Research projects

 

Our research projects are assigned to the four pillars described above.

Current research projects are always related to the four pillars of the Psychotraumatology Working Group. This involves work in the field of trauma-related disorders – prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation. Current and past research projects are reflected in the series of the same name.

The treatment of psychotraumatic disorders has a psychodynamic tradition in our working group. Our evaluation research follows in the tradition of Mardi Horowitz, and the focus of further development is on the multidimensional psychodynamic trauma therapy of Prof. Dr. G. Fischer, which has been researched in inpatient, day-care, and outpatient settings. We take an interdisciplinary approach and draw extensively on the tradition of behavioral therapy.

The rehabilitation of the aforementioned trauma-related disorders is based on the participation approach. To date, there has been no systematic research into which participation disorders are associated with trauma-related disorders. We have conducted a series of studies that examined, for example, animal-assisted interventions from the perspective of the ICF.

Trauma-informed care – trauma-sensitive work in therapy, nursing, and social work

Trauma-informed care serves to prevent primary and secondary stress reactions in staff and those in their care. Examples include establishing trauma-sensitive inclusion and rehabilitation of people with disabilities in an institutional context.

People with disabilities are particularly prone to trauma-related disorders, which is why the systematic integration of trauma-informed care into disability services is crucial. Professionals need knowledge of alternative forms of communication and an awareness of cultural differences. Consistent implementation can effectively prevent stressful reactions and trauma-related escalations.

Psychosocial emergency care in disasters, accidents, and crisis situations

In the field of psychosocial emergency care, the EUNAD research project is particularly noteworthy. It is described and illustrated on the following website.

 http://eunad-info.eu/eutopa/project.html 

We analyzed the psychosocial consequences of the coronavirus pandemic based on the ICF's biopsychosocial model and published our findings in the following edited volume together with renowned colleagues.

As part of our collaboration with the Alexian Institute for Psychotraumatology, we have developed concepts of trauma-informed care within the framework of the nursing curriculum.