About psychotherapy / psychoanalysis

Psychotherapy aims to support people with mental problems and physical problems that are of mental origin. There are several methods of psychotherapy, psychoanalysis is one of them.
Psychoanalysis was developed by Sigmund Freud. It assumes that the childhood is formative for the future thinking and behavior. A lot of childhood experiences are forgotten or suppressed in the course of time. Psychoanalysis tries to make unconscious/suppressed experiences conscious again. This happens by the patient freely associating all his/her thoughts and the psychotherapist interpreting this, which leads to insight of the patient’s behavior and/or pattern of thoughts. It is believed that learnt patterns of behavioral thinking are reflected in most interpersonal relationships, which is why the relationship between therapist and patient also determines the success of the therapy. Learnt patterns should be detected and changed.



Confidentiality obligation

As a psychotherapist I am obligated to confidentiality by law. The psychotherapy law (§ 15) says, that psychotherapists are obliged to keep all entrusted information and secrets confidential. (https://www.jusline.at/gesetz/psthg/paragraf/15)


What differentiates “regular” psychotherapists from psychotherapists under supervised training?

Psychotherapists training under supervision are in the last year of their training. They are obligated to regular supervision. A supervisor is an experienced psychotherapist, who is also obligated to confidentiality, with whom patients can be discussed to guarantee the best possible therapy for the patient. Therapists who have finished their training should also go to a supervisor occasionally.

As soon as the theoretical and practical training is completed and the minimum age of 28 years is reached, psychotherapists can be registered into the psychotherapist list of the federal ministry of Austria. From then on it is possible for patients to have part of the cost of the psychotherapy reimbursed by the “Krankenkasse” (Austrian health insurance). The “Krankenkasse” does not reimburse any costs for treatments from psychotherapists in training under supervision.


What is the difference between a psychotherapist, a psychologist and a psychiatrist?

	• Psychotherapists help their patients through therapeutic talks.
	• Psychiatrists have studied medicine and are allowed to prescribe medication.
	• Psychologists have studied psychology and deal with diagnostics and testings, such as personality tests

The distinction can be confusing, as there are psychologists and psychiatrists, who have additional psychotherapy training.