WCP 2025

This study is part of the International Investigation on Parental Burnout led by Roskam and Mikolajczak. While quantitative research on parental burnout is growing, there is a lack of qualitative studies addressing its intergenerational dimensions, especially how emotion regulation, stress, and attachment patterns are transmitted between generations.
Clinical observations suggest an increase in maternal burnout despite improved parental support policies. Young mothers today, although better supported through extended maternity leave and parenting groups, report high levels of emotional exhaustion. This study explores whether relational patterns between young mothers and their own mothers may contribute to this.
Using a semi-structured interview for grandmothers, aligned with the protocol developed by Roskam et al. (2023) for mothers, we conducted a qualitative case study of nine grandmother–mother dyads. Each mother also completed the Parental Burnout Assessment.
Findings suggest that grandmothers’ histories of childhood loss, violence, emotional detachment, or mental health issues—as well as difficulties in their own mothering—may be significant relational risk factors for maternal burnout in their daughters.
These insights highlight the need for therapeutic interventions that address intergenerational dynamics, not just individual symptoms. Support for grandmothers could enhance their emotional availability, benefiting both their daughters and grandchildren. Further research with more dyads and inclusion of fathers is needed to deepen understanding of the familial transmission of burnout risk.

EINFÜHRUNG
Im Institut für Frührehabilitation werden seit 15 Jahren junge Erwachsene mit erster PsychoseErstmanifestation behandelt. Eine zeitnahe umfassende Behandlung und Unterstützung nach der ersten Episode soll eine Chronifizierung der Erkrankung verhindern und helfen, wichtige Meilensteine in der Entwicklung zu erreichen. Studien belegen die Wirksamkeit psychotherapeutischer Methoden bei der Behandlung von psychotischen Erkrankungen. Ein Element psychologischer Behandlung im Institut ist die Therapiegruppe ACT.

METHODOLOGIE / ANSATZ
Im Workshop werden Methoden der sogenannten „Dritte Welle“ Verhaltenstherapie vorgestellt: Akzeptanz- und Commitmenttherapie (ACT) und Compassion Focussed Therapy (CFT) sowie für junge Menschen angepasste Übungen, die aus dem Improtheater entlehnt sind. Das Gruppenkonzept u.a. basiert auf folgenden Werken: O'Donoghue, E. K., Morris, E. M. J., Oliver, J. E., & Johns, L. C. (2018). ACT for psychosis recovery: A practical manual for group-based interventions using acceptance and commitment therapy. Context Press/New Harbinger Publications. Heriot-Maitland, Charles & Longden, Eleanor. (2022). Relating to Voices using Compassion Focused Therapy: A Self-help Companion. 10.4324/9781003166269. https://clinical-neuropsychology.de/lebenswert/
Kartenset „Den inneren Kritiker zum Lachen bringen!“ von Frauke Nees

ERGEBNISSE / ERKENNTNISSE
ACT hilft jungen Menschen, ihre Denkmaschine als solche zu erkennen und zu verstehen, im Hier und Jetzt zu sein, ihr Handeln entsprechend ihrer selbstgewählten Werte auszurichten und mutig wie warmherzig mit sich selbst umzugehen. Der spielerische Umgang und die erfahrungsbasierten Übungen lassen die psychologischen Konzepte wirken und erfahrbar statt nur verstehbar werden.

SCHLUSSFOLGERUNG / PERSPEKTIVE
Im Workshop erfahren Sie Basiswissen zur therapeutischen Haltung und den Kernelementen aus ACT für Psychosen: Akzeptanz, Defusion, Gegenwärtigkeit, Werte, Commitment und Self-as-Context. Sie erfahren etwas über die gelungene Kombination mit Selbstmitgefühl und Improvisationstheater. Gemeinsam gehen wir die beliebtesten Übungen durch und erfahren ihre Wirkung. Ebenso sprechen wir über Besonderheiten der Behandlung von jungen Menschen mit Psychosen.

This presentation provides an overview of cases brought over many years before the psychotherapeutic complaints committees of the Austrian federal states. It examines significant failures in therapeutic practice and provides space for discussion and dialogue. The presentation invites critical reflection and offers considerations for preventing such serious errors in psychotherapeutic practice.

