# More than 500 types of therapy. How is a patient supposed to choose?
The Numbers Behind the Jargon Jungle in Psychotherapy—and What They Mean for Therapists.
First, the facts:
- According to estimates, there are over 500 different psychotherapy approaches worldwide. Other counts put the number at more than 250 schools of thought. The only thing everyone agrees on is that there are hundreds.
- In Germany, four of these are recognized as services covered by health insurance: behavioral therapy, depth psychology-based therapy, analytical therapy, and—since 2020—systemic therapy.
- In Austria, there are 23 recognized methods.
- In Belgium, Denmark, France, and Portugal, there is not a single officially recognized method.
- The term “psychotherapist” is protected. The word “psychotherapy” is not. Neither are “coach” and “consultant”—anyone can use those titles without proof of qualifications.
- The alternative practitioner is a unique phenomenon worldwide. The law behind it dates back to 1939; no other EU country has an equivalent. In Austria, the practice is even prohibited.
Six sobering points. They describe a problem that affects every practitioner.
There’s a Method to the Madness
In the beginning, there was a single school: Freud’s psychoanalysis. A hundred years later, there are hundreds. Each with its own language, its own theory, its own name.
Behavioral therapy. Depth psychology. Systemic therapy. Gestalt. Logotherapy. EMDR. Schema therapy. Person-centered counseling. And alongside these: rebirthing, mindfulness training, reincarnation therapy, “coaching with therapeutic aspirations.”
For the expert, this is a well-established field. For the seeker, it’s a fog.
Same Words, Different Meanings
It gets more complicated. Because the professional titles sound similar—but mean different things.
A psychologist has studied psychology. That does not automatically make them a therapist.
Only those who are licensed may call themselves a psychotherapist. The title is protected.
A non-medical practitioner specializing in psychotherapy is allowed to treat patients—but may not call themselves a “psychotherapist.” The word “psychotherapy” on the practice sign is permitted. The title is not.
A psychiatrist is a medical doctor and is authorized to prescribe medication. They rarely offer therapy.
And what about a coach or counselor? These terms are not protected. Anyone can use them—without a single piece of proof.
The Deutsches Ärzteblatt puts it clearly: No patient can be expected to familiarize themselves with the various licenses and qualifications. Yet that is exactly what they would need to do to make an informed choice.
Experts working in the healthcare system report the same thing: People seeking help are overwhelmed by the task of finding the right practitioner in the maze of similar-sounding terms.
One Concern, Five Answers
Let’s take someone with anxiety. They’re seeking help. Depending on who they end up seeing, they’ll receive a completely different treatment.
Behavioral therapy focuses on the here and now: What thoughts and behaviors are perpetuating the anxiety?
The depth psychology approach looks to the past. Which old conflict is still having an effect?
Systemic therapy focuses on the environment: family, partnerships, and the relationships in which the person is involved.
The humanistic school views suffering as part of life—and seeks growth.
And integrative practice combines whatever works.
Five approaches. One concern. They all call it therapy. Which one is the right one? The person seeking help has no way of knowing. They would need to know the schools to choose. They don’t know them.
Germany’s Unique Path
And then there’s the “Heilpraktiker.” A profession unknown to the rest of the world.
The Heilpraktiker Act dates back to 1939 and remains unique worldwide to this day. Outside of Germany—with the exception of Austria and Switzerland—there are no “Heilpraktiker” in the legal sense. In Austria, the practice is prohibited and punishable by law. In Switzerland, there is a regulated but highly restricted version. In Spain, a wide variety of professions operate under the umbrella term “naturópatas.”
Around 50,000 alternative practitioners work in Germany, including those specializing in psychotherapy. Training is not uniformly regulated nationwide. There is no mandatory curriculum.
This is not a judgment. It is a description. But it shows that even the question of what a practitioner actually is can hardly be answered across national borders. Anyone from Istanbul, Dubai, or Madrid who encounters a German “alternative practitioner” has no equivalent term to describe it.
What’s Left for the Seeker
Titles are confusing. Treatment methods are overwhelming. Hardly anyone understands the licensing requirements. Star ratings come from strangers.
What remains is the oldest thing we have: our own impression.A person speaking. A voice. A glance. A demeanor. In just a few seconds, the person seeking help knows whether they want to put their trust in this person. Not because they know the school. But because they see the person.
This is precisely where the therapist’s opportunity lies. In a field where no one distinguishes between the terms, it’s not the title that convinces. It’s the person. Their calmness. Their clarity. Their conviction.
That can’t be summed up in a job title. But it can be demonstrated.
See first. Then decide.
Instead of an initial consultation with a stranger: a profile video as a selection criterion. The person seeking help sees, hears, and feels—and makes a decision based on their own impression.
For therapists, this is the most direct way to convince others with your own conviction—bypassing titles, methods, and the whole jungle of jargon.
With our profile video training, you can try it out with no obligation. You’ll find the IntroCam™ on the homepage. One click is all it takes. Speak, give it a try—no registration required. You’ll see right away how you come across. And you can decide at your own pace.
Data is everywhere. People are only here.
→ On the homepage: Start IntroCam™
Sources: Norcross, cited in Scientific American, 2024 · Goldfried, cited in Mad in America, 2019 · therapie.de (comparison of recognized methods; professional titles) · Deutsches Ärzteblatt, “Professional Titles in Psychotherapy,” 2024 · Sigmund Freud Private University, Research Bulletin, 2022 · medizindoc.de / Paracelsus Magazine / Wikipedia on the 1939 Alternative Medicine Practitioners Act