Institute for Training Research
The psychotherapeutic training forms the basis for high-quality, professional and effective psychotherapeutic care. It combines the acquisition of sound theoretical knowledge with a practical component that focuses on working with patients during internships and in one’s own practice. This process is supported by continuous supervision. However, successful training goes beyond the mere transfer of knowledge and practical skills: it involves intensive self-reflection of one’s own biography, personality and relationship patterns. This reflective process not only strengthens the therapeutic attitude, but also enables prospective psychotherapists to consciously shape their own role in the therapeutic process.
Since 2013, the Institute for Training Research has been researching how the various components of psychotherapy training – theoretical knowledge, practical work, supervision and self-awareness – contribute to the development of therapeutic competence. We use empirical studies to gain insights into the conditions that favour successful training, the challenges that trainees encounter and the impact of training on their transition into therapeutic practice. Additionally, we analyse learning processes and teaching methods in order to identify specific starting points for the further development of training. Our research on career choices helps us to develop a deeper understanding of those who pursue psychotherapy training and the experiences that shape their decision to do so. The aim of our work is to continuously improve psychotherapy training and thus make a lasting contribution to the quality of mental health care.
Head: Univ.-Prof. Priv.-Doz. Dr. Andrea Jesser, andrea.jesser@sfu.ac.at
Team
Team
Univ.-Prof. Priv.-Doz. Dr. Andrea Jesser
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Univ.-Ass. Constanze Springinsfeld, MSc
Deputy head | Research associate
constanze.springinsfeld@sfu.ac.at
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Ass.-Prof. Gabor Aranyi, PhD MA
Research associate
gabor.aranyi@sfu.ac.at
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Univ.-Ass. Amelie Bihl, MA
Research associate
amelie.bihl@sfu.ac.at
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Univ.-Prof. Dr. Omar Gelo
Research associate
omar.gelo@sfu.ac.at
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Univ.-Ass. Niccolò Polipo, PhD
Research fellow
niccolo.polipo@sfu.ac.at
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Ass.-Prof. Mag. pth. Dr. scient. pth. Katharina Reboly, BA. pth.
Research associate
kathy.reboly@sfu-berlin.de
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Nina Pfatrisch, BSc
Study assistance
nina.pfatrisch@sfu.ac.at
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Co-operation partners: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Georg Franzen, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Omar Gelo, Ass.-Prof. Dr. Katharina Reboly
Former members: Adalet Akgün, MA; Univ.-Prof. Dr. Jutta Fiegl; Bakk Roxane Forghani, BSc; Victoria Scholtus; Univ.-Ass Mag Elitsa Tilkidzhieva
Current projects
Current projects
Pathways into psychotherapy: A biographical study on the career choices of prospective psychotherapists
In this project, we are investigating the career choice processes of prospective psychotherapists from a biographical perspective. The focus is on the question of which individual experiences, social contexts and societal conditions characterise this decision.
Based on the current state of research, we assume that prospective therapists are not necessarily characterised by specific biographical experiences, but rather by the way in which they tell and reflect on their life story. Using the biographical-narrative interview method, we aim to reconstruct these narratives and self-relationships.
Based on the insights gained, we formulate hypotheses that we then analyse further using quantitative methods. In this way, a differentiated picture of the subjective experiences that influence the choice of this career path will emerge.
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The development of psychotherapeutic competences over time: A mixed-methods longitudinal study with psychotherapy training candidates
In this project, we accompany students from the beginning of their studies to graduation as part of a mixed-method longitudinal study on the development of therapeutic competences during their studies. We use various quantitative and qualitative survey instruments that provide information on how therapeutic skills, professional self-image and therapeutic attitudes change over the course of the programme. The aim is to visualise key developmental processes and identify starting points for the targeted promotion of skills during the course. In addition to using our own instruments, this project also involves participation in an international study by the Society for Psychotherapy Research (SPRISTAD).