Die Katathym Imaginative Psychotherapie ist eine von H.C. Leuner entwickelte anerkannte Methode der tiefenpsychologisch fundierten Psychotherapie, die mit affektgeleiteten Imaginationen arbeitet, in denen sich symbolisch-bildhaft die Wünsche, Ängste, Konflikte, Abwehrstrukturen und Übertragungsangebote des Patienten darstellen. Die Imaginationsebene dient dabei als „geschützter Entwicklungsraum“, in dem – mittels der förderlichen therapeutischen Begleitung im Tagtraum - eine Ausdifferenzierung von Ich-Funktionen, Arbeit an Konflikten, Selbststärkung und Erprobung von neuen Erlebnisweisen möglich ist. Im anschließenden Gespräch wird das Material -auch anhand des gemalten Bildes weiter bearbeitet.
Patienten mit somatoformen Störungen können schwerlich eine Verbindung zwischen der psychosomatischen Reaktion und dem Organ, das sie als krank erleben und ihren Gefühlswelten herstellen. Sie erleben ihren Körper als fremd und die Symptome als ängstigend. Sah man früher diese Symptombildungen als Widerstandphänomene an, ist doch eher davon auszugehen, dass körperliche Symptombildungen sinnvoll sein können, um eine narzisstische psychische Balance aufrecht zu erhalten, so dass sich die Behandlungsplanung entsprechend zunächst auf die Nachentwicklung und Stärkung des Selbst richtet, um im zweiten Schritt ein Konfliktverständnis zu ermöglichen.
Die Katathym Imaginative Psychotherapie KIP ist besonders geeignet, um die Spaltung zwischen Körpersymptom und psychischen Ursachen aufzuheben, indem sie eine Verbindung zwischen körperlichem und seelischem Erleben ermöglicht. Dieses gelingt durch Symbolisierungsprozesse und affektgetragene Imaginationen und eine gesteuerte förderliche Regression in einer speziellen schützenden und haltgebenden therapeutischen Beziehung, die zu einer oral-narzistischen Stärkung, Regeneration von psychophysischen Bedürfnissen und Wandlung der fixierten Konfliktspannungen führt. In dem Vortrag wird die spezifische Wirkungsweise der KIP theoretisch erläutert und anhand von Fallvignietten praktisch veranschaulicht.

Introduction: Meaning is a distinct resource and indicator of human health and well-being. According to Viktor Frankl, founder of Logotherapy and Existential Analysis (LTEA) or the so-called meaning-oriented psychotherapy, music and the arts can play a decisive role in the context of meaning actualization. However, there is a lack of research considering the thematic field of LTEA, music therapy, music and meaning in life.
Methodology/Approach: The author was head of a team that conducted an international mixed-methods survey among logotherapists and music therapists. The survey focused on the potentials of music in the context of meaning-actualization among clients suffering from mental disorders and on the music therapists’ and logotherapists’ music-assisted concepts and approaches in relation to meaning-fulfillment.
Results/Findings: Music was judged to have many beneficial potentials in the context of meaning-actualization in clients suffering from mental disorders. Music seems to be a powerful factor in relation to meaning-fulfillment along creative values. Relying on the outcomes of the survey, a music-assisted model of meaning-fulfillment was developed. The practical application of this model will be demonstrated by clinical case examples.  
Conclusion/Perspective: A music-assisted model of meaning fulfillment, as well as a combination of LTEA, music therapy and music, could complement existing treatment concepts and theories. Such arts-based approaches could prove to be effective when meaning-oriented topics, crises of meaning and feelings of meaninglessness take center stage in psychotherapy and counselling.

This presentation introduces the concept of epistemic trust—the fundamental human capacity enabling us to learn from others who are trustworthy and collectively establish shared beliefs and ideas, which we recognize as ‘culture’. The talk will highlight emerging evidence underscoring the critical role of epistemic trust in social learning and examine research demonstrating its vulnerability to adversity, particularly during childhood. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the extensive developmental and adult-life consequences resulting from disruptions in epistemic trust. Further, exploring the link between epistemic trust and mental disorders sheds light on one of the key mechanisms mediating trauma's lasting impact, notably in the onset of mental health difficulties and impairments in personality functioning. We will discuss therapeutic approaches aimed at addressing epistemic mistrust and epistemic hypervigilance, alongside recent findings on how mistrust disrupts human social communication systems.

This presentation introduces the concept of epistemic trust—the fundamental human capacity enabling us to learn from others who are trustworthy and collectively establish shared beliefs and ideas, which we recognize as ‘culture’. The talk will highlight emerging evidence underscoring the critical role of epistemic trust in social learning and examine research demonstrating its vulnerability to adversity, particularly during childhood. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the extensive developmental and adult-life consequences resulting from disruptions in epistemic trust. Further, exploring the link between epistemic trust and mental disorders sheds light on one of the key mechanisms mediating trauma's lasting impact, notably in the onset of mental health difficulties and impairments in personality functioning. We will discuss therapeutic approaches aimed at addressing epistemic mistrust and epistemic hypervigilance, alongside recent findings on how mistrust disrupts human social communication systems.

