Online counselling

Receive flexible and anonymous support

In addition to conventional on-site counselling, some counselling centres also offer counselling via an online counselling platform. The form of counselling is usually a matter of taste – some prefer writing about their problem, others prefer to tell a person about it. We have listed the possible advantages and disadvantages below. 

Important: Serious offers are anonymous, free of charge and data-secure.

For the offers listed on the right, your questions will be answered by real counsellors - not by chatbots or untrained call centre employees. If you notice in the course of the counselling that you would prefer to switch (additionally) to personal counselling, this is usually possible. 

Technical implementation/procedure: 

• You can usually access an online counselling portal via your browser without special apps or installations - whether from your computer or mobile phone. 
• You usually give yourself a (possibly thought-up) username and password and can therefore remain completely anonymous. 
• Communication only takes place via the portal, in which all data is automatically encrypted. You must remember to log into the portal to be able to read the counsellor's response. 

Possible advantages of online counselling

Possible disadvantages of online counselling

• Time flexibility – noon or night: you write when it suits you
• Local flexibility – no matter where you are: you can always ask your question
• No travelling time – this also eliminates costs for public transport or cars
• Hardly any waiting time – usually there is an answer within a few days
• Privacy through anonymity - many portals can be used without a real name 
• Self-help – when writing down a problem, you sometimes see the solution directly

• No direct feedback – short comprehension questions can be clarified faster in a direct interview. 
• Full insolvency proceedings exclusively via online counselling is not possible – a combination with on-site counselling is necessary for this
• Online counselling requires a lot of self-discipline – due to the flexibility of time, many people find it harder to stay on top of regulation.

Please do not confuse online counselling with advice via e-mail or messenger

E-mails are not a secure communication medium. They can be intercepted relatively easily and thus read by unauthorised third parties. You should therefore never send sensitive information by e-mail to a counselling centre (e.g., a pay slip stating your account number, address, number of family members or salary). The Federal Office for Information Security has summarised how you can encrypt e-mails and messenger communications in order to increase data security. Some Messengers only offer encrypted communication, while others are considered insecure. The following always applies: You should only use a protected means of communication for personal information and documents. This also means: do not describe your debt situation directly at the first contact if, for example, you want to make an appointment via the website of a counselling centre. 

Need more information? Our principles: How to recognise good debt counselling