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First steps into practice: A qualitative study on the experiences of training candidates during internships and first patient contacts
In this project, we are investigating how prospective psychotherapists experience the transition to independent therapeutic work with patients as part of their training. In addition, we are gaining a differentiated picture of the actors’ responses to the challenges of starting a career through interviews with managers of internship centres and supervisors. On this basis, we specifically identify those competences that should be promoted more strongly in the degree programme.
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Surveys as part of the quality assurance of studies and teaching at SFU
In order to better understand the experiences of students and graduates, we regularly conduct student and graduate surveys in all degree programmes. These are supplemented and deepened by qualitative interviews with students and lecturers. The results provide valuable insights for the continuous development of the curriculum – in close collaboration with programme directors and colleagues from Quality Assurance.
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Completed projects
Completed projects
- Development of psychotherapy training candidates (Univ.-Prof. Dr Gelo, et al.)
- Impact of online teaching on psychotherapy training (Univ.-Prof.in Dr.in Fiegl et al.)
- Impact of teletherapy on psychotherapeutic treatment (Univ.-Prof.in Dr.in Fiegl et al.)
- Evaluation of student satisfaction with the degree programme and the compulsory elective subject (Univ.-Ass.in Mag.a Gren et al.)
- Compatibility of professional and academic education from the perspective of graduates (Isabella Wagner, BA BA et al.)
- The didactic implementation of the German Licensing Regulations in the academic direct study programme Psychotherapy (Ass.-Prof.in Dr. Katharina Reboly, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Georg Franzen, Univ.-Prof.in Dr.in Jutta Fiegl)
Conferences & presentations
Conferences & presentations
The Institute for Training Research regularly contributes to national and international conferences. Through presentations and talks, we share our research findings, foster scientific exchange, and strengthen international collaboration in training research.
Univ.-Ass. Constanze Springinsfeld, MSc and Nina Pfatrisch, BSc at the World Congress for Psychotherapy 2025: Polarities of Life, Vienna
In July 2025, Constanze Springinsfeld and Nina Pfatrisch participated in the World Congress for Psychotherapy at Sigmund Freud University in Vienna. As part of a panel on Technology in Psychotherapy, they presented a study by the Institute for Training Research on online teaching in Psychotherapy Science. Their talk sparked lively discussion, particularly on how digital formats may be meaningfully integrated into psychotherapy training in the future.
Univ.-Ass. Constanze Springinsfeld, MSc at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Psychotherapy Research 2025: „Psychotherapy Research-Practice Integration: Who are the voices we need to hear?“, Krakow
In June 2025, Constanze Springinsfeld represented the Institute for Training Research at the international annual meeting of the Society for Psychotherapy Research, hosted by Jagiellonian University in Krakow. In a paper session on Therapist Training and Development, she presented findings on online teaching in Psychotherapy Science during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also engaged in fruitful exchanges with international colleagues and took part in the meeting of the Special Interest Group on Therapist Training.
Selected publications
Selected publications
Springinsfeld C, Pfatrisch N, Akgün A, Scholtus V, Tilkidzhieva E, Fiegl J and Jesser A (2025) Online teaching in psychotherapy training: a qualitative study revealing challenges and strategies from lecturers’ perspectives. Front. Educ. 10:1573005. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1573005
Fiegl, J. (2020). Aptitude and access to psychotherapy training Direct study of psychotherapy after the Matura – is age a criterion? In A. Pritz, J. Fiegl, & H. Laubreuter (Eds.), University Psychotherapy Studies. The model of the Sigmund Freud Private University (pp. 263-284). Lengerich: Pabst Science Publishers.
Fiegl, J., & Sindelar, B. (2020). Thinking outside the box: Encountering different methods of psychotherapy as a training element. A quantitative empirical study of training research. In A. Pritz, J. Fiegl, H. Laubreuter, & B. Rieken (Eds.), University Psychotherapy Studies. The model of the Sigmund Freud Private University (pp. 297-314). Lengerich: Pabst Science Publishers.
