The ‘Therapie-Tools’ series (Beltz Verlag) has a new addition: Prof. Dr. Elisa Pfeiffer, together with Prof. Dr. Rita Rosner and Dr. Alexander Tewes, has published a new volume on post-traumatic stress disorder in children and adolescents. As is typical for the series, the focus is on immediate applicability and offers therapists a structured collection of worksheets, exercises and materials for diagnosis and treatment.
As part of the TF-CBT Ukraine project, Ulm University Hospital and the Calw Centre for Psychiatry welcomed Ukrainian colleagues to a three-day knowledge exchange. The focus was on the challenges of providing psychotherapeutic care in times of crisis and the implementation of trauma-focused approaches under war conditions. Moving presentations by the guests once again highlighted how essential international cooperation is for maintaining mental health services. The initiative, supported by the German Trauma Foundation and the Charlemagne Prize, underscores the need for sustainable funding for trauma work in Ukraine. Special thanks go to Prof. Jörg M. Fegert and Prof. Cedric Sachser for making this solidarity-based exchange possible.
This new book provides a comprehensive overview of psychotherapeutic care for young refugees. It not only imparts in-depth knowledge about mental illness, risk and protective factors, and the consequences of discrimination, but also analyses the structural framework conditions. The authors explain in a practical way how obstacles to cost coverage can be overcome, how cooperation with interpreters can be organised, and how multi-professional networks can be utilised. In addition to the theoretical foundations, there is a strong focus on concrete, evidence-based treatment approaches.
Prof. Dr Elisa Pfeiffer, Dr Veronica Kirsch, Dr Thorsten Sukale and Jenny Eglinsky provide a key practical example in their chapter on the ‘Mein Weg’ (My Way) intervention. It presents a scientifically based, trauma-focused group programme for youth welfare services andserves as a detailed guide covering everything from the theoretical foundations and screening to the practical implementation of the sessions.
Three days of international exchange and forward-looking research: from 13 to 15 January 2026, the summer residence in Eichstätt was transformed into a centre for trauma research. At the invitation of Prof. Dr. Elisa Pfeiffer, 19 experts from Canada, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany came together. Together, they presented current projects in psychotraumatology and discussed strategies for improving care for children and adolescents.
The conference focused on topics such as child-centred trauma-focused diagnostics, single-case study designs, digital self-help services and therapeutic work in war zones. In various presentations and discussion rounds, participants pooled their expertise, intending to sustainably improve psychotherapeutic care for young people who have experienced trauma. Host Prof. Dr. Elisa Pfeiffer emphasised the power of cooperation: “Our now almost traditional exchange has given rise to a great many new projects in recent years.”
The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) has published its latest Briefing Paper 2025. It addresses the need to improve access to evidence-based treatments for traumatized children and adolescents worldwide. Although it is well known which treatment approaches effectively alleviate the psychological consequences of trauma in young people, the transfer of this knowledge into practice is often hampered by myths and misunderstandings. The ISTSS Briefing Paper 2025 highlights these challenges and outlines ways to achieve scalable, global solutions. The paper was written by a team of leading international experts in the field of child and adolescent traumatology, including Prof. Dr. Elisa Pfeiffer, Prof. Dr. Cedric Sachser, Prof. Dr. Lucy Berliner, Dr. Yo Jackson, Prof. Dr. Tine Jensen, and Dr. Richard Meiser-Stedman.
You can download the ISTSS Briefing Paper 2025 here: https://istss.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/2025-ISTSS-Briefing-Paper.pdf
Everyday noises such as chewing or typing can be extremely stressful for people affected by misophonia, which goes far beyond normal sensitivity to noise. The current BR podcast “DIE FRAGE” tells the story of someone affected by misophonia and offers exciting insights into misophonia. As a researcher in this field, Prof. Dr. Elisa Pfeiffer had the opportunity to contribute some scientific findings on misophonia to the podcast. The podcast is available free of charge at:: Misophonie: Schmatzen macht mich aggressiv - ab wann bin ich krank? - Die Frage | BR Podcast
In order to prepare our students optimally for the new licensing examination in accordance with PsychThApprO, the Chair of Clinical Psychology and Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy at KU Eichstätt-Ingolstadt organized a special practice day. This took place at the university psychotherapy clinic and was intended to offer students a practical opportunity to familiarize themselves with the procedures and challenges of the new course examination.
We wish our students every success in the upcoming exam!
From March 13 to 15, members of our department presented their scientific work at the annual conference of the German-speaking Society for Psychotraumatology in Hamburg. They presented their latest research findings in symposia and poster presentations.
We are particularly pleased to congratulate Fabienne Krech on her poster award, which she received for her outstanding presentation!
On February 4, 2025, the Chair of Clinical Psychology and Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy headed by Prof. Dr. Elisa Pfeiffer and the Chair of Clinical and Biological Psychology headed by Prof. Dr. Rita Rosner held an information and networking meeting as part of the new master's program in the new premises in Ingolstadt. Numerous licensed psychological psychotherapists and child and adolescent psychotherapists took part to learn about the implementation of the psychotherapy program at KU Eichstätt-Ingolstadt and the university outpatient clinics. In addition to presenting the new licensing examination, possible collaborations within the framework of university education were also discussed. We would like to thank all participants for the lively exchange and look forward to future cooperation.