Starting a Psychology Practice in Denmark: What I Wish I Had Known Before Opening My Practice
- Lara Deza
- Aug 14
- 3 min read
Starting a psychology practice in Denmark is an exciting opportunity, but it's also one of the biggest professional challenges many psychologists will face.
When I moved to Denmark, I knew I wanted to build my own private practice one day. What I didn't know was how different the Danish system would be—or how much I would have to learn beyond psychology itself.
No university prepares you for questions like:
How do psychologists actually find clients in Denmark?
Do I need to speak Danish?
How do private health insurance companies work?
Should I work privately or aim for an ydernummer?
How do I build a sustainable practice from scratch?
If you've asked yourself any of these questions, you're not alone.
This article combines my personal experience with practical advice to help psychologists who are starting a psychology practice in Denmark avoid some of the mistakes, uncertainty, and frustration I experienced along the way.
Becoming a Psychologist in Denmark Is Only the First Step
Many psychologists believe that once they receive their authorisation, the difficult part is over.
In reality, authorisation is only the beginning.
Building a successful private practice requires learning an entirely new professional ecosystem.
Suddenly, you're no longer just a psychologist.
You're also a business owner.
A marketer.
An administrator.
An entrepreneur.
One of the biggest surprises for me wasn't the clinical work.
It was realising how much time I would spend trying to understand how everything actually worked.
Understanding the Danish Healthcare System
One of the first challenges is understanding the Danish psychology landscape.
Depending on your goals, you may work with:
Private clients
Health insurance companies
Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs)
Municipalities
Companies
Private clinics
The public healthcare system
Each pathway has different requirements, payment systems and referral routes.
Learning how these systems connect can save months of confusion.
Finding Your First Clients
Many psychologists believe that creating a website is enough.
Unfortunately, it rarely works that way.
Building trust takes consistency.
The practices that grow successfully usually focus on:
Professional networking
Referrals
Ethical marketing
Strong online visibility
Clear communication
A clear professional identity
Marketing can feel uncomfortable.
I felt exactly the same.
Eventually I realised something simple:
People can't work with you if they don't know you exist.
Running a Business Is Very Different from Being a Therapist
No one talks about how much of private practice has nothing to do with therapy.
Suddenly you're responsible for:
Bookkeeping
Taxes
GDPR
Clinical documentation
Invoicing
Website
SEO
Scheduling
Insurance providers
Contracts
Financial planning
Sometimes it feels as though you're building two careers at the same time:
One as a psychologist.
One as a business owner.
The Emotional Side Nobody Prepares You For
Looking back...
This was probably the hardest part.
Not the paperwork.
Not the regulations.
The uncertainty.
I remember asking myself:
"Is my English good enough?"
"Will anyone choose me?"
"Am I charging too much?"
"Am I doing everything wrong?"
If you've ever had these thoughts...
You're not failing.
You're simply building something new in a system you've never experienced before.
And that takes time.
You Don't Have to Build Your Practice Alone
One of the biggest lessons I've learned is that starting a psychology practice in Denmark becomes much easier when you can learn from someone who's already been through it.
Sometimes a single conversation saves weeks of uncertainty.
Sometimes it saves months.
Sometimes it simply gives you the confidence to keep going.
Ready to Build Your Own Psychology Practice in Denmark?
You don't have to figure it out alone.
I help psychologists who are already living in Denmark build ethical and sustainable private practices through personalised 1:1 mentorship.
Together we can work on:
✔ Understanding the Danish psychology landscape
✔ Setting up your private practice
✔ Finding your first clients
✔ Working with health insurance providers (PFA, Danica, Tryg & more)
✔ Pricing, marketing and business strategy
✔ Building confidence as an independent psychologist
✔ Growing a practice that reflects your values
👉 Book your mentorship session
About the Author
Lara Deza is an authorised clinical psychologist and founder of PSICODEZA, an international psychology practice based in Copenhagen. After building her own private practice in Denmark, she now mentors psychologists who are already living in Denmark and want to establish or grow an ethical, sustainable private practice with confidence.
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