Current Outpatient Psychotherapeutic Care for People with Migration and Refugee Experience in Germany - An Overview

Although mental health is a human right, even in a country with a well-developed healthcare system like Germany, it is not possible to ensure non-discriminatory access to mental health care for all people, regardless of their origin. For individuals with a history of flight or migration it is particularly difficult to gain access to adequate psychotherapeutic care. This review addresses key barriers contributing to the lack of outpatient care for people with a history of flight or migration. Lack of knowledge about the treatment system, fear of stigma, structural barriers, language barriers, lack of networking of healthcare providers, lack of knowledge of mental health practitioners, as well as stereotypes, discrimination, and racism towards people with a refugee or migration history were identified as the most important barriers with sufficient evidence. Innovative concepts such as peer support can enable non-discriminatory treatment access. In addition, there is an urgent need to train the profession of psychotherapists in racism- and discrimination-sensitive work and to integrate these aspects into psychotherapeutic education and training.