Prescribed psychotherapy in Switzerland: the report to the prescribing doctor

The report to the prescribing doctor is the letter a psychologist-psychotherapist sends to the doctor who prescribed psychotherapy, before the prescribed sessions run out, to say how treatment is going and whether a new prescription is needed. In Switzerland, since the move to the prescription model on 1 July 2022, this report is required by the Health Insurance Benefits Ordinance (OPAS/KLV).

What the OPAS says in 2026, word for word

The reference text is Article 11b of the OPAS (SR 832.112.31), as at 1 August 2026 (official federal PDF). There is no official English version; the translations below are ours, from the French text.

• Para. 2, number of sessions and report: for ordinary prescriptions the insurance covers, on medical prescription, "a maximum of 15 diagnostic and therapeutic sessions. Before the prescribed number of sessions runs out, psychologist-psychotherapists send a report to the doctor who prescribes the therapy."
• Para. 3, beyond 30 sessions: if therapy is to continue at the insurer's expense after 30 sessions, the procedure in Art. 3b applies by analogy. "The doctor who prescribes the therapy writes a report with a proposal to extend."
• Para. 4, crisis and short-term therapy: the insurance covers "a maximum of 10 diagnostic and therapeutic sessions".
• Para. 1(b), who can prescribe in a crisis: crisis interventions or short-term therapy for patients with serious illness, a new diagnosis or a life-threatening situation, prescribed by a doctor with a postgraduate title under (a) "or another postgraduate title".

Ordinary prescription (para. 1(a)) is limited to doctors holding a Swiss or recognised foreign postgraduate title in general internal medicine, psychiatry and psychotherapy, child and adolescent psychiatry and psychotherapy, paediatrics, or the interdisciplinary advanced diploma in psychosomatic and psychosocial medicine (ASMPP).

Three points the OPAS does not spell out, but which the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) states on its page about the model: after the first 15 sessions, a further prescription of up to 15 sessions can be issued after an exchange of information between the doctor and you; a crisis prescription can be issued only once; and the 10 crisis sessions count towards the 30 (10 crisis then 20 ordinary). The FSP information sheet (2022) adds that the prescription is handed to the patient and is valid for 15 hours, with no time limit.

The text does not set the form of the report, its content, or the session at which to send it. That is what the rest of this guide covers.

The three letters to the prescribing doctor, and when to send them

We recommend thinking in three letters, only one of which the OPAS requires.

1. Early update after the first sessions (recommended)

After the initial assessment, a few lines confirm that the patient has started, the frame and the first hypotheses. A pathway presented at a Unisanté clinical meeting (2025) suggests a brief summary from session 8: diagnostic hypotheses, frame and frequency, progress, expected length, risks, and related issues (medication, sick leave). It is a network practice, not a rule, but it avoids surprises at session 15.

2. The report before the prescription runs out (required by the OPAS)

This is the Art. 11b para. 2 letter. We recommend sending it between sessions 11 and 13 of a series of 15, so the doctor has time to reply and issue the new prescription before session 16. If you propose to continue, it includes a clear request for a new prescription. For a 10-session crisis prescription the OPAS does not require this report, but we recommend the same letter around session 7 or 8: to continue, the doctor must issue an ordinary prescription.

3. End-of-therapy letter (recommended)

When therapy ends, a short letter closes the loop: number of sessions held, state at the end, suggested next steps. See also our end-of-therapy summary template.

Professional secrecy and patient agreement

Psychologists are bound by professional secrecy under Article 321 of the Swiss Criminal Code, like doctors, as the FMH legal practice guide (updated June 2026) points out. The guide accepts tacit consent in some cases, for example between doctors treating the same patient, but notes that for health data the Data Protection Act requires explicit consent.

Our advice: from the first appointment, get the patient's written agreement to the exchange with their prescribing doctor, explain what the report will contain, and offer to let them read it before it goes. Send it through secure messaging. The data protection rules for your practice are covered in our French guide to the Swiss FADP for psychologists and therapists.

The report is not an extract of your session notes. The doctor needs to know whether treatment is indicated, whether it is working and what to prescribe. They do not need the intimate content of sessions.

Full template: report to the prescribing doctor

Copy this template and replace the brackets. Delete sections that do not apply. In French-speaking Switzerland the letter will usually be in French; the structure is the same.

Header

[Name, federal title of psychologist-psychotherapist] [Practice address] [ZSR/RCC or GLN number] [Phone, secure messaging address]

To Dr [name], [specialty], [address]

[Place], [date]

Subject: Psychotherapy report before the prescription runs out (Art. 11b para. 2 OPAS), [patient name], born [date]

1. Current prescription

• Type: [ordinary, up to 15 sessions / crisis or short-term, up to 10 sessions]
• Date of prescription: [date]; sessions held so far: [n] of [15 or 10]
• Sessions held under earlier prescriptions: [n]; running total: [n] of 30
• Frequency: [weekly, fortnightly]; last session planned under this prescription: [date]

2. Reason for referral and initial assessment

[Two or three sentences: presenting problem, main symptoms at the start, impact on work, relationships or sleep. Scale results if used, with their name.]

3. Diagnostic hypothesis

[Wording agreed with the doctor, with ICD code if you both use it. Say if it is provisional.]

