If you need urgent medical help, please call 112 or visit the closest emergency department.
In case of a crisis:
- The social psychiatric service of Berlin (Sozialpsychiatrische Dienste) offers support in all districts of Berlin from Monday to Friday, 08:00 – 16:00. Find the closest center to you here!
- Berlin Krisendienst offers phone support 24/7. You can also visit their centers without an appointment on weekdays from 16:00 – 24:00 and during weekends and holidays from 08:00 – 16:00. Find the closest center to you here!
- The Telefonseelsorge offers different ways to support you 24/7 in difficult situations in life (German and Ukrainian only). E.g. call 116 123.
- If you are aged under 25 you will get help 24/7 via Whatsapp at Krisenchat (German and Ukrainian only).
For non-acute cases:
There are multiple places where students can seek psychotherapy or social counseling. Here is a list of services that you can approach, based on your affiliations:
- ECN service:
All ECN PhD fellows are permitted to use the Mental Health Chat powered by Instahelp. The registration code can be found in the ECN Guide.
- Charité services:
- Psychological counseling service of the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
- Psychological counseling service of the Freie Universität Berlin
- Studentenwerk psychological-psychotherapeutic counseling
The Dahlem Research School (DRS) has released a new booklet titled "Dealing with Emerging Crises During Your Doctorate" This hands-on guide offers information on support and services available at Freie Universität Berlin and the Berlin University Alliance for typical crises that might emerge during your doctorate. You can also go to the DRS and and get a printed copy there.
If you are looking for a psychotherapist, you might look at our guide for psychotherapy through public health insurance. Besides, you can use the therapist directory from The Association of Counselors & Therapists (ACT Berlin), which provides the contact information of many therapists in Berlin. You might also want to take a look at this online tool to search for therapists based on your location, language, and other preferences.
If you just need someone to talk to, you can use the REDEZEIT FÜR DICH service. They offer support to people in stressful situations in a psychologically safe virtual space. The service is offered in several languages and free of charge for everyone.
Supporting Mental Health During Pandemics
In February 2021, the QUEST center at the Berlin Institute of Health held a virtual brainstorming event to develop guidelines for improving the mental health of early career researchers (ECRs) during the pandemic. Many community partners, including Scholar Minds, worked together to identify the main problems for mental health during the pandemic and proposed many solutions to tackle each of them. The event resulted in guidelines and strategies that speak to both ECRs and their supervisors. You can find these guidelines here.
To learn more about mental health in general and for PhD students in particular, please refer to our list of resources, and follow us on our social media accounts.