This presentation introduces the concept of epistemic trust—the fundamental human capacity enabling us to learn from others who are trustworthy and collectively establish shared beliefs and ideas, which we recognize as ‘culture’. The talk will highlight emerging evidence underscoring the critical role of epistemic trust in social learning and examine research demonstrating its vulnerability to adversity, particularly during childhood. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the extensive developmental and adult-life consequences resulting from disruptions in epistemic trust. Further, exploring the link between epistemic trust and mental disorders sheds light on one of the key mechanisms mediating trauma's lasting impact, notably in the onset of mental health difficulties and impairments in personality functioning. We will discuss therapeutic approaches aimed at addressing epistemic mistrust and epistemic hypervigilance, alongside recent findings on how mistrust disrupts human social communication systems.

I invite you to a dialogue about the anthropological perspective of Viktor Frankl (1947-1997) and the Brazilian creator of the Direct Approach to the Unconscious, Renate Jost de Moraes (1936-2013). There are already studies on the connections between the two approaches, which I would like to delve into: In the first step, I will historically classify the emergence of Direct Approach to the Unconscious in the context of psychological approaches in Brazil in the 1970s and 1980s. In doing so, I will address the epistemological critique of scientism and determinism, already introduced by Viktor Frankl's logotherapy. In a second step, I will show how Jost de Moraes, although he did not formulate an explicit theory of clinical psychology in her writings, she obtained many insights from her experience and studies that can serve to broaden the understanding of clinical psychology.
The innovative perspective refers not only to the genesis of the various forms of illness and human suffering as linked to the experience of lack of love, but also to the therapeutic environment in which the power of love is incorporated, mobilizing a transformative effect, while at the same time assuming a meaning-filling function. In this sense, it seems sensible to draw a parallel between the approaches of Frankl and Jost de Moraes, since both, based on different approaches, transcend a purely psychophysical view of the human being and postulate a three-dimensional understanding. In this case, love is not reduced to the personal satisfaction of needs, but is seen as a potential for self-transcendence. It is a devotion to the other person without expectations and the discovery of a deeper meaning in life. In this context, the focus is on the question: What innovative aspects can we obtain from the approaches of Frankl and Jost de Moraes for our self-image as psychologists and our clinical work?

Every form of psychotherapy is grounded in a psychological theory. Each approach is anchored in a specific model of the human psyche, establishing its own conceptions of psychological development, the origins of disorders, and the most effective methods for psychological transformation. The choice of a theoretical foundation is not merely methodological but also philosophical, as it defines the therapist’s perspective on human nature and the capacity for change. Phenomenological psychology, developed by Edmund Husserl and furthered by Edith Stein, provides a foundation that transcends the naturalistic, psychologistic, and reductionist models predominant in psychotherapy. Unlike traditional approaches, which often assume fixed diagnostic categories or naturalized psychic structures, phenomenological psychology proposes a rigorous investigation of lived experience. It employs epoché and psychology reduction as methodological tools to uncover the ways in which psychic consciousness is constituted. This workshop will explore key ideas in phenomenological psychology, presenting it not as just another therapeutic approach but as a radical rethinking of how the psyche is understood. Furthermore, it aims to establish phenomenology as a secure and rigorous foundation for psychotherapeutic practice - one that is deeply committed to lived experience, not as a mere technique or therapeutic style, but as a path toward a genuine understanding of psychological experience.

Dorothea Oberegelsbacher: Diversity-sensitive psychotherapy for intellectual disabilities

Monika Smetana: Roots, developments, and perspectives of Music Therapy in research and practice.

Edith Wiesmüller: Music Therapy with war-traumatised refugees

Katharina Fuchs: Listening to silence

Saya Shiobara: Making audible together. Integration of gestalt therapy and music therapy treatment techniques

Martin Astenwald: Group music therapy in psychiatric rehabilitation

In a rapidly globalizing world, psychotherapists must develop cultural competence and therapeutic adaptability. This keynote presents the "Global Therapist" through Positive and Transcultural Psychotherapy (PPT), a humanistic, psychodynamic method founded in 1977 by Nossrat Peseschkian. Emphasizing resources, values, and intercultural dialogue, PPT uses the Life Balance Model—focusing on body, work, relationships, and meaning—as a tool for diagnosis and growth. Dr. Hamid Peseschkian will explore PPT’s global application in psychotherapy and counselling, highlighting storytelling, metaphors, and transcultural techniques. Drawing on worldwide training and clinical experience, he will show how PPT equips therapists to meet 21st-century mental health challenges with empathy, structure, and hope.

