Kela rehabilitative psychotherapy: who can get it and how to apply

Who can get it

Kela lists these conditions¹:

• you are between 16 and 67 years of age¹;
• your ability to work or study is at risk because of a mental health disorder¹;
• you have been diagnosed and have received appropriate treatment for at least 3 months¹;
• a psychiatrist has assessed that you need it, in a medical statement B, a statement BC or a rehabilitation plan issued within the last 12 months¹.

Kela’s guideline adds that you must be insured in Finland under the Health Insurance Act².

How to apply

Fill in form KU 131 and send it through OmaKela, Kela’s online service, with the statement attached, or by post to Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA¹.

Apply before the therapy starts, and at the earliest 2 months before it starts¹. Kela can reimburse from the beginning of the month in which your application arrives³.

Two costs are yours. You pay for the first meetings with possible therapists (tutustumiskäynti) yourself¹, and Kela does not reimburse, as a rehabilitation cost, the doctor’s statement written for the application².

What Kela pays

Kela pays a fixed amount per session⁴:

Kela’s page gives no date from which these amounts apply⁴. The reimbursement is often smaller than the price of a session, so you may pay part of the price yourself³. In February 2025 Kela reported that a session costs around a hundred euros and that the client’s own share can be about 40 to 60 euros per session⁵; prices may have changed since.

Usually the therapist deducts Kela’s share from the price. If not, you claim it on form KU 204 within 6 months of paying³.

How long it lasts

Kela reimburses up to 80 sessions a year and up to 200 in total, for at most 3 years¹. For the second and third year, a statement from your treating doctor is enough if the therapy has gone as planned³. On special grounds it can be granted again if at least 5 years have passed since the previous period ended³.

Finding a therapist

Kela’s search lists only Kela-approved therapists who have agreed to be listed, and it is available in Finnish and Swedish only¹. Kela can arrange foreign-language interpretation for individual therapy, but not for couples, family or group therapy².

Young people: the therapy guarantee is a different route

Since 1 May 2025, short-term psychotherapy or structured psychosocial treatment for children and young people under 23 in public primary care must start within 28 days of the need being established⁶. That is public healthcare, not Kela: you start at your health centre or student health service.