20 years of gifted counseling: A ceremony full of emotions in Würzburg!

20 years of gifted counseling: A ceremony full of emotions in Würzburg!

On July 3, 2025, the Gifted Psychology Counseling Center and Early Studies at the University of Würzburg will celebrate its 20th anniversary. On this special occasion, numerous guests, including many former early students, gathered to look back on two decades of successful work. The former director of the counseling center, Wolfgang Schneider, who was Chair of Psychology IV until 2016, gave a keynote speech in which he highlighted the founding history and development of the institution.

The gifted psychology counseling center was launched in January 2004, and the first offerings started in December of the same year. The initial funding came from the Karg Foundation, which made a decisive contribution to establishing the advice center. The aim is to offer a regional contact point for gifted people that provides advice to both families and adults. In addition to family counseling, the counseling center also offers orientation counseling for high school graduates as well as psychological research and the organization of lectures.

Successful early studies

The early studies at the University of Würzburg started in the winter semester of 2004/05 with just four students. Since then, a total of 896 participants have participated in this program, an average increase of 45 new participants per semester. The early studies are aimed at high-performing students from the 10th grade onwards and enable them to take part in selected courses while they are exempt from regular school lessons.

A total of 22 subjects are currently offered at the Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg as part of early studies. The current director, Tobias Richter, took over the management of the chair in 2016 and the management of the advisory center in 2019. Despite the challenges brought about by the corona pandemic, the advisory center was able to quickly rethink and adapt to digital teaching formats. In the last two years, counseling numbers have risen to record highs, even though financial challenges remain in providing orientation counseling.

The ceremony also included a discussion with former and current early students, including Thimo Heisenberg, who now works as a professor in the USA. In addition, Franzis Preckel explained the topics of talent and the promotion of talented people in the keynote speech, while the university management, represented by Vice President Anja Schlömerkemper, conveyed their congratulations. The event was musically accompanied by the Hilaris Quintet, consisting of students from the Würzburg University of Music.

Consulting offers in Germany

The Gifted Psychology Counseling Center at the University of Würzburg is part of a broader network of counseling services for gifted people in Germany. There are numerous public advice centers that offer various services free of charge. Important contact points include the [Expert Group on Giftedness] (www.die-hochbegabung.de), the [German Society for the Gifted Child e.V.] (www.dghk.de) and the [International Center for Gifted Research] (www.icbf.de). These institutions offer information, advice and diagnostics for those affected.

In addition, there are specialized institutions such as the Advice Center for Special Giftedness in Hamburg or [MIND, Kiel], which focus on diagnosing giftedness and offer individual advice. The Karg Foundation plays an important role in promoting and financing such offers, but does not make any recommendations for specific institutions.

These comprehensive consulting options are essential to support families, schools and teachers in supporting gifted children. The 20th anniversary of the Gifted Psychology Counseling Center at the University of Würzburg is an impressive example of the necessity and importance of specialized counseling services in Germany.