Vienna opens psychotherapy center: access guaranteed for everyone!

Vienna opens psychotherapy center: access guaranteed for everyone!

Vienna is facing an important innovation in the field of mental health: From September 2025, the newly founded Austrian Center for Psychotherapy and Psychology (ÖZP) will open its doors in the Lugner City medical center. This private project aims to make psychotherapy accessible, affordable and quickly available to everyone. Leadersnet reports that the therapy units are offered at a price of 59 euros per hour and the maximum waiting time for appointments is just one week.

The special feature of this center is the possibility of booking appointments via a practical online tool. Before the actual therapy, there is a personal orientation meeting with the therapist. The aim is to select a tailor-made psychotherapeutic setting that meets the individual needs of the client. The treatments are carried out by qualified psychotherapists in training under supervision, which guarantees the quality of the therapy and at the same time enables aspiring therapists to receive practical, paid training.

Focus on disadvantaged target groups

The ÖZP places particular emphasis on target groups with more difficult access to psychological support, such as young people, men and people with low incomes. This care-intensive focus is intended to help improve the range of help available and create broader acceptance of mental health among the population.

But it's not just the center itself that is important; the development of training for psychotherapists is also receiving new impetus. Loud bmb.gv.at From 2026, a master's degree program in psychotherapy will be set up at public universities, which will provide 500 new study places every year and thus make access to training much easier. The Federal Government is pursuing this goal in order to meet the current increasing need for psychotherapeutic support.

The challenge in mental health care

According to current figures, 25% of the Austrian population is affected by mental illnesses, but only 3.8% of these people are able to seek professional help from active psychotherapists. This creates a striking picture: Despite the progressive opening up in the area of ​​mental health, only around 50% of those seeking help can currently actually receive treatment. This circumstance illustrates how urgent academic and accessible training for specialists is.

The new amendment to the Psychotherapy Act therefore comes in time to modernize the training of the next generation of psychotherapists. Health Minister Johannes Rauch and Education Minister Martin Polaschek both emphasize the federal government's responsibility to ensure training and financing in order to significantly strengthen and further develop mental health in Austria by 2030. Study psychology points out that a central component of training is self-awareness. Prospective therapists are trained in role plays or video feedback in order to develop empathy and better understand the patient's perspective.

The Viennese population can therefore hope for many new, positive developments in the area of ​​psychological support in the coming years. The ÖZP and the planned reforms at universities make valuable contributions to bringing mental health back into the focus of society.