"It's Left a Bitter Taste" Psychotherapists' Perspectives on the Abolition of the German Assessment Procedure for Outpatient Psychotherapy

Background and research question In 2019, the abolition and replacement of the present German assessment procedure for outpatient psychotherapy was resolved and adopted into law. This study examined what psychotherapists think about the new plan. Methods We conducted semi-guided interviews with psychotherapists about their experience and opinion of the current psychotherapeutic care situation in Germany. Statements about the assessment procedure were evaluated using qualitative text analyses. We compared the psychotherapists' opinion on the assessment procedure with the psychotherapeutic approach as well as the age group. Results Of 41 psychotherapists 25 reported their thoughts about the assessment procedure. The following themes could be drawn from their statements: Appreciation as well as criticism of quality control of the procedure, worries about a future loss of economic and treatment certainty, perception that the assessment procedure questions one's competence, disapproval of the low remuneration of the reports, the connection between individual attitudes towards the assessment report and conscientiousness in writing the reports, and the lack of transparency of the legislative initiative. Psychodynamic psychotherapists wanted to keep the assessment procedure slightly more often compared to behavioural psychotherapists; child and youth psychotherapists wanted to keep it more often than psychotherapists for adults. Discussion Psychotherapists perceive the reform of the assessment procedure as a process with a substantial impact on their current clinical practice as well as their psychotherapeutical identity. To improve the quality and acceptance of the future quality assurance procedure, psychotherapists should be an active part of the development process.