10 years of psychology and psychotherapy at Witten/Herdecke University

Ten years old - and no longer a child! The School of Psychology and Psychotherapy at Witten/Herdecke University (UW/H) recently celebrated its tenth anniversary. "What has been achieved in this department and in the Faculty of Health by colleagues over a decade of dedicated academic development work is impressive in every respect - and a great pleasure!" said University President Prof Dr Martin Butzlaff on the occasion of the anniversary celebrations.

Thinking comprehensively about clinical psychology

Professor Ulrich Weger, Head of the Department from the very beginning, remembers the beginnings well: "It was something special when the aim was to think comprehensively about clinical psychology and to give space to the breadth of therapeutic directions and methods." As a result, the department also shines beyond Witten: for Prof. Dr Jürgen Margraf, holder of the Alexander von Humboldt Professorship for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy at the neighbouring Ruhr University Bochum, it has developed into a permanent and reliable fixture in clinical psychology training.

An education that - not only for Karlfrid Hebel-Haustedt, co-initiator of the psychology degree programme - stands out for its practical relevance. Graduates also emphasise how much they benefit from their studies in Witten. Jonas Klingberg, for example, who was the first student in the department to take part in the European Union's Erasmus programme, says: "I am very glad that I studied psychology here. I was particularly enriched by the insight into the neuropsychological principles of psychology." The semester abroad at Yeditepe University in Istanbul, during which he wrote his Bachelor's thesis on the attitudes of psychology students towards homosexuals, also had a significant impact on him. Andreas Norman, who came to the UW/H in the second year of the Master's programme, particularly remembers the familiar and professional atmosphere in which the students were given many opportunities. There was always an open ear for all problems and unconventional solutions at the beginning. Elisabeth Dallüge from the first year also emphasises this: "It's like coming home. You meet the people again with whom you have travelled the path to psychotherapy together."

Robin Siegel, study coordinator and representative for teaching in the department, compares its development to that of a child growing up: "A lot has to be learnt, and not everything succeeds the first time. With the new licence to practise, the department is now entering a new, adult phase."

Excellent training in small groups

Another milestone that was reached seven years ago is the founding of the Centre for Mental Health and Psychotherapy in 2015, where students not only receive excellent training. "With the outpatient clinics, we are also making a contribution to broad-based psychotherapeutic care for the population," says Prof Dr Ulrike Willutzki, the first clinical psychologist at the UW/H.

According to Prof Dr Stefan Zimmer, Dean of the Faculty of Health, the department is now the second largest in the faculty with 551 Bachelor's and Master's students and almost as many graduates. And while there were two professors and two academic staff at the beginning, the department now has eleven professors and 77 academic staff.

Application for a psychology degree programme

A new group of students starts each semester with 45 students on the Bachelor's degree programme and, from 2023/24, 45 students on the Master's degree programme that conforms to the approval requirements. Further information on the degree programmes is available on our website: Psychology (B. Sc.) and Psychology with a specialisation in Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy (M. Sc.)