Professor Dr Hanisch & Professor Dr Gerlach & Professor Dr Ehrenthal: Research is shaping psychotherapeutic care

Charlotte Hanisch, Alexander L. Gerlach and Johannes C. Ehrenthal are Professors of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy at the University of Cologne. Within the “Cologne Model” framework, they combine research, teaching and care. In 2024 they founded the Alliance for Mental Health, and they systematically contribute psychotherapeutic expertise to regional care, further training, and health policy processes.

1. What role has transfer played in your career so far?

Transfer is an integral part of clinical psychology and psychotherapy. Our specialized university outpatient clinics improve regional psychotherapeutic care, and our research aims to enhance diagnostics, prevention, and intervention. Online programmes for specific mental health conditions as well as our teaching and further training activities improve the skills not only of psychotherapists, but also of parents, relatives, teachers, and other educational and non-educational professionals. Our counselling supports individuals, institutions, and health policy makers in making informed decisions.

2. Which of your transfer activities would you like to report on, and what can you tell us about them?

At the University of Cologne, various psychotherapeutic methods and the entire lifespan are covered at the professorial level in the field of psychological psychotherapy. No other state university in Germany currently has such a broad spectrum. We aim to make full use of this ‘Cologne model’. As professors, we also consider it our duty to bring our expertise into society. This is why we founded the Alliance for Mental Health in 2024. We are thus combining our expertise in the four core areas of specialist psychological psychotherapy and clinical-psychological research, further education and training, consulting for institutions and stakeholders, and the further development of teaching methodology in psychotherapy.

3. How did you come up with your research topic/project?

In terms of the conceptualization and implementation of the new academic curriculum for students of psychology, we have realized how actively we are already engaged in fields of transfer at the individual chairs, and that we share common values whilst at the same time complementing each other with our specialized skills. Our three university outpatient clinics – the HAPUK University Outpatient Clinic for Psychotherapy, the KiJu University Psychotherapy Outpatient Clinic for Children & Adolescents and the Psychodynamic University Outpatient Clinic – have a substantial treatment capacity and are due to be expanded. Treatment, research, and teaching are firmly interlinked and integrated into third-party funded projects.

In teaching, therapy, and counselling, we combine evidence-based knowledge with practical expertise. With our clinical master’s degree programme, we actively contribute to the ongoing development of psychotherapy didactics. We are already advising institutions and stakeholders, both within the region and beyond. And last but not least, we really enjoy working together! Given the increasing relevance of transfer at the University of Cologne, founding the Alliance for Mental Health was a logical next step.

4. What concrete social impact have you achieved through this activity so far?

In the field of psychotherapeutic care, we have optimized internal processes to provide services that are both better and more responsive. At the same time, we have also begun to explore innovative models for interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral care and integrated care for people with mental disorders with stakeholders and funding bodies. Our approach takes a lifespan perspective from childhood through old age. Our collaboration with schools has been continued and further intensified. We are also in ongoing dialogue with the City of Cologne on health policy issues and related research. In addition to other activities, we have taken on a role within the university in supporting teachers with an international background.

Across our outpatient clinics, we are developing models for discrimination-sensitive psychotherapy. In the area of continuing education, we are working on the structures for a regional centre for continuing education and engagement with the (professional) public in the sense of a knowledge hub, with the aim of launching this in 2026.