Project background

As a result of the war of aggression in Ukraine, many people, including many children and young people, have experienced and continue to experience traumatic events. Traumatic experiences can lead to stress symptoms and psychosocial functional impairment in affected children and young people. Therefore, the aim of this project is to offer interested health professionals in Ukraine and neighbouring countries further training in evidence-based approaches to the treatment of traumatised children and adolescents. It also aims to facilitate mutual exchange and consultation between professionals and volunteers in the form of Q&A sessions.

One of the goals of TF-CBT Ukraine is to train Ukrainian therapists in evidence-based trauma therapy, known as trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (TF-CBT for short), to support them in carrying out the therapy and thus to improve the mental health of Ukrainian children, young people and their families. In the long term, TF-CBT Ukraine will increase the number of Ukrainian therapists who can help traumatised children and adolescents in Ukraine and neighbouring countries with evidence-based trauma therapy. TF-CBT Ukraine is thus making a lasting contribution to improving the mental health of children and young people in crisis-stricken regions of the world. Q&A sessions and webinars will also facilitate exchange and consultation between professionals and volunteers in Ukraine and neighbouring countries.

Project description

Within the project, Ukrainian therapists are given the opportunity to complete a certified TF-CBT training programme. They will have access to the necessary self-study materials (web training sponsored by the developers of TF-KVT or the Ukrainian/Russian TF-KVT manual), take part in a three-day digital training course and receive monthly supervision from experienced TF-KVT trainers from around the world over the course of a year. Within this year, they will treat at least 5 patients under supervision. In addition, therapy materials in Ukrainian and Russian will be provided, which can be used for the therapy of children and adolescents. Currently, a new training group with up to 30 Ukrainian therapists starts almost every month. In addition, therapists have access to supplementary workshops on related topics such as grief in children and adolescents or trauma diagnosis.

The programme is scientifically evaluated at several points. Firstly, therapists themselves answer questions about themselves and their prior knowledge in an online survey. Secondly, data on patients' symptoms is collected to evaluate the effectiveness of TF-CBT. For quality management purposes, all therapists are also asked to complete a feedback survey at the end of their three-day online training course. There are also Q&A sessions on topics such as the consequences of trauma, PTSD, grief and stress assessment.

Project management:

Prof. Dr. Elisa Pfeiffer & Prof. Dr. Cedric Sachser

Verbundpartner:

• Developers of TF-CBT therapy from the USA: Tony Mannarino, Esther Deblinger and Judy Cohen
• International TF-CBT trainers: Michael Larsson, Tine Jensen, Zlatina Kostova, Renee Beer, Anette Birgersson, Natalie Cabrera, Gavin Moffitt, Veronica Kirsch, Hanna Weyler Müller, Anna Vikgren, Marja Onsjö, Tale Ostensjo
• MH4U Project
• Ministry of Health of Ukraine
• Psychological Society of Ukraine

Funded by:

Porticus Foundation

Project background

The term ‘misophonia’ describes a phenomenon in which those affected show a negative physiological and emotional reaction when confronted with specific (‘misophonic’) stimuli. The stimuli perceived as aversive (so-called ‘misophonic sounds’) include, for example, eating noises, nasal/breathing noises or repetitive movements. The resulting emotional reaction can manifest itself in a variety of feelings. Until now, misophonia has hardly been taken into account in the diagnosis and care of mentally ill children and adolescents. The aim of ‘MiJu’ is therefore to systematically record misophonic stimuli and misophonia symptoms in a population of children and adolescents receiving child and adolescent psychiatric/psychotherapeutic care. In addition, comorbid symptoms and quality of life will be recorded and the misophonia questionnaire (SMS-Adolescent) for children and adolescents will be validated in German.

Project description

The MiJu project is a multicentre study taking place at a total of four locations in Germany and Austria. Children and adolescents between the ages of 10 and 21 who are undergoing child and adolescent psychiatric/psychotherapeutic treatment at one of the participating clinics are eligible to participate in the project. As part of the survey, the children and adolescents participating in the project and their parents/guardians will first be informed about the project. The children and adolescents will then answer a total of nine questionnaires on misophonia, quality of life, depression, anxiety, PTSD, compulsions, irritability and functional impairments in everyday life. The survey period will last a total of 10 months. Following the survey, the data will be compiled and evaluated in order to produce publications and validate the misophonia questionnaire.

