FOR PSYCHOLOGISTS
Your role as a psychologist at Instahelp
At Instahelp, we do our utmost every day to expand access to mental health care through high-quality online counselling. Would you like to support us in this? As a psychologist, you too can provide counselling to your clients via Instahelp: online, securely and in line with the latest scientific evidence.
Discover 6 good reasons to work with Instahelp
You bring the expertise; we’ll take care of the rest.
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Take action now and get to know us
Fill in our online form and we’ll review your documents within 1-2 weeks. We’ll then invite you to an introductory meeting. This will give us the opportunity to discuss our mutual expectations and answer any questions you may have.
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Get ready for your role at Instahelp
Once we’ve got to know each other, we’ll sort out the contractual details. At the same time, you’ll enrol on the ‘Online Counselling’ training course and complete the compulsory basic module – over 10 to 12 weeks, whilst you’re already able to carry out your first counselling sessions.
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Make yourself comfortable in your Instahelp practice
Tell your clients who you are and what drives you. Personalise your profile and familiarise yourself with your new practice and the features of Instahelp.
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Get started – your clients are waiting for you
Take on clients whenever it suits you – you can also use the platform free of charge for your private clients, by the way.
For Austrian psychologists: Since 1 January 2025, we have also been offering online therapy (clinical psychological treatment) – with the option to apply for a cost subsidy from statutory health insurance funds.
Get started with Instahelp in just 4 steps
Get in touch nowWhat psychologists say about Instahelp
Find out here how our psychologists find working with Instahelp.
Mag.a Dr. Michaela Mayr
Instahelp connects me with clients and enables me to work independently both at home and abroad. I’m part of a professional team where I feel very much in good hands! I also want to encourage my clients to make their own decisions during our sessions!
Sophia Haag-Häusler, MSc
I see one of Instahelp’s major advantages as being the variety of counselling options available, which allows me to conduct sessions both with and without video. What I’m most enthusiastic about is the flexibility of my working hours, which I wouldn’t want to do without in future either.
Mag.a Kerstin Schuller
What I really appreciate about Instahelp is the great flexibility it offers across the various communication channels. What’s more, I don’t have to worry about marketing activities or issuing invoices. Instahelp takes care of all that for me.
What you should bring with you
In order to realise our vision of mental wellbeing for all, we place great emphasis on quality and humanity. You should meet the following requirements to help us achieve our vision:
- A completed university degree in psychology (Diplom or Master’s) with a specialisation in clinical psychology or clinical psychology as an examination subject
- Austria: Registration on the Federal Ministry’s list of clinical psychologists; additional postgraduate training in psychotherapy is an advantage
- Germany: Licence to practise as a (psychological) psychotherapist with evidence of specialist competence in a recognised psychotherapeutic approach; entry in the register of doctors is an advantage
- At least 3 years’ experience in psychological counselling or the treatment of adult clients
- Availability at weekends and a wide range of language skills are an advantage
- Willingness to undertake the ‘Online Counselling’ qualification course at Sigmund Freud Private University, Vienna. (Online course; cost of the basic module: €490)
- Willingness to support at least 5 clients and to create a professional introductory video for your profile
- Professional indemnity insurance and VAT registration number (for psychologists in Germany or other EU countries) at the time the contract is signed
- Experience in online counselling or online treatment would be an advantage
Our Quality Management
At Instahelp, the quality of our advisory services is our top priority.
Professor Ernst Berger, MD
Representing the Instahelp Scientific Advisory Board
Dr Ernst Berger is a specialist in psychiatry and neurology, as well as a specialist in child and adolescent psychiatry and a psychotherapist. As a member of Instahelp’s Scientific Advisory Board, Dr Ernst Berger, alongside other board members, contributes his expertise in strategic quality assurance and the evaluation of psychological product developments.
Professor Birgit U. Stetina, PhD
Representing external quality assurance (academic)
Dr Birgit U. Stetina is a clinical and health psychologist and heads the Clinical Psychology Department at Sigmund Freud Private University in Vienna. As part of her collaboration with Instahelp, Dr Birgit U. Stetina provides supervision for the team of psychologists and leads regular university-based continuing professional development programmes (e.g. intensive seminars).
