Commitment to teaching in clinical psychology and psychotherapy for Children and Adolescents
We are particularly committed to teaching in the polyvalent Bachelor's degree program in Psychology and especially in the new Master's degree program in Psychology with specialisation in Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy (MSc KliPPt).
The key words that characterize our teaching/learning concept are as follows:
- Scientific self-conception as a psychotherapist,
- Science-practitioner approach,
- Individualized learning in simulated and real-life treatment situations
A unique feature of the MSc KliPPt at the Department of Psychology at the University of Münster is, in addition to the scientific self-concept as a psychotherapist, the implementation of a teaching concept comprising the whole life-span. This means that all teaching/learning content on the aetiology, diagnosis, and treatment of mental disorders and psychological aspects of physical illnesses in the master’s program is taught across the entire lifespan (childhood, adolescence, adulthood). Teaching on mental disorders in adulthood is carried out by the Work Unit Clinical Psychology and Translational Psychotherapy.
Our department represents teaching in the field of clinical psychology and psychotherapy of childhood and adolescence and is committed to teaching modern, evidence-based and competence-oriented psychotherapy of childhood and adolescence.
Our aim is to lay the foundation for future psychotherapeutic work with children and adolescents in our students. By this we mean (1) the ability to integrate cutting-edge research findings, modern (including digital) psychotherapeutic methods and evidence-based guidelines into their own psychotherapeutic work, (2) the ability to select evidence-based psychotherapeutic methods that have been tested in simulated and real-life treatment situations and apply them on a case-by-case basis, and (3) the perception and reflection of their own psychotherapeutic (social) skills for further professional activity.
Central features of the MScKliPPt at the University of Münster
For us, "good" teaching and training means guiding students towards independent and autonomous psychotherapeutic action based on current scientific knowledge. In addition, students are actively involved in the further development of psychotherapeutic procedures and methods for prevention and clinical care in childhood and adolescence in our research projects as part of their final (bachelor’s or master’s) theses. Further information on graduation paper topics offered by our work unit can be found here.
Special didactic concepts and modern teaching formats
Our aim is to lay the foundations for future psychotherapeutic work with children and adolescents. Thus, we primarily apply the following special didactic concepts and modern teaching formats:
- Individualized learning in simulated and real-life treatment situations,
- Digital, evidence-based teaching formats,
- Competence-oriented teaching and learning,
- Research-based teaching and learning.
Individualized learning in simulated and real-life treatment situations
We believe that "good" training in the field of psychotherapy with children and adolescents as part of the “Berufsqualifizierende Tätigkeit III-ambulant (BQT-IIIa)” can only be individualized. For this reason, MScKliPPt students are instructed in a 1:1:1 setting (1 child/adolescent : 1 student : 1 psychotherapist) in the psychotherapy outpatient clinic for children and adolescents (PTA KiJu) by licensed psychotherapists to independently carry out selected psychotherapeutic interventions in psychotherapy with children and adolescents. Well-founded, individualized and behavior-based feedback (including video-recordings) on the skills demonstrated in the real and simulated treatment situations is a must for us.
Digital, evidence-based teaching formats
We are integrating new digital teaching formats into our didactic practice, such as the US-based program "Practice Wise" with the system "Managing and Adapting Practise" (MAP). MAP is a transtheoretical therapy system that consolidates and coordinates the entire evidence base on the effectiveness of psychotherapeutic interventions and their practical implementation with children and adolescents.
Competence-oriented teaching and learning
The teaching of skills in simulated and real-life therapy situations, which is a central component in the training of future psychotherapists according to the licensing regulations for psychotherapists in Germany (PsychThApprO), is another teaching and research focus of our department. Our aim is to train psychotherapeutic (social) skills as closely as possible to the later working environment of a psychotherapist. In close cooperation with the team at the “Lernzentrum für individualisiertes medizinisches Tätigkeitstraining und Entwicklung” (LIMETTE, Institut für Ausbildung und Studienangelegenheiten, UKM Münster), we design and standardize situations with simulation (acting) patients for psychotherapy with children and adolescents, which require both professional and social psychotherapeutic skills. Rating, feedback and evaluating the acquisition and presentation of these skills with students is a central teaching and research concern for us.
Research-based teaching and learning
The approach of research-based teaching and learning, in the sense of integrating science and teaching, plays a special role in our MSc KliPPt courses. In our project on "Psychotherapeutic social skills (PsychsozKomp)" in cooperation with LIMETTE, we are researching the behavior-based assessment of psychotherapeutic social skills of future psychotherapists, developing simulated treatment situations for child and adolescent psychotherapy, and training students in these skills. To this end, we integrate current research questions in such a way that relevant knowledge is gained for the students (e.g., through feedback) and for the research project.
Cooperation in teaching
The Work Unit and the PTA KiJu cooperate with national and international experts and colleagues from psychology, medicine and other specialized areas to continuously develop teaching and research. In the MSc KliPPt, the Department of Psychology also cooperates with various inpatient and day-care treatment facilities for children and adolescents with mental disorders, including the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department at Münster University Hospital and the Klinik am Korso, Bad Oeynhausen.
In the area of research-based teaching and learning, there is close cooperation with colleagues at the Institute of Psychology, the Institute of Computer Science and the Learning Centre for Individualized Medical Activity Training and Development (LIMETTE).
In addition, we implement open science practices such as pre-registration, open data, open material, etc. in our research-based teaching and, as far as possible in accordance with data protection regulations, also in the context of students' theses. Prof. Dr. Hechler is a member of the Open Science Commission of the Department of Psychology.
Participation in teaching
The quantitative and qualitative evaluation of courses using empirically developed and psychometrically tested survey instruments as part of the official teaching evaluation at the Department of Psychology is a matter of course for us (for further information visit the website of the PsyEval-Team). Furthermore, teaching retreats are held every six months at the end of the semester with all lecturers from AE Hechler. There we review the semester together, discuss the most important findings as well as (didactic) experiences and feedback on our courses.
In our view, students are the experts on what makes teaching educational in the truest sense of the word. We therefore ask for their wishes, comments and feedback on our (already held and planned) courses and ask for their assessment and evaluation of didactic approaches, concepts and content ideas.
A special form of cooperation and participation has been established in our work unit’s research colloquium: adolescents who volunteer in the Münster City Council (Youth Council) attend our research colloquium once every semester. The university students present their research projects to the adolescents, while the adolescents are encouraged to ask questions and provide feedback. This form of exchange not only enables adolescents to gain a profound insight into the department’s research, the students also receive experience expert feedback regarding their research and practice communicating their scientific projects clearly and comprehensibly to young people (follow this link to watch a short video).