Goethe University Frankfurt: New Professorship for Clinical Psychoanalysis!

Goethe University Frankfurt: New Professorship for Clinical Psychoanalysis!

The Goethe University Frankfurt announced today that it will establish a new professorship for clinical psychoanalysis. The financing is provided by a number of foundations, including Dr. Elmar and Ellis Reiss Foundation, the Franz Adickes Foundation Fund, the Alfons and Gertrud Kassel Foundation and the Dr. Rolf M. Schwiete Foundation, which together provides 4 million euros. In the future, this professorship will be closely linked to the renowned Sigmund Freud Institute cooperate, which is of great importance for the continuation of the Frankfurt psychoanalytic research tradition.

The professorship, which will be located in the Department of Psychology and Sports Science, is the fourth at the university to be financed from foundation funds in the last three years. The aim is to advance research on psychotherapy and the training of psychotherapists using psychoanalytic approaches.

Interdisciplinary approaches and collaborations

The new professorship will also be associated with the director position at the Sigmund Freud Institute, which has played a central role in psychoanalysis since its founding in 1960 and is an important research institution in Frankfurt. The Managing Director, Prof. Dr. Vera King, emphasized the relevance of this passage for strengthening clinical psychoanalysis. The President of the Goethe University, Prof. Dr. Enrico Schleiff, underlined the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to research and exchange between different disciplines.

The dean of the psychology department, Prof. Dr. Sonja Rohrmann emphasized that psychoanalysis plays an important role in psychology. In this context, the new master's degree in psychotherapy at the university is also being presented, which integrates several psychotherapy procedures. These developments are in line with the vision of the Sigmund Freud Institute, which aims to promote early career researchers and the scientific study of the psyche and its social interactions.

Tradition and innovation of psychoanalysis

The long tradition of psychoanalysis in Frankfurt goes back to the 1960s. The Science Council positively evaluated the work of the Sigmund Freud Institute in 2020 and recommended closer collaboration with the Goethe University. This is particularly important given the challenges currently accompanying psychosocial research. These challenges also include the consequences of the corona pandemic as well as current topics such as digitalization, sustainability and social crises.

The Sigmund Freud Institute plays an important role in therapy and research in psychoanalytically oriented disciplines. Among other things, it offers a research outpatient clinic that looks after around 400 patients every year. Supervision and crisis assistance for organizations are also offered here. His numerous projects aim to ensure psychotherapeutic care for the population.

The significant financial resources flowing into the new professorship were praised by Hessian Science Minister Timon Gremmels and are an important step in strengthening psychoanalytic research in the region.