Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy – what do they mean?
Clinical psychology focuses on the causes and consequences of behavioral
problems, psychological disorders, and psychological aspects of bodily diseases.
Developing and testing concepts to explain human experience and behavior as well
as researching their underlying mechanisms are our central aims. Topics within
clinical psychology are the theoretical bases of normal and problematical
behavior, methods of the assessment and classification of relevant
characteristics, population (epidemiological) questions, and many more.
Of special interest to clinical psychology is psychotherapy research.
Interventions for the prevention and treatment of psychological problems are
developed and their effectiveness is tested scientifically in psychotherapy
research.
Led by Prof. Jürgen Margraf, our team investigates biological, psychological and
social factors that influence the incidence and remission of mental disorders
and mental health. We analyze genetic markers as potential predictors of
therapeutic success, conduct psychophysiological experiments for example to
study the influence of contextual factors on therapeutic development, and carry
out representative studies on mental health and potential influences on it such
as personality traits like optimism, and behavioral variables like life rhythms.
Internationally, we conduct similar studies to examine cross-cultural effects.