Skip to content

Insurance broker / Business types / Health and care

Insurance for psychological counsellors and coaches in Germany

Many English-speaking counsellors and coaches in Germany trained in the UK, Ireland or the US and now support expats with stress, relationships or career change. German law draws a clear line: anyone who diagnoses, cures or relieves illness practises medicine under section 1 of the Heilpraktiker Act and needs a permit, and the title Psychotherapeut is protected by section 1 of the Psychotherapists Act. Liability questions arise right at that line. This page explains which insurance psychological counsellors and coaches in Germany need and what it roughly costs.

Insurance for psychological counsellors and coaches in Germany

The question almost everyone asks first

Does my UK or US counselling insurance cover me in Germany?

Usually not for permanent work here. Policies from abroad are rarely designed for clients resident in Germany, German courts and German law. A German professional liability policy should describe your work precisely and include financial loss as well as personal injury. If you also hold a German permit as a Heilpraktiker limited to psychotherapy and treat clients, the policy must expressly include that treatment.

What goes wrong in this trade

  1. 01

    Missed illness

    What looks like a life crisis is depression or a suicide risk. Relatives later claim you should have referred to a doctor.

  2. 02

    Crossing into treatment

    Diagnosing or promising a cure without a permit under the Heilpraktiker Act creates legal trouble and can put your cover at risk.

  3. 03

    Consequences of advice

    A client quits a job after coaching and later claims compensation for lost earnings.

  4. 04

    Confidentiality

    Notes, emails or video recordings reach third parties, with serious consequences for clients.

  5. 05

    Titles and marketing

    Promising a cure or using a misleading title leads to formal warnings under German competition law.

  6. 06

    Accidents at your practice

    A client falls on the stairs to your rooms or in a seminar room.

Risk radar
Liability 3Fire and water 1Theft 1Cyber 3Downtime 3Health 3

Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.

The insurance you need

Essential

Professional indemnity

Pays for personal injury and financial loss arising from your counselling and defends unjustified claims. Your work must be described precisely.

Strongly advised

Cyber insurance

For online sessions, video calls and confidential notes: covers data recovery, notifying clients and liability after an attack.

Business legal expenses

For fee disputes, formal warnings about marketing or titles, and investigations after a tragic case.

Depends on the business

Business contents

For furniture and equipment in your practice rooms against fire, water and burglary.

Business interruption

Keeps paying rent and fixed costs if your practice is closed after damage or illness.

What it costs: example prices

Professional liability for counselling is affordable. What matters is the type of counselling, financial loss cover, group work and whether you also practise under a Heilpraktiker permit.

InsuranceExampleTypical range
Professional indemnityCounsellor or coach without staff, personal injury, property and financial lossaround 80 to 200 euros a year
Professional indemnityWith workshops and group sessionsaround 150 to 300 euros a year
Cyber insuranceSole practice with online counsellingaround 250 to 500 euros a year
Business legal expensesSelf-employed counsellor, contract and criminal legal coveraround 250 to 450 euros a year
Occupational disabilityAge 45, 1,500 euros monthly benefit to 67around 1,200 to 2,400 euros a year

For comparison: A counsellor's professional liability cover often costs less a year than two sessions.

Guide values from our quoting experience, as of October 2026,

excluding German insurance premium tax.

Treatment under a Heilpraktiker permit is rated differently; we obtain the exact quote for you.

Sources of the price examples

Our suggestions: three packages

01

Start

For: Part-time counsellor or coach without own rooms

  • Professional indemnity
  • Business legal expenses

Together around 330 to 650 euros a year

Request this package

02

Practice

For: Full-time practice with own rooms and online sessions

  • Professional indemnity
  • Cyber insurance
  • Business legal expenses
  • Business contents

Together around 700 to 1,400 euros a year

Request this package

03

All round

For: Practice with workshops, staff and income protection

  • Professional indemnity
  • Cyber insurance
  • Business legal expenses
  • Business contents
  • Business interruption
  • Occupational disability

Together around 2,200 to 4,500 euros a year

Request this package

The worst day in a counselling practice

Six things that can really happen to counsellors, here all on one Monday. Tap through and see who pays.

Damage so far€65,500
  1. A client falls on the stairs to your rooms and breaks an arm.