Statement of the problem: Modular and common factor approaches in psychotherapy are a central issue in psychotherapy research. It seems necessary to mark the limitations of specific approaches and to detect where interdisciplinary perspectives are indispensable. This presentation is an attempt to integrate psychotherapeutic models as well as neurobiological, psychological and socio-cultural and practical aspects of psychotherapy.
We offer a comprehensive psychotherapeutic model which integrates relational, cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic-psychoanalytic and existential aspects. In this process neuro-biological, psychologic and socio-cultural perspectives come into play.
Methodology & theoretical orientation: The case of a patient suffering from schizotypic episodes is studied under the perspectives of relational, cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic-psychoanalytic and existential psychotherapy. In a hermeneutic circle biological, psychological and socio-cultural findings are integrated.
Findings: It is shown that psychotherapy can and should include psychological, cultural and neurobiological knowledge. The dialectics between coherence–incoherence, stabilization–destabilization, construction–deconstruction of cognitions, emotions, and actions are shown to be general principles that can be found in neuroscientific, psychological and cultural approaches in psychotherapy.
Conclusions: The interdisciplinary reflection of different psychotherapeutic methods leads to a practical model that can integrate relational, cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic-psychoanalytic and existential aspects of psychotherapy.

Introduction: There is growing evidence of the curative and preventive effects of nature, nature exposure and nature relatedness on health and well-being. Recent studies and reviews show that psychotherapy and counselling conducted in nature affects, for example, working alliance, clients’ and professionals’ mental and physical health, therapy motivation, eco-anxiety, pro-ecological behaviours. Still, overall empirical evidence is poor – especially in the context of clinical applications.
Methodology/Approach: The presentation provides insights into a randomized clinical study that compared walk and talk psychotherapy in nature with conventional psychotherapy indoors and in seated position. Participants were clinical patients suffering from major depressive disorders and their psychotherapists. We applied a mixed methods approach (quantitative measures and qualitative follow-up interviews) and assessed feasibility (primary outcome parameter) and mental and physical health (secondary outcome parameters) among participants.
Results/Findings: Results show that psychotherapists and patients estimate psychotherapy in nature as a valuable addition within the range of psychotherapy treatment. Walk and talk psychotherapy in nature affects the participating patients’ and psychotherapists’ health and well-being.
Conclusion/Perspective: Considering that pioneers of modern psychotherapy, such as Sigmund Freud, Hans Zulliger, C. G. Jung, Lou Andreas-Salomé, Viktor Frankl, had already conducted psychotherapy sessions while walking and/or in nature or highlighted the importance of nature in relation to human health, the lack of current research or concepts in this context is surprising. Nature-assisted approaches may also be a valuable psychotherapy contribution addressing the effects of global challenges (e.g., climate change/crises) on human mental health by focusing on the treatment of eco-anxiety or the promotion of pro-ecological behaviours. This presentation – and the accompanying clinical study – are intended to provide impulses for further theoretical, empirical and practical discussions on the topic.

Der Vortrag bezieht sich auf körpertherapeutische Verfahren, bei denen eine spezifische willentliche Verstärkung der Atmung (Hyperventilation) eingesetzt wird, um eine Erweiterung des Bewusstseins und Veränderung des subjektiven Selbsterlebens zu induzieren.

Seit Menschengedenken sind derartige Praktiken im Einsatz, um verschiedene Formen von psychischen Problemen zu lindern und persönliches Wachstum zu unterstützen. Klinische Beobachtungen und Daten aus neurophysiologischen Studien weisen darauf hin, dass körpertherapeutisch eingesetzte Hyperventilation mit tiefgreifenden Auswirkungen auf die Funktionen des zentralen und autonomen Nervensystems und damit auf den gesamten Organismus verbunden ist.

Thinking of Edith Stein’s contribution to anthropology and psychology, we cannot avoid speaking of her "The Human Person’s Structure," which depicts a human being as a three-dimensional being consisting of body, psyche and spirit. It seems that the 21st century urgently demands a return to anthropology, as we are facing a
profound anthropological crisis, that is, a lack of meaning in life and a distortion of the meaning of fundamental values that guide human life. Maybe the most important factor in this crisis is philosophical reductionism, which turns human beings into a two-dimensional psycho-physical unit and invalidates a fully human (that is, spiritual) dimension.
Why was it surprisingly the same diagnosis that Edith Stein gave in the lecture "Value of Femininity and Its Importance for the Life of the People" given in 1928? In this lecture, she discusses internal disintegration, aimless drifting, the pursuit of pleasure, and drowning in a professional activity and describes how the integral man (who, according to her, is the remedy for the disease of our time) can be a way out of the contemporary crisis. Considering Stein’s anthropological vision and working with patients with the psychotherapeutic practises of Personal Integration Therapy through the ADI/TIP method, it seems clear that internal disintegration means a weakening of a human being's spiritual dimension that makes one’s behavioural and mental reactions more dependent on psychological impulses (emotions, feelings, moods) and diminishes one’s capacity for discerning values and decision-making.
As a result, the objectives of this communication will be to present Edith Stein’s diagnosis of the contemporary anthropological crisis (based on her lecture on the value of femininity and its importance for the life of the people) and then to present the psychotherapeutic practises of Personal Integration Therapy through the ADI/TIP method, which, through the Stenian theoretical foundation, can no longer fragment man but reconstitute integrity.