Fiegl, J., & Sindelar, B. (2020). What makes a psychotherapist? Perceptions and expectations of the psychotherapist at the beginning of psychotherapy training. In A. Pritz, J. Fiegl, H. Laubreuter, & B. Rieken (Eds.), University Psychotherapy Studies. The model of the Sigmund Freud Private University (pp. 285-296). Lengerich: Pabst Science Publishers.
Gelo, O. G. C., & Pritz, A. (2020). Dialogical pluralism in psychotherapy science. In A. Pritz, J. Fiegl, H. Laubreuter, & B. Rieken (Eds.), University psychotherapy studies. The model of the Sigmund Freud Private University (pp. 57-84). Lengerich: Pabst Science Publishers.
Reboly K. (2020): Psychotherapy as a first profession. In: A. Pritz, J. Fiegl, H. Laubreuter & B. Rieken (Eds.): University Psychotherapy Studies. The model of the Sigmund Freud Private University. Lengerich: Pabst Science Publishers.
Reboly K. (2020): The Psychotherapists Act (PsychThG) in Germany. In: A. Pritz, J. Fiegl, H. Laubreuter & B. Rieken (Eds.): University Psychotherapy Studies. The model of the Sigmund Freud Private University. Lengerich: Pabst Science Publishers.
Tilkidzhieva, E. (2020). Psychotherapy training research at Sigmund Freud University: Summary and perspectives. In A. Pritz, J. Fiegl, H. Laubreuter, & B. Rieken (Eds.), University Psychotherapy Studies. The model of the Sigmund Freud Private University (pp. 359-380). Lengerich: Pabst Science Publishers.
Tilkidzhieva, E., Gelo, O. C. G., Gullo, S., Orlinsky, D. E., Mörtl, K., & Fiegl, J. (2019). Self-concept of relational skills in psychotherapy trainees: A pilot study. Counselling and Psychother Research, Eoub, 1-10. doi: 10.1002/capr.12217
Messina, I., Gelo, O. C. G., Sambin, M., Bianco, F., Mosconi, A., Fenelli, A., Curto, M., Gullo, S., & Orlinsky, D. (2018). Trainees’ self-evaluation of their development as psychotherapists: An Italian contribution to an international collaborative study on psychotherapy training. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 25(2), 338-347. doi: 10.1002/cpp.2165 (IF: 1.93)
Messina, I., Gelo, O. C., Gullo, S., Sambin, M., Mosconi, A., Fenelli, A., Curto, M., & Orlinsky, D. (2018). Personal background, motivation and interpersonal style of psychotherapy trainees having different theoretical orientations: An Italian contribution to an international collaborative study on psychotherapy training. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 18(3), 299-307. doi: 10.1002/capr.12176
Schiller, B., Mörtl, K., Tóth, E. F., & Fiegl, J. (2017). Individual coping strategies of students during the psychotherapeutic training process. SFU Research Bulletin, 5(1), 1-20. doi: 10.15135/2017.5.1.1-20
Fiegl, J. (2016). Empirical study on direct study programmes in psychotherapy. Research findings on suitability and the course of training from the perspective of students and experts. Publication series of the Sigmund Freud Private University. Series Psychotherapy Science in Research, Profession and Culture, vol. 14 (ed.: Bernd Rieken). Münster/New York: Waxmann.
Reboly K. (2016): Academisation of psychotherapy in teaching, research, practice and training – A contribution to psychotherapy science. Vienna Berlin: Dissertation Eigendruck.
Fiegl, J., & Sindelar, B. (2014). On the question of suitability for psychotherapy training. SFU Research Bulletin, 2(2), 27-44. doi: 10.15135/2014.2.2.27-44
Michael Krämer, Stephan Dutke, Gesa Bintz and Maike Lindhaus (eds.). Psychology didactics and evaluation XIV (PDF, in German). Materials from the Section for Training and Continuing Education in Psychology (AFW) in the Professional Association of German Psychologists (BDP), Volume 17
Supervision of theses
Supervision of theses
If you are interested in writing a thesis (bachelor’s degree, master’s degree) within the subject area of the institute, please contact ausbildungsforschung@sfu.ac.at.