4. Frame and approach

[Approach (CBT, systemic, psychodynamic, EMDR...), goals set with the patient, one line each.]

5. Progress

• Goal 1: [met / in progress / unchanged], [one observable fact]
• Goal 2: [...]
• New information useful to the doctor: [life event, change at work, substance use...]

6. Points to coordinate

[Medication, sick leave, need for a psychiatric opinion, other professionals. Ask a precise question if you have one.]

7. Proposal

[Option A] I propose to continue psychotherapy and would be grateful if you could issue a new prescription for [n, up to 15] sessions. Expected length of treatment: [n] sessions in total. [If the total exceeds 30: continuing beyond 30 sessions will need your report to the insurer; I will send you a description of the therapy around session [n].]

[Option B] Treatment will end at session [n]. I will send you a short closing letter.

8. Patient agreement

[Name] gave written agreement on [date] to the exchange of information with you, and has read this report.

I am happy to discuss.

[Signature]

Short version: end-of-series or end-of-therapy letter

For therapy that is ending, half a page is enough.

Subject: End of psychotherapy, [name], born [date]

Dear colleague,

Psychotherapy for [name], prescribed on [date], ended on [date] after [n] sessions (running total: [n]). At the end of therapy: [state in two sentences, linked to the initial reason]. Goals: [met / partly met, which]. Suggested next steps: [none / may return if... / psychiatric opinion / group]. [Name] agrees to this letter being sent.

Kind regards, [signature]

Fully filled-in fictional example

Invented case for illustration. Fictional patient: Léa, 34, referred by her GP.

Subject: Psychotherapy report before the prescription runs out (Art. 11b para. 2 OPAS), Léa [surname], born [date]

1. Current prescription. Ordinary, dated 3 March 2026. Sessions held: 12 of 15. No earlier sessions; running total 12 of 30. Weekly; last session planned on 23 June 2026.

2. Reason and initial assessment. Daily anxiety since a reorganisation at work, night waking, avoiding meetings. GAD-7 score of 15 at the start.

3. Diagnostic hypothesis. Generalised anxiety disorder, as suggested in your referral letter.

4. Frame. Cognitive behavioural therapy. Goals: reduce daily worry, sleep through the night again, take part in meetings again.

5. Progress.

• Worry: decreasing, GAD-7 at 9 at session 12.
• Sleep: one or two night wakings a week instead of five.
• Meetings: attends two team meetings out of three again; taking the project lead role is still hard.

6. Points to coordinate. Léa is wondering about stopping her as-needed anxiolytic. I leave this to your judgement at her next appointment.

7. Proposal. I propose to continue and would be grateful for a new prescription of 10 sessions, fortnightly, to consolidate progress and prepare the end of therapy. Expected total: 25 sessions.

8. Agreement. Léa gave written agreement on 3 March 2026 and read this report on 9 June 2026.

What is deliberately left out: the content of the conflict with her manager, her family history, details of her relationship.

Common mistakes

• Too many intimate details. The report leaves your practice and may end up in the doctor's file. Keep the facts the decision needs.
• Leaving out the session count. Without "12 of 15" and "total 12 of 30", the doctor cannot tell how much to prescribe or whether the insurer must be involved.
• Forgetting crisis sessions. They count towards the 30. After 10 crisis sessions, only 20 ordinary sessions remain before the insurer procedure.
• Writing too late. Without a new prescription before session 16, the following sessions are not covered by any prescription.
• Asking for "an extension" with no number. State how many sessions you are requesting, up to 15.
• Sending without the patient's agreement, or by ordinary unsecured email.

Checklist before sending

• Addressee: the doctor who signed the current prescription.
• Sent before the last prescribed session, with reasonable time to reply.
• Prescription type, date, sessions held, running total out of 30.
• Reason, agreed diagnostic hypothesis, frame, goals.
• Progress per goal, with one observable fact each.
• Points to coordinate written as a precise question.
• Clear proposal: number of sessions requested or end date.
• Patient's written agreement mentioned; patient informed of the content.
• No unnecessary intimate details; no data about third parties.
• Secure channel; copy kept in the patient record.

Why Delta is built for this letter

Delta is the clinical assistant that keeps the memory of each patient: after every session, transcribed live or dictated afterwards, it produces the session report and updates the therapy summary and goals. When session 12 comes, the report to the doctor is drafted from that progress, in your vocabulary and the structure of your own letters; you check the session count and the patient's agreement, then sign. Data stays in Europe, in France, on infrastructure certified for health data, and names are pseudonymised before the AI. For the full picture, read what Delta is and our clinical document templates. For a fuller progress report, see our therapy progress report template.

Sources

• Health Insurance Benefits Ordinance (OPAS/KLV), SR 832.112.31, Art. 11b, as at 1 August 2026 (official PDF, French); online version on fedlex
• FOPH, New rules for psychotherapy by psychologists from 1 July 2022 (French)
• FSP, Psychotherapie auf ärztliche Anordnung, information sheet, July 2022 (German)
• FMH, Legal practice guide, professional secrecy, updated 18 June 2026 (French)
• Unisanté, Prescription de psychothérapie en pratique, presentation of 6 February 2025 (French)