder Verstößen gegen die Berufsordnung können Sie eine Schlichtung beim Schlichtungsausschuss der Psychotherapeutenkammer beantragen. Hier wird man sich darum bemühen, eine gütliche Einigung zwischen Ihnen und Ihrer Psychotherapeutin bzw. Ihrem Psychotherapeut herbei zu führen.

Dazu wenden Sie sich bitte schriftlich an die:

Psychotherapeutenkammer Berlin
Kurfürstendamm 184
10707 Berlin

Die Psychotherapeutenkammer ist verpflichtet, Ihrer Beschwerde nachzugehen. Lesen Sie hier, wie das Beschwerdeverfahren abläuft.

Other contact and information points

• Patientenbeauftragte von Berlin (German)
  The patient representative provides advice by telephone and collects complaints, which are regularly reported to politicians.
• Verbraucherzentrale Berlin (German)
  The consumer advice center provides medical and legal advice to patients, deals with questions about care and offers information brochures.
• Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung (German)
  The KBV informs you about your patient rights and has published a brochure that you can download online.
• Aktionsbündnis Patientensicherheit (German)
  Aktionsbündnis Patientensicherheit e. V. (APS) is the platform for safe healthcare in Germany. It is committed to the continuous improvement of patient safety in Germany. Representatives of all healthcare professions and institutions, patient organizations and interested parties have come together to form a joint network.
• BIP - Beschwerde- und Informationsstelle Psychiatrie in Berlin (German)
  BIP, the Complaints and Information Center for Psychiatry in Berlin, is the central point of contact for complaints from users and those affected, relatives and professionals in the field of psychiatric care in Berlin. Advice and support are free of charge and anonymous on request. Data protection is strictly observed. The Complaints Office helps with complaints about treatment, care, accommodation conditions or the way people are treated in social psychiatric facilities, day clinics, outpatient clinics, in the psychiatric hospital, in outpatient practices or in legal care.