The mission of our institute (Kathrin Mörtl, Snezana Petrovic and Manfred Reisinger) is to advance research grounded in the core theoretical framework of psychoanalysis, thoughtfully integrating the contributions of pioneering psychoanalysts, as well as those who have essentially and critically advanced psychoanalysis and contributed to today’s understanding of psychodynamic psychotherapies. Building on these strong foundations, we support the evolution of contemporary psychotherapy research methods in the scope of psychoanalytic thinking, delving into a diverse range of topics.

Our endeavor originated from the Qualitative Research Lab, established in 2012 at the Faculty’s International Psychotherapy Programme, and has since manifested in various research groups at SFU (Institute for Qualitative Psychotherapy Research, Institute for Psychosomatics, Institute for Training Research). In 2024 the Institute for Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic Research was founded and started its activities in early 2025. Our research is situated in a narrative and qualitative methodological framework, while selectively integrating mixed methods approaches.

The collaboration between our Institute and the SFU Psychotherapy Outpatient Clinic merges clinical practice with research expertise, with the Clinic acting as a valuable source of lived naturalistic psychotherapy practice and the Institute offering its research expertise. This synergetic partnership enhances both the advancement of evidence-based therapeutic approaches as well as clinically relevant research objectives.

Head of the Institute: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Kathrin Mörtl, kathrin.moertl@sfu.ac.at

Current Research Projects and Collaborations

Our research team is involved in various work groups and we understand our research output as cooperative work with our colleagues from the SFU Psychotherapy Outpatient Clinic (Lisa Winter), the Institute for Statistics at the Faculty of Psychology (Jan Aden) and the Institute for Qualitative Psychotherapy Research (Eva Wimmer and Birgitta Schiller). Our main research project at this time are listed, you can click on the abstracts for more details:

Kathrin Mörtl (PI) & Snezana Petrovic: Connectedness in Times of Social Disruption, 2025-2028, abstract.pdf


Snezana Petrovic (PI) & Kathrin Mörtl: Development of Psychotherapy in Serbian Society in the 20th century, 2018-2025, abstract.pdf


Manfred Reisinger (PI) & Jan Aden: Patterns of attachment  in patients and therapists and their importance for the effectiveness of psychological/psychotherapeutical treatments and the therapeutic alliance, 2023-2027, abstract.pdf


Kathrin Mörtl & Lisa Winter (PI): Dropouts in Psychotherapy, 2021-2026, abstract.pdf


Further projects are being finalized and include the collaboration work with the Institute for Qualitative Psychotherapy Research: Stress on medical staff during the CoVid-19 pandemic, Fit for Life – Literary Award “What writing does as art-making”, KörperLOS – A qualitative study on the role of the body in digital psychotherapeutic treatment.

Doctoral Research Hub

The goal of our regular team and individual meetings is to foster an interdisciplinary and dynamic research hub that brings together individuals from various psychotherapy modalities and research methodologies. In these sessions with doctoral students, we focus on tackling emerging research challenges, with the aim of providing tailored solutions for the unique needs of each project. By selectively inviting expert researchers as guests we enable higher visibility and collaboration between colleagues. Currently, we supervise the following candidates in their doctoral theses:

  • Mag. Herbert Geyer (psychoanalytic-psychodynamic therapist): The Phenomenon of Postnatal Depression in Fathers. A Qualitative Study on Genesis, Experience and Prevention.
  • Mag. Katharina Scherfler (psychoanalytic-psychodynamic therapist): B.A.S.E.® – Babywatching. Considerations for a B.A.S.E.® – Babywatching research project at Sigmund Freud PrivateUniversity Vienna
  • Mag. Stella Becher (systemic therapist): Creation and implementation of a clinical-diagnostic anamnesis procedure (AKuP-KD-PTW) to optimize professional care in a psychotherapeutic training clinic
  • Mag. Yannik Neuhaus (cognitive behavioral therapist): An evaluation of the crisis intervention program in outpatient psychotherapeutic care in the context of academic psychotherapy training. A qualitative examination.
  • Mag. Eva Wimmer (sociologist): Discourses, power and (un)balances in the field of Austrian psychotherapy. A Discourse Analysis and Clinical Sociology of the Psychotherapeutic Field, CV.pdf

If you are looking for a supervisor for your doctoral thesis, please note that unfortunately we will not be able to accept new doctoral students until winter term 2027/28. You can contact the Doctorate Office for further assistance: Doctorate in Psychotherapy Science

Selected International Activities

Our members and associated PhD candidates position themselves in an international research community. Some recent activities involved conference participation and advanced trainings:

