Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy
Better understanding the mechanisms behind mental disorders and translating this knowledge into more effective treatments is at the heart of our research agenda. We develop and evaluate therapy programs, for example for anxiety disorders (e.g. social phobia or panic disorder) and conditions with persistent somatic symptoms (e.g. chronic pain and fatigue). Questions about the effectiveness of psychotherapy are investigated, including the decision-making processes of therapists, therapeutic relationship, and therapy motivation. Our team investigates biological, psychological and social factors influencing the incidence and remission of mental illness and mental health. The work ranges from the analysis of genetic markers as possible predictors of therapeutic success, to psychophysiological experiments, for example with respect to the influence of context on the development of therapy interventions. Germany-wide representative studies look at mental health, somatic symptoms, and possible influencing factors such as personality traits, e.g. optimism, or behavioural variables such as a rhythmic lifestyle. Intercultural aspects are analyzed and compared in the course of similarly designed international studies.
Our research areas include:
· Mechanisms of persistent somatic symptoms (including chronic pain and fatigue)
· Emotion regulation and interoception
· Innovations in the taxonomy of psychopathology (e.g. HiTOP)
· Mechanisms of psychological treatments
· Psychotherapy research
· Evidence-based diagnostics
· Sexual dysfunction
· Positive mental health
· Cognitive biases
Principal Investigator and Team
Prof. Michael Witthöft
Prof. Omer Van den Bergh
Dr. Tara Petzke
Collaborator
See below
Description
The Affect and Symptom Paradigm (formerly known as the Affective Picture Paradigm) is a task designed by Bogaerts et al. (2010) to investigate the effect of negative affect on somatic symptom perception. It uses pictures from the International Affective Picture System (Bradley & Lang, 1990). The Affect and Symptom paradigm has consistently been shown to evoke more somatic symptoms after viewing negative vs. after viewing neutral pictures, and especially so in high symptom reporters (Bogaerts et al., 2010; Petzke, Weber et al., 2024), people with functional disorders (Bogaerts et al., 2023; Van Den Houte et al., 2017), people with higher health anxiety (Petzke, Elspaß et al., 2024), and with more symptom prompts. The Affect and Symptom Paradigm additionally shows high temporal stability and can predict cardiorespiratory symptoms 18 months later (Petzke et al., 2025). Below, we have listed all publications (to our knowledge) employing the Affect and Symptom Paradigm, as well as contact information of colleagues working on different language versions. We also offer some versions of the paradigm for free download – just email us and we’ll give you the password! (Contact: tara.petzke@rub.de)
A randomized-controlled feasibility study of internet-based cognitive
behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based therapy for hypoactive sexual desire dysfunction in women with comorbid depression
Principal Investigator and Team
PD Dr. Julia Velten
M.Sc. Vincent Betz
Collaborator
Prof. Dr. Anna-Carlotta Zarski (Philipps University of Marburg, Germany)
Funding
German Research Foundation - Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) Projectnumber: 531778085
Duration
Since 2024
Description
There is significant comorbidity between depressive disorders and hypoactive sexual desire disorders (HSDD) in women. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness-based therapy (MBT) are effective psychological treatments for both HSDD and depression and can be effectively delivered via the Internet. This study uses an iterative treatment development and feasibility study procedure to adapt existing prototypes of internet-based CBT (iCBT) and internet-based MBT (iMBT) interventions for HSDD to the needs of women with comorbid depression. A video-call synchronous focus group approach combined with text-based questionnaires will be used to gather comprehensive information on the treatment preferences of the target population. Detailed feedback on key treatment components (e.g., case vignettes) based on prototypes of the interventions will be obtained using a text-based asynchronous group discussion. Feedback will be utilized to further develop the treatment programs. In the next phase participants will work through the content of the revised interventions while verbalizing their thoughts and providing detailed feedback on the experience to a researcher. In the main feasibility study a total of 80 women will be randomized to either iCBT or iMBT. Both quantitative and qualitative data assessments will be conducted at six and twelve weeks after inclusion. In this phase, feasibility data (i.e., the feasibility of recruitment and adherence, treatment satisfaction, safety and risks, as well as preliminary treatment efficacy) will be assessed. We expect providing internet-based CBT and MBT for women with HSDD and comorbid depression to be feasible, safe and likely to be effective for improving sexual desire and reducing sexuality-related distress.