文摘
There is a gap of psychotherapeutic treatment intensity between the full-day inpatient or day-clinic psychotherapy programs within hospitals and outpatient psychotherapy according to the national guidelines for psychotherapy in Germany. This article introduces the new model of a psychosomatic psychotherapeutic evening clinic that has been established at the University Hospital Heidelberg. In addition to a detailed description of the developmental process, the structural framework and the contents of therapy are reported. The first clinical experiences with the new setting are illustrated with a case example. Patients participate in a therapy program on three late afternoons/early evenings per week where they receive a combination of group and individual psychotherapy. Overall, the new clinical setting is experienced as positive by both patients and therapists. Possibilities for further development as well as potential risks are discussed