Opening a psychotherapy practice in Austria: your guide to the Psychotherapiegesetz 2024

The Psychotherapiegesetz 2024: what applies now

• In force since 1 January 2025. It replaced the Psychotherapy Act of 1990. The new training rules (§§ 9 to 19) have applied since 1 October 2026 (§ 67).
• New training: a bachelor’s degree (at least 180 ECTS), a master’s degree in psychotherapy (at least 120 ECTS) and postgraduate specialist training at a psychotherapeutic training society. It ends with the psychotherapeutische Approbationsprüfung (psychotherapy licensing examination).
• Four clusters: humanistic therapy, psychoanalytic-psychodynamic therapy, systemic therapy and behavioural therapy (§ 7).
• Transition: If you were in the Psychotherapeutenliste (list of psychotherapists) on 1 January 2025, you remain registered and may continue to work (§ 59). A Propädeutikum (preliminary course) started under the old law can be completed by 30 September 2030, a Fachspezifikum (method-specific training) by 30 September 2038 (§ 60).
• Professional title: “Psychotherapeutin”, “Psychotherapeut” or “Psychotherapeut:in”, optionally with the cluster in brackets, such as “(Systemische Therapie)” (§ 8).

In specialist training under training supervision

You can already treat patients during your specialist training. The PThG 2024 has created a separate status for this:

• Registration: Since 1 October 2026, people in specialist training are also listed in the public Berufsliste (§ 17 and § 23(7)). If you are training under the old law and had progressed far enough by 1 October 2026, your training institution reports you and you are registered as well (§ 60(7)).
• Title: “Psychotherapeutin in Fachausbildung unter Lehrsupervision” or “Psychotherapeut in Fachausbildung unter Lehrsupervision”, always in full (§ 8(8)).
• Framework: You only work under the guidance and oversight of, and under training supervision by, qualified members of the profession who train you. Professional duties such as informing patients, documentation and confidentiality apply accordingly (§ 17(3)).
• Liability insurance: In specialist training, too, you need professional liability insurance with the same minimum amounts (§ 50(1)).
• Fee: A cost subsidy from the insurance fund is usually only available once you have completed your training and are registered as a psychotherapist. Many therefore offer a reduced fee.

Whether and how you may work in your own premises during specialist training is something to clarify with your training society and your training supervisor before you sign a lease.

Requirements and professional duties

For self-employed practice, § 22 PThG 2024 requires: full legal capacity, health fitness and trustworthiness, proof of qualification, the necessary knowledge of German, professional liability insurance and entry in the Berufsliste. After that, these duties apply:

Berufssitz and premises: discretion first

Self-employed psychotherapy without a Berufssitz is prohibited, and you may have at most two (§§ 37 f.). The location must be clearly and unambiguously separate from your private living space, accessible step-free where possible and marked with your name, professional title and cluster (§ 38). A practice in your own house is possible, a study next to the kitchen is not. Tried and tested:

How to choose a location and plan the finances of your start is described in the general guide to opening a practice in Austria.

Cost subsidy, funded places and fees

In Austria, psychotherapy is a health insurance benefit if there is a mental disorder of clinical significance. For your practice, there are two routes:

• Wahltherapeut:in with cost subsidy: Your patients pay your fee and submit the invoice to their insurance fund. The fund pays a fixed subsidy per session. Requirements: a medical examination before the second session and, from the eleventh session, approval by the fund.
• Places funded by the insurance funds: Contract partners of the funds, usually organised through associations and institutions, bill the fund directly. Patients come through the regional Clearingstellen (clearing centres). Ask your regional office of the ÖGK (Austrian Health Insurance Fund) and your regional professional association how to become a contract partner.
• Not covered: Counselling for problems at school, in the family or at work without clinical significance, coaching and self-awareness sessions are paid by clients themselves.
• Fee: You set your fee yourself and state it before starting (§ 42). On your website, the fee, subsidy and cancellation rules create clarity before anyone calls.

SVS, tax and insurance

• Social insurance: As a self-employed psychotherapist, you are one of the Neue Selbständige (“new self-employed”) at the SVS (social insurance for the self-employed). If your income exceeds the insurance threshold (2026: €6,613.20 a year), register within one month of starting. Late registration costs a surcharge of 9.3% on your contributions.
• VAT: Medical treatment by psychotherapists is exempt under § 6(1)(19) UStG (an exemption without input tax deduction): no VAT, but no input tax deduction either. Supervision, teaching, coaching or workshops for companies are not medical treatment and are therefore subject to VAT.
• Small business scheme: Up to €55,000 of taxable turnover a year, you remain exempt for these too (§ 6(1)(27) UStG). Your tax-exempt treatments don’t count towards this threshold.
• Tax office: Register your new activity via FinanzOnline with the Fragebogen zur Betriebseröffnung (business start-up questionnaire). You don’t need a trade licence.
• Professional liability insurance: Compare offers, including through your professional association. On request, you must tell patients where you are insured (§ 50).

Online therapy and data protection

Video sessions make things easier for many people – with long journeys, children at home or in acute phases. The PThG 2024 allows them, but with conditions (§ 39): the session takes place synchronously by audio and video, there must be a professionally or geographically justified need and the patient’s agreement, and you document the reason.

On the technical side: a video tool with end-to-end encryption, servers in the EU and a data processing agreement. The same applies to appointment booking and email, because health data is specially protected under the GDPR. Audio and video recordings of sessions require written consent (§ 44).

A website that builds trust

People looking for a psychotherapist are often in a difficult situation. Your website should therefore do one thing above all: make the first step easy. The Ministry of Health has published its own Werberichtlinie (advertising guideline) for psychotherapists on this.

What must be in your legal notice (Impressum) and privacy policy is covered in the post on mandatory information for psychotherapy websites. Which information is allowed is explained in the post on advertising rules for psychotherapists. Which pages a good practice website has is shown in What belongs on a practice website.

Your own psychotherapy practice in seven steps