# Mental health service expansion in Austria > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/mental-health-service-expansion-in-austria > Updated: 2026-10-09T00:00:00.000Z. Sources: 6. Developments: 2. Austria is implementing structural reforms and community-based initiatives to enhance mental healthcare access and support. In late September 2026, the government launched a new, publicly funded master’s program in psychotherapy at public universities. Following the Psychotherapy Act of 2024, this initiative aims to establish psychotherapy as an independent scientific discipline and reduce the financial burden on students, who previously relied on expensive private training. For the 2026/27 winter semester, 500 places were made available to approximately 1,300 applicants. By October 2026, mental health support expanded into community-based models. In Lower Austria, a “social prescribing” model was implemented at six locations to connect patients with social and health-promoting activities. Simultaneously, in Carinthia, the organization Pro Mente reported rising demand for psychological services, particularly among children and adolescents, and launched awareness campaigns to address depression and schizophrenia. ## Timeline ### 2026-10-09: Mental health support initiatives expand in Austria Austria is expanding mental health support through “social prescribing” in Lower Austria and addressing rising psychological needs among youth via Pro Mente in Carinthia. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/mental-health-support-initiatives-expand-in-austria ### 2026-09-30: Austria launches public university master's in psychotherapy Austria is introducing publicly funded psychotherapy master's programs at universities to lower training costs and expand mental healthcare access, starting with 500 places for the 2026/27 semester. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/austria-launches-public-university-masters-in-psychotherapy --- Cite as: Mental health service expansion in Austria. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/mental-health-service-expansion-in-austria