Diagnostic psychosomatic outpatient-centers can assist patients in their decision to start psychotherapeutic treatment. Whereas motivating patients to initiate treatment is the most difficult function of the generally one hour lasting sessions. The relationship between symptoms (SCL-90-R/GSI) and recommended type of psychotherapy for outpatients of such a diagnostic outpatient-center was analysed. 4 - 6 months later, symptoms and the type of therapy commenced by these patients were assessed. Significant mean group differences with regard to the type of recommended therapy were detected for each the first and the second assessment as well as between the two assessment points. Individuals recommended an inpatient treatment had the highest mean, followed by crisis-intervention patients, patients with outpatient-recommendation and subjects with "other" recommendations. The GSI-scores were also ascribed to different stages of symptom severity, where distribution differences between the groups could only be determined for the first assessment. For the patients grouped according to the type of therapy they had started, symptomatic differences could not be found for either time of assessment. Whereas 2 % of the crisis intervention patients had started a psychotherapy 4 - 6 months after the first contact, the treatment rate of the patients with recommendation for outpatient treatment was approx. 50 % and with recommendation for an inpatient treatment amounted to less than 20 %.