    €6,000 · Paid by: Professional indemnity

  2. A former client claims lost earnings because he resigned after your coaching.

    €15,000 · Paid by: Professional indemnity

  3. Your video tool is hacked, session notes leak and every client must be informed.

    €8,000 · Paid by: Cyber insurance

  4. A competitor sends a formal warning about a cure promise on your website.

    €2,500 · Paid by: Business legal expenses

  5. Relatives claim you failed to recognise severe depression.

    €25,000 · Paid by: Professional indemnity

  6. A leak from the flat above destroys furniture and equipment in your practice.

    €9,000 · Paid by: Business contents

Which package would you have had?

Paid by insurance: €0
Out of your own pocket: €65,500

Illustrative amounts before any excess.

What is paid depends on the policy terms.

Practical tips from your broker

  1. Describe your work precisely to the insurer, such as coaching, couples counselling, grief support or supervision.
  2. Make sure financial loss is included; in counselling it is more common than personal injury.
  3. Do not diagnose or promise a cure; refer clients to a doctor or psychotherapist when you see signs of illness.
  4. Do not use the title Psychotherapeut; it is protected under section 1 of the Psychotherapists Act.
  5. Set out in a written agreement what your counselling does and does not include.
  6. Protect notes and video sessions technically, because confidential data is your biggest digital risk.

Why NAMMERT for your business

We read the activity wording

As an insurance broker, Norman Nammert compares several insurers and makes sure your counselling and financial loss cover are recorded correctly.

We know claims handling

In boat insurance we handle claims ourselves. We know how much clean records matter when a client makes a claim.

Advice in English

We explain German policy wording in plain English, and you get the documents explained before you sign.

Brokering since 1989

Our advice costs you nothing, as the insurer pays our commission.

Frequently asked questions

Questions and answers

Is professional liability insurance compulsory for counsellors in Germany?

No.

Without it, however, you are liable with your own assets if a client claims damages,

and partners often ask for proof of cover.

How much does counsellor insurance cost in Germany?

As a guide from our quoting experience, around 80 to 200 euros a year.

With workshops and group sessions, usually 150 to 300 euros.

Can I treat mental illness as a counsellor in Germany?

Not without a permit.

Diagnosing, curing or relieving illness is practising medicine under section 1 of the

Heilpraktiker Act.

Work that only deals with social conflicts is not psychotherapy under section 1 of the

Psychotherapists Act.

Can I call myself a psychotherapist?

No.

Under section 1 of the Psychotherapists Act the title Psychotherapeut is reserved for licensed

psychotherapists, doctors and the other groups the Act names.

Am I covered for online sessions?

Professional liability usually applies online too.

For hacked video calls, lost data and notifying clients you need cyber insurance.

I hold a Heilpraktiker permit limited to psychotherapy. What changes?

You then practise medicine and need a policy that expressly includes that treatment.

A coaching policy is not enough.

NAMMERT insurance broker

Request quotes for Counsellors

The recommended covers are ticked.

Change what does not fit; we compare quotes, in English.

1Who is it for?
2Which insurance?

Choose as many as you like. For each one, the details an insurer needs for a quote appear below.

Personal

Business

3Details

Occupational disability insurance (Berufsunfähigkeitsversicherung)

For example data analyst in an office, or civil engineer with site visits

We discuss details personally for an anonymous enquiry

For example how long you plan to stay in Germany, self-employment, existing policies

Professional indemnity insurance in Germany (Berufshaftpflicht)

For example tax adviser with payroll, freelance software developer,

architect for residential buildings

For example current policy abroad, clients in the US, side activities,

expiry date of existing cover

Business legal expenses insurance in Germany (Firmenrechtsschutz)

For example plumbing business, tax practice, online shop for electronics

Existing disputes cannot be insured, but knowing about them helps us advise you

Cyber insurance for businesses in Germany

Rule of thumb: cost of three to four weeks of downtime plus recovery

4Your current policy
5How can we reach you?

Related trades

Doula

Doula

Do I really need professional liability insurance as a doula in Germany?

Boat or yacht? NAMMERT has its own cover concepts for boats, arranged by the same broker.

Boat insurance

Your broker: Norman Nammert, trading as NAMMERT.

Insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act.

Broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH is a separate company.

It does not arrange your contract.

Statutory disclosure (German) · Updated