Psychotherapy
MHB students set a sign
Neuruppin, 22 May 2026
Approximately 100 students of the Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane (MHB) and their supporters took to the street on Wednesday, 20 May. Their protest addressed the unresolved question of funding for advanced training in psychotherapy. The psychotherapy law was revised in 2019 but did not entail provisions for reliable funding. As a result, young graduates of psychotherapy fear for their professional future, and patients run a long-term risk of supply gaps. In addition, the prospective psychotherapists criticize the pay cuts for registered therapists in force since 1 April 2026, a fact which further aggravates the strained situation in healthcare.
Prof. Thomas Stamm, MHB vice dean for curricular and student affairs, underlined the pioneering initiative of the MHB as the very first university to train psychotherapists in compliance with the new system, “here in this small town in East Germany. We are still proud of this feat, and at the same time we feel we have been let down. Starting in 2022, we have been sending out MHB graduates into a professional future which even today remains unresolved. Let me be quite clear: This is an intolerable situation. And what we want to broadcast from this little town in the east of Germany is a very strong and clear message. We have delivered in advance, and we call on politicians to give answers that are long overdue.”
Nadine Schworck started her psychology studies at the MHB in summer 2024. She was unable to attend the rally in person, so that co-organizer and fellow student Laurence Löffler recited her prepared speech: “Well aware of the lack of regulations and the risks involved, I nevertheless opted for psychology and in the long term for the Master program. The reform entered into force in 2020. I expected politicians to keep their promise. The reform is six years old today and the financial side is still unresolved. Now I need to decide whether to start in the Master program of clinical psychology, and I am confronted with questions which students in our country cannot be reasonably expected to raise, such as: will there be placements for advanced training in coming years? How radical will be the cuts in our health system? And, quite honestly, am I still interested?”