Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Psychological counselling provides a protected, professional setting in which to reflect on individual challenges and address them constructively. It is particularly valuable for:

• Personal life crises and reorientation: Separation, loss, life transitions or questions of meaning.
• Work-related strain and stress: Burnout prevention, overload, workplace conflicts or professional upheaval.
• Relationships and partnerships: Communication problems and conflicts in marriage, family or your social environment.
• Self-worth and blocks: Building confidence, overcoming difficulty making decisions, exam nerves or stage fright.

Just as regular exercise strengthens physical health, psychological counselling is an effective building block for proactively maintaining mental health and resilience.

The main goal is to strengthen personal self-efficacy and, together with a qualified professional, develop sustainable solutions:

• Clarity and self-reflection: Better understand and contextualise challenging thoughts, emotions and behaviours.
• Activate resources: Recognise your own strengths and use them purposefully for personal and professional challenges.
• Concrete action strategies: Learn practical tools for everyday life so you can handle challenges calmly and self-determined.

The following principles support the best possible counselling outcome:

• Openness and honesty: Talk about your thoughts, feelings and expectations without putting on an act – your counsellor meets you without judgement and as an equal.
• Active implementation: Try out and reflect on proven impulses and exercises in everyday life between sessions.
• Continuity and reliable attendance: Regular appointments visibly support a continuous development process.

In Switzerland, these professional titles differ in education, field of activity and billing:

• Psychological counsellors: Offer solution-oriented support for life crises, conflicts, professional topics and personal development. Psyvita exclusively lists verified counsellors with a sound professional education (e.g. SGfB recognition or a Swiss federal diploma).
• Psychologists: Have completed at least five years of university education (Master of Science in Psychology). They have sound scientific knowledge of human experience and behaviour.
• Psychotherapists: Have completed multi-year postgraduate training after a psychology degree and are authorised to diagnose and treat mental-health conditions.
• Psychiatrists: Are specialists in psychiatry and psychotherapy with a medical degree. They can prescribe medication-based treatment (e.g. psychotropic medication).

Quality and trust come first for us. Every professional profile is carefully reviewed before publication:

• Educational evidence: Verification of recognised degrees, diplomas and certificates.
• Professional association memberships: Recognition by leading Swiss professional associations (e.g. SGfB, FSP, SBAP, bso).
• Permits: Cantonal professional permits where required for the relevant field.
• Transparency: Full disclosure of methods, focus areas and practice locations.

The following distinction applies to cost coverage in Switzerland:

• Basic insurance (KVG): Covers only medically prescribed psychotherapy for diagnosed mental illnesses (medical referral model). General psychological counselling is not covered by basic insurance.
• Supplementary insurance (VVG): Many Swiss health insurers (e.g. Swica, Helsana, CSS, Sanitas, Concordia, etc.) contribute to the costs of psychological counselling, coaching or prevention under their supplementary insurance, provided the professional is recognised by the relevant quality bodies (such as SGfB, EMR or ASCA).

Recommendation: Clarify possible cost coverage with your health insurance directly before your first appointment.

Fees are set individually by independent professionals and typically range in Switzerland from CHF 120 to CHF 220 per hour (50 to 60 minutes).

All fee levels, reductions (e.g. for students or KulturLegi) and payment terms are transparently shown on each counsellor profile. Psyvita charges clients no placement fees.

Depending on your personal needs and life situation, you can choose from flexible formats:

• In-person in a practice: Personal contact in a practice room in your region (e.g. Zurich, Bern, Basel, St. Gallen, Lucerne, Winterthur and many more).
• Online video counselling: Location-independent and time-saving, conveniently from home via secure video tools.
• Telephone counselling: Fast and uncomplicated support for urgent questions.
• Walk and talk: Counselling conversations while moving in nature – promoting relaxation and new perspectives.

Using our counsellor search, you can reach the right contact in three simple steps:

• 1. Apply filters: Filter by canton, city, topics (e.g. stress, anxiety, relationships) or methods.
• 2. Review the profile: Check qualifications, focus areas, audio/video introductions and fees.
• 3. Send an appointment request: Use the secure request form to make direct, non-binding initial contact.

Your information and counselling concerns are treated with the utmost discretion:

• Professional confidentiality: All registered professionals are subject to strict professional confidentiality obligations.
• Swiss data protection (revDSG): Full compliance with all requirements of the revised Swiss Data Protection Act.
• Secure Swiss infrastructure: Data transmission via SSL/TLS encryption on secure servers located in Switzerland.

You can find detailed information in our privacy policy.

Important notice: Psyvita offers regular counselling appointments and is not an emergency or 24/7 crisis service.

In life-threatening emergencies or acute crises, please contact the official Swiss emergency numbers immediately:

• Medical emergency: Tel. 144 (in acute life-threatening situations)
• Die Dargebotene Hand: Tel. 143 (free, 24/7, anonymous)
• For children and young people: Tel. 147 (Pro Juventute, 24/7)

You can find further direct contacts and emergency services on our emergency and crisis support.