Psychotherapeutic Medicine

When is Psychotherapeutic Medicine Indicated for Treatment?

In cases of:

• psychosomatic illnesses, mental disturbances or psychiatric disorders in all age groups
• physical ailments that are caused or aggravated by psychological stress
• high levels of psychological stress that are caused by physical ailments

• Serious Illness
  If you are suffering from serious or chronic illness, cancer, serious cardio-vascular disease, long-term pain or facing major surgery
• Pregnancy and Birth
  If you are experiencing problems related to pregnancy and birth: difficult pregnancy, miscarriage, inability to have children, unwanted pregnancy and stillbirths
• Trauma
  If you have suffered traumatic experiences, serious accidents, violence or abuse
• Children
  For children who are having difficulties, behavioural or other problems, doing poorly at school, suffering from anxiety, learning difficulties or pain
• Relationships
  Marital crises, relationship problems or if you no longer feel happy in your relationship with your partner
• Sexuality
  If you are experiencing problems with your sexuality or are unable to cope with it
• Eating Disorders
  In the case of eating disorders, obesity, anorexia nervosa
• Emotional Problems
  If you are experiencing a disturbed mental equilibrium accompanied by anxiety, panic attacks, phobias, psychosis, low spirits, depression or symptoms such as sleeplessness, feelings of unrest, emptiness or nervousness
• Pain
  If you are suffering from pain or ailments for which no organic cause can be found, i.e. headaches, palpitations, stomach ache, muscle and joint pain or abdominal pain

• Life Crises
  If you need help to overcome life crises and difficult periods or you have to make important decisions
• Addiction
  In the case of drug consumption or when the use of medication, alcohol or nicotine can no longer be controlled
• Quality of Life
  You wish to improve your quality of life and achieve a sense of well-being with a healthy attitude to life, broaden and develop new perspectives and achieve a fulfilling and realistic life style
• Personality
  If you wish to work on your personal development, increase your self-confidence, independence, resilience and assertiveness; if you are suffering from a personality disorder
• Relationships
  If you need to deal with contact disorders and relational disorders and increase your competency to maintain relationships, or deal with fear of loss and separation
• Work and Employment
  If you wish to restructure your personal circumstances and analyse your personal situation within the family or at the workplace (bullying, burn-out)
• Extreme Stress
  If you are caring for elderly or sick family members for example
• Misfortunes
  If you need support and counselling to help deal with difficult situations such as grief due to separation or bereavement

How Psychotherapy Works

• curative (healing)
• palliative (alleviating)
• beneficial and preventative effect, and support
• personality development

• emotional expression
• experiences of discernment and the senses
• communicative competence and the ability to form and maintain relationships
• awareness and self-regulation
• learning opportunities, learning processes and interests
• creative opportunities for experience

• the development and fostering of a positive, personal set of values, and
• strong, social networks and
• experiences of togetherness and solidarity

Prerequisites for Starting Psychotherapy

• It is important that you feel you can trust the psychotherapeutic doctor.
• The methods, techniques and framework of the therapy should be clearly explained to you.
• At the beginning of the psychotherapy it is important that you and your psychotherapeutic physician reach a working agreement about,
  – why you are seeking psychotherapy,
  – what you wish to achieve with the therapy and
  – how the success of the therapy will be measured once the therapy has come to an end.

Rights and Obligations in Psychotherapy

• At the beginning of treatment, a therapy contract (written or oral) must be agreed between you and your psychotherapeutic physician. This should include the modalities and the goal of the psychotherapy.
• The fee and method of payment should be agreed at the first meeting.
• Psychotherapy can be refunded by the social insurance funds.
• You may ask questions about the therapeutic approach at any time.
• Psychotherapeutic doctors may not pursue unethical interests or have sexual relationships with patients.
• Psychotherapy should encourage social contacts and not place them under strain.
• The doctor for psychotherapeutic medicine works according to the Medical Practitioners Act and has professional obligations, such as confidentiality and a duty to undergo further training.
• In Austria there are 23 recognised scientific psychotherapeutic methods.
• Esoteric practices cannot be used as part of psychotherapeutic treatment.

Costs

• Reimbursement of costs for psychotherapeutic treatment varies between the different social insurance funds.
• Some physicians may have contracts with insurance funds on your e-card.
• If you seek treatment from a physician in private practice, you will first of all receive an invoice, which you can then submit to your insurance fund. The share of the costs that are refunded varies between the different health insurance funds.