Research

Research focus 1: E-MENTAL HEALTH

he cli­ni­cal and rese­arch field of E-mental health descri­bes the use of modern media wit­hin the com­plete spec­trum of cli­ni­cal psy­cho­lo­gi­cal inter­ven­tion. This inclu­des its use wit­hin preven­tion, self-help, coun­sel­ling, the­rapy, and reha­bi­li­ta­tion.

The most pro­mi­nent media inter­ven­tion form is the Inter­net, even though a host of other media forms such as vir­tual rea­lity tech­no­lo­gies, apps, and com­pu­ter games can be employed as tre­at­ment moda­li­ties. E-mental health also repres­ents a gro­wing rese­arch field that aims to examine cli­ni­cally rele­vant effects of media use.

Among such effects are a num­ber of Inter­net rela­ted dis­or­ders and pro­blems inclu­ding; addic­tive, dys­func­tio­nal, self-harming and devi­ant uses of modern media.

Research focus 2: PSYCHOTHERAPY RESEARCH

sycho­the­rapy rese­arch con­cerns its­elf with the effec­tiven­ess and work mecha­nisms of psy­cho­the­ra­peutic tre­at­ment moda­li­ties that are embed­ded wit­hin an ethi­cal frame­work. Con­se­quently it has esta­blis­hed its­elf as the field of “psy­cho­the­rapy suc­cess rese­arch”.

Freud noted the import­ance of failure for per­so­nal deve­lop­ment. This state­ment can also be app­lied to the sub­ject of psy­cho­the­rapy rese­arch in that there is as much to learn from unsuc­cess­ful the­rapy attempts as there is from suc­cess rese­arch. Howe­ver the exami­na­tion of unsuc­cess­ful the­rapy is cur­rently under­de­ve­lo­ped both in aca­de­mic rese­arch and cli­ni­cal prac­tice.

Risks and side effects relate to various pro­blem areas wit­hin psy­cho­the­rapy (the­rapy adhe­rence, non-responders, wor­se­ning of psy­cho­lo­gi­cal sym­ptoms, aberra­tion in the the­ra­peutic alli­ance, and mal­prac­tice). It is the­re­fore essen­tial that psy­cho­the­rapy “failure rese­arch” is given the same prio­rity as the effec­tiven­ess of tre­at­ment moda­li­ties.

Research-Focus 3: PSYCHOTRAUMATOLOGY

sycho­t­rau­ma­to­logy exami­nes psy­cho­lo­gi­cal trauma in terms of its deve­lop­ment, course and long-term effects. The area of rese­arch is now dif­fe­ren­tia­ted into gene­ral and dif­fe­ren­tial psy­cho­t­rau­ma­to­logy, as well as spe­cia­list psy­cho­t­rau­ma­to­logy. Gene­ral psy­cho­t­rau­ma­to­logy focu­ses on the gene­ral aspects of trauma and resul­ting beha­viours, while dif­fe­ren­tial psy­cho­t­rau­ma­to­logy con­cerns its­elf with inter/individual and inter/situational dif­fe­ren­ces and dis­po­si­ti­ons of trauma expe­ri­ence and pro­ces­sing.

Spe­cia­list psy­cho­t­rau­ma­to­logy inves­ti­ga­tes typi­cal trauma rela­ted situa­ti­ons such as vio­lent crime and childhood sexual abuse. The body of rese­arch does not just con­cen­trate on vic­tims, but also pro­fes­sio­nals who work with vic­tims. As such I have writ­ten teaching books for stu­dents, essays in rele­vant jour­nals, as well as edu­ca­tio­nal works about trauma rela­ted dis­or­ders for medi­cal pro­fes­sio­nals (e.g. for gene­ral phy­si­ci­ans). Ano­ther focus of my work con­cen­tra­tes on E-mental health and trauma;

in par­ti­cu­lar rese­arch ques­ti­ons rela­ting to the secon­dary preven­tion of PTSD as well as trauma rela­ted dis­or­ders that have resul­ted from Inter­net vio­lence (Cyber­bul­ly­ing) and how these dis­or­ders can be best trea­ted. As such I have writ­ten teaching books for stu­dents, essays in rele­vant jour­nals, as well as edu­ca­tio­nal works about trauma rela­ted dis­or­ders for medi­cal pro­fes­sio­nals (e.g. for gene­ral phy­si­ci­ans). Ano­ther focus of my work con­cen­tra­tes on E-mental health and trauma; in par­ti­cu­lar rese­arch ques­ti­ons rela­ting to the secon­dary preven­tion of PTSD as well as trauma rela­ted dis­or­ders that have resul­ted from Inter­net vio­lence (Cyber­bul­ly­ing) and how these dis­or­ders can be best trea­ted.