Dr Annette Wallisch-Tomasch
Representing the external quality assurance body (practice)
Dr Annette Wallisch-Tomasch is a lecturer on the qualification course for psychologists at Instahelp, part of the Sigmund Freud Private University in Vienna. She is also responsible for external quality assurance, leads peer supervision sessions and fosters a vibrant, supportive exchange amongst the psychologists at Instahelp.
MMag.a Dr Jasmin Sadeghian
Head of Psychological Relations
MMag.a. Dr Jasmin Sadeghian is responsible for internal quality management and the Research & Development department, which deals with scientific research questions. Her other quality assurance responsibilities include organising psychological training opportunities and providing feedback on product development.
Quality mark for online psychological counselling
As a psychologist at Instahelp, you meet all the requirements for the quality mark for online psychological counselling awarded by the Professional Association of German Psychologists (BDP).
You can find further information about the quality mark on the BDP’s website.
Do you have any more questions?
You complete our online form and send us your documents. Once we have checked that you meet the requirements, we will arrange a face-to-face meeting to discuss the details of your self-employed role. Once you’ve decided to collaborate with us, you’ll sign an open-ended collaboration and partnership agreement with Instahelp and enrol on the compulsory ‘Online Counselling’ qualification course run by Sigmund Freud Private University (SFU). Alongside the SFU course, you’ll be introduced to the platform and quality management through three Instahelp tutorials. After approximately 10-12 weeks (including completion of the course and up to 5 supervised sessions), your Instahelp profile will be fully activated for counselling sessions. You can find the start date of the next course in the information folder.
Yes, you are self-employed. An open-ended cooperation and partnership agreement will be drawn up between you and Instahelp, which either party may terminate at the end of any month, subject to two months’ notice. You are also responsible for arranging your own professional indemnity insurance, which is mandatory before you start providing counselling.
You have complete freedom to organise your working hours and time off. You simply set your availability and time off on the platform. Clients can take a break whilst you are away or be temporarily supported by other psychologists via the Instahelp platform.
Clients choose their own psychologists based on areas of specialism and availability. Once they have made their choice, you will contact clients who wish to start online therapy or psychological counselling with you within 24 hours; the initial consultation usually takes place within 7 days. Psychologists generally support between 5 and 35 clients via the platform. We estimate an average minimum availability for 5 clients, but you can adjust your availability at any time in your profile.
Instahelp’s aim is to facilitate lasting change for clients through online therapy and psychological counselling. This is generally not achieved through a single session, but (where clinically appropriate) through a structured counselling/treatment process spanning several sessions, which enables lasting success through process-oriented solution-focused work. That is why we view online therapy and psychological counselling at Instahelp as a form of ongoing support rather than a one-off contact, and we expect you to plan your counselling sessions in a process-oriented manner from the outset and to support your clients continuously over an extended period.
Online therapy and psychological counselling are provided in compliance with the GDPR via the Instahelp tool, flexibly by video call or telephone. You can also use a text chat for supplementary communication. In addition, digital interventions are available to you, and you can, for example, provide your own exercises.
Your fee is based on the number of clients you support. We focus on scientifically proven, sustainable change through long-term support (at least 6 weeks or longer) rather than one-off sessions. As we do not allocate clients, your workload is entirely in your own hands: By actively and independently supporting your clients, and by creating an appealing profile (a friendly introductory video, a concise and informative description, and a professional outline of your areas of expertise), you ensure a stable workload and a financially reliable fee structure for yourself.
You will receive a detailed monthly statement and your fees will be paid directly into your account. Instahelp retains a fair service fee. This covers platform usage, marketing, automated billing, support, as well as training and supervision services.
Important: Psychologists based outside Austria must provide a VAT registration number for the reverse-charge procedure relating to the service fee; the psychological counselling service itself is exempt from VAT in Austria.
You’ll be using a platform developed in-house by Instahelp, which is GDPR-compliant and features state-of-the-art end-to-end encryption, with servers located in the EU, and you won’t incur any running costs for your own (online) practice or marketing expenses. You can also use the secure Instahelp online practice free of charge for your private clients.
You’ll become part of a network of over 400 psychologists. The support team is on hand to help with technical queries, whilst the practice community forum, as well as intervision and supervision, are available to assist with professional matters.