The German psychiatrists have agreed to new training regulations which now include psychotherapy. On this occasion the German Psychiatric association organized a symposium ''psychotherapy within psychiatry''. Psychotherapy researchers of all psychiatric departements in German speaking countries were invited. As a result, a cross-sectional picture of current psychotherapy research within psychiatry showed a great variety of methods and ways of thinking about research on psychotherapeutic process, outcome, and applications. Even non behavioural approaches showed a trend towards operationalized and quantifying, but also standardized qualitative research. All participants agreed on the necessity of better and in comparison with psychopharmacological research more fair financing of psychotherapy research.