Dr. Snezana Petrovic at the Congress of Psychotherapists in Serbia: Empathy and Society, Belgrade/Serbia, 2024

Abstract.pdf


Mag. Manfred Reisinger at the 10th World Congress of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies, Seoul/Korea, 2024

Abstract.pdf


Mag. Katharina Scherfler at the at the 6th Joint European & UK SPR Chapters Conference: Psychotherapy in a fast-changing world, Brno/Czech Republic, 2024

Abstract.pdf


Dr. Snezana Petrovic at the 6th Joint European & UK SPR Chapters Conference: Psychotherapy in a fast-changing world, Brno/Czech Republic, 2024

Abstract.pdf

Selected Teaching Activities

  • Psychosomatics (for undergraduate students), Univ.-Prof. Kathrin Mörtl
  • Development of Psychotherapy (for graduate students), Dr. Snezana Petrovic
  • Funding Application Workshop (for faculty staff), Dr. Snezana Petrovic
  • Psychotherapeutic Diagnostics (for graduate students), Mag. Manfred Reisinger
  • Treatment Techniques (for graduate students), Mag. Manfred Reisinger
  • Clinical Workshops (for clinical trainees): Therapeutic Alliance, Attachment, Dropout in Psychotherapy, Mag. Manfred Reisinger
  • Clinical Workshops (for clinical trainees), starting mid 2025: Early Psychotherapy Process, Corrective Experiences in Psychotherapy, Prof. Kathrin Mörtl and Dr. Snezana Petrovic

If you are interested in becoming a teaching assistant (starting in the winter term 2025/26) for one of our classes, please contact us for further information.

Selected Publications

Schiller, B., Kuska, M., Becher-Urbaniak, S., Wimmer, E., Reisinger, M., & Mörtl, K. (2024). Online psychotherapy as a first clinical experience during the Covid-19 pandemic: A new generation of psychotherapists in the digital age. Heliyon, 10, doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e29464

Reisinger, M., Schiller, B., Kary, B., Fechner, F., Krammer, E., & Pap, G. (2024). Träume im ersten Lockdown der Covid-19-Pandemie: Eine individualpsychologische Analyse. In A. Dietrich-Neunkirchner, & G. Pap (Eds.), Träume in Zeiten der Coronapandemie – Psychoanalytische und individualpsychologische Beiträge zur Traumforschung (pp. 81-102). Gießen: Psychosozial-Verlag.

Wimmer, E., Dragic, I., Giri, H., Tilkidhzieva, E., Schiller, B., Wagner, I., & Mörtl, K. (2021). Körper im Kontext. Contemporary Perspectives on Psychosomatics. Wien: facultas.

Mörtl, K., Giri, H., Angus, L., & Constantino, M. (2017). Corrective Experiences of Psychotherapists in Training. Journal of Clinical Psychology 73(2), 182-191. doi: 10.1002/jclp.22431

Reisinger, M. (2017). Wut, (Ohn-)Macht und die Fragen nach dem Relationalen in der Individualpsychologie. Zeitschrift für freie psychoanalytische Forschung und Individualpsychologie, 4(1), 69-86. doi: 10.15136/2017.4.1.69-86

Mörtl, K., & Gelo, O. (2015). Qualitative Methods in Psychotherapy Process Research. In: O. Gelo, B. Rieken, A. Pritz (Hrsg.): Psychotherapy Research (pp. 381-428). Wien: Springer Verlag.

Buchholz M.B., Lamott F., & Mörtl K. (2008). Tat-Sachen. Narrative von Sexualstraftätern. Gießen: Psychosozial Verlag.

Members and Contact

Univ.-Prof. Dr. Kathrin Mörtl
Head of the Institute
Psychoanalytic-Psychodynamic Therapist | Psychoanalysis, CV.pdf
kathrin.moertl@sfu.ac.at
Office 6001

Dr. Snezana Petrovic
Psychoanalytic-Psychodynamic Therapist | Psychoanalysis, CV.pdf
snezana.petrovic@sfu.ac.at
Office 6001

Mag. Manfred Reisinger
Psychoanalytic-Psychodynamic Therapist | Individual Psychology, CV.pdf
manfred.reisinger@sfu.ac.at
Office 4002

Institute for Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic Research
Faculty of Psychotherapy Science
Sigmund Freud Private University
Freudplatz 1
1020, Vienna

  • If you want to contact us regarding the supervision of your bachelor and master thesis that match our scope of research, please contact snezana.petrovic@sfu.ac.at.
  • If you are looking for a supervisor for your doctoral thesis, please note that unfortunately we will not be able to accept new doctoral students until winter term 2027/28.