Counseling Services Offered by Diakonie and Caritas Under Pressure

Church social services in Saxony are seeing their counseling services come under increasing financial pressure. More and more children, adolescents, and families are seeking help, but the services are reaching their limits, according to the Diakonie. A growing need for assistance is colliding with strained resources and a shortage of therapy slots. That is why there is a push for reliable support and more preventive measures.

“Behind every wait time is a person.” 

Diakonie Saxony warned against cutting back on counseling, prevention, and low-threshold assistance. “Behind every long wait is a person who needs support right now. When help comes too late, problems often grow worse and become harder, more protracted, and thus more expensive to resolve,” emphasized Dietrich Bauer, chairman of the board of Diakonie Saxony.

Academic Pressure and Social Conflicts

According to Diakonie, the problem is particularly evident in the mental health of young people. In addition to the still-palmable consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, academic pressure and social conflicts, among other factors, are taking a toll on children and adolescents. Social media also plays a role. Its use can be associated with high pressure to meet expectations and a reduced ability to concentrate, the report noted.

More Diagnoses of Anxiety and Eating Disorders Among Young People

According to Diakonie, anxiety and eating disorders are being diagnosed significantly more frequently. “The number of children and adolescents refusing to attend school is rising. At the same time, many areas lack appropriate support services for families and therapy slots. The wait time for a psychotherapy slot can be as long as nine months.”

Rising Demand Amid Dwindling Counseling Capacity

When appropriate support is lacking, schools, school social work programs, family centers, and parenting counseling services become the primary points of contact for children, adolescents, and families, the report continued. “Parenting counseling, in particular, is designed as a low-threshold service that offers early support to children, adolescents, and their caregivers. Demand has risen significantly in recent years. At the same time, counseling capacity has been reduced because local governments are under financial pressure.”

Counseling capacity is exhausted in many places

“Our counseling centers try to handle as much as possible. But capacity is exhausted in many places. It’s often not possible to offer an appointment in a timely manner,” emphasized Ute Lämmel, the Diakonie’s psychological counseling specialist. Since there are too few therapy slots and other child and youth welfare services available—or they can only be accessed after very long wait times—the counseling process takes longer. “This reduces capacity for other families, while the burden on staff increases.”

The growing need for support is also evident in other areas. For many students, school social work is the first point of contact for mental health stress and illnesses, it was noted. At the same time, timely referrals to external specialized services and adequate crisis intervention are becoming increasingly difficult.

Strengthening Support Systems Instead of Shifting Problems

The Protestant welfare organization therefore sees an urgent need for early and needs-based support. “Those who empower children and young people early on are investing in their future—and thus in ours as well. We may be able to cut costs today when it comes to prevention and counseling, but that doesn’t make the problems go away. We’re merely postponing them, often causing additional suffering and significantly higher long-term costs,” explained Diakonie Director Dietrich Bauer.

The Catholic social welfare organization Caritas shares a similar view. “Compared to 2024, some municipalities have had to accept cuts in addiction counseling in particular, which has reduced the number of people seeking help in absolute terms, but not as a percentage.” In the draft of Saxony’s two-year budget, for example, no cuts were made to debt and insolvency counseling; nevertheless, some counseling centers are overburdened, and those affected must put up with long wait times.

Those affected often face multiple overlapping problems

The number of people seeking counseling is growing slowly but steadily, said Caritas spokesperson Andreas Schuppert. In general social counseling, the numbers have risen particularly among those in precarious living situations such as debt, unemployment, and single parents. Often, these problems occur simultaneously. “In addiction counseling, in addition to alcohol-related issues, we are also seeing an increase in problematic media use among young people and in drug-related issues involving synthetic substances such as crystal meth.”

Caritas’ counseling services in the Diocese of Dresden-Meissen are primarily based at local chapters. Caritas provides general social counseling, pregnancy counseling, debt and bankruptcy counseling, and immigration counseling. “Financial constraints are particularly evident in immigration counseling, whose services are primarily funded through federal programs. There is a clear downward trend in funding here, which may be exacerbated by political factors,” the report stated.

Early support is not only necessary from a social policy perspective but also from an economic one, emphasizes Diakonie Director Dietrich Bauer. “When children and adolescents fall behind and, in some cases, leave school without a diploma, this has long-term consequences for education, social participation, and the labor market. More than 3,200 young people in Saxony leave school without a diploma every year. This is not solely a result of a lack of social support, but it does show how closely education, social circumstances, and future opportunities are intertwined.”