Project management:

Prof. Dr. Elisa Pfeiffer

Research assistant:

M.Sc.-Psych. Fabienne Krech

Cooperation partners:

• Prof. Dr. Nina Heinrichs, Dr. Anne Möllmann. Bielefeld University, Department of Psychology, Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology and Psychotherapy, Psychotherapeutic University Outpatient Clinic for Children, Adolescents and their Families (HaKiJu)
• PD Dr Ulrike Schulze, Uschi Braun. Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Böblingen and Psychiatric Outpatient Clinic for Children and Adolescents at the ZfP Calw
• Univ.-Prof. Dr Paul Plener, MHBA. University Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Medical University of Vienna

Project description:

Since 2015, up to 70,000 unaccompanied young refugees have been living in child and youth welfare facilities in Germany. In order to enable young refugees who are at increased risk of mental health problems to integrate successfully, it is essential to improve the healthcare provision for these young people. The aim of ‘BETTER CARE’ is therefore to offer (unaccompanied) young refugees tiered healthcare tailored to their needs. The youth welfare facilities participating in the project are randomly assigned either to standard care, combined with a current stress assessment of their young people, or to ‘BETTER CARE’ care. This BETTER CARE provision includes evidence-based trauma-focused behavioural therapy for clinically relevant stress symptoms and the Mein Weg prevention programme for mild to moderate stress symptoms. The behavioural therapy comprises 12-18 individual sessions with a therapist who has been specially trained by the project team. The prevention programme is led by social workers from the respective institutions, who are also specially trained and supervised by the project team. The BETTER CARE project thus offers youth welfare institutions support and targeted training using scientifically proven methods.

Project management:

Prof. Dr. Elisa Pfeiffer & Prof. Dr. Cedric Sachser

Cooperation partners:

• Prof. Dr. Dipl.-Psych. Rita Rosner, Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt
• Prof. Dr. Reinhold Kilian, University of Ulm, Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy II
• Dr Heinz Kindler, German Youth Institute

Funded by:

Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) 

Project description:

Experiencing traumatic events such as physical violence, war, life-threatening flight circumstances or abuse can lead to serious negative physical and psychological consequences. Children and young people often develop post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSD) after experiencing such events, which represent a significant psychosocial burden.

In this context, studies have shown that underage refugees in particular are severely affected due to their experiences of sometimes complex trauma and lack of social support, which can lead to an increased risk of mental illness and a high severity of PTSD. In an international comparison, previous studies show that around 60% of underage refugees suffer from post-traumatic stress symptoms. However, only about 4% of underage refugees, some of whom are severely traumatised, receive psychological help due to various barriers such as costs (including interpreters) or cultural and language problems. The development of further economical treatment methods for young refugees is therefore absolutely necessary.

We experience this gap in the mental health care system every day in our clinic. This led to the development of the MEIN WEG project in January 2016, which serves to evaluate a pre-clinical trauma-informed group intervention for (unaccompanied) young refugees in youth welfare facilities. The aim of the project is therefore to examine the effectiveness of a trauma-informed group intervention for traumatised underage refugees with PTSD in a youth welfare setting. Further goals include improvements in the areas of depressive symptoms and functional level.

Participation in the intervention is offered to participants in addition to their usual educational support within the youth welfare system. The intervention is to be integrated into the educational support provided by the cooperating institutions on a long-term basis throughout the entire project period. The content of the group intervention was derived from evidence-based trauma therapies and adapted to the target group in terms of language. The main components include psychoeducation, relaxation, trauma narrative and cognitive restructuring.

The MEIN WEG project was divided into three overlapping project phases: pilot phase (January 2016 to June 2016), randomised controlled trial (August 2016 to August 2017) and dissemination and implementation phase (September 2017 to August 2018). During the pilot phase, the intervention was developed and evaluated in six youth welfare facilities.  This provided initial indications of the intervention's effectiveness. The young refugees who participated in the intervention reported fewer post-traumatic stress symptoms afterwards than before the intervention. Subsequently, a total of seven youth welfare facilities in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria were invited to participate in a randomised controlled study. After an initial screening, the young refugees from the facilities were assigned either to an intervention or to regular educational support. The results show that the young people who participated in the intervention reported fewer symptoms (post-traumatic stress symptoms and depression) than young people in regular care without intervention. Long-term effects of the intervention were also demonstrated. In the final phase of the project, the intervention is to be implemented on a long-term basis in the cooperating facilities and disseminated to other facilities. The manual is expected to be published this year, and a follow-up project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, to which other youth welfare facilities will be invited, will begin in autumn 2018.

Project management:

Prof. Dr. Lutz Goldbeck, Prof. Dr. Jörg M. Fegert & Dr. Elisa Pfeiffer

Cooperation partners:

• Sankt Hildegard Memmingen
• Archbishop's Children's Home Haus Nazareth Sigmaringen
• Eva Heidenheim gGmbH
• AWO Augsburg
• Paulinenpflege Winnenden
• Jugendhilfe Aktiv e.V. Esslingen
• Diakonische Jugendhilfe Region Heilbronn
• Kinder- und Jugendhilfe Neuhausen
• Sperlingshof Special Education Youth Welfare Centre
• Albert Schweitzer Children's Village, Good Shepherd Centre
• Creglingen Youth Welfare

Funded by:

World Childhood Foundation (2016 - 2018)

Otto Käßbohrer Foundation Ulm (2015 - 2016)