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Psychotherapeutic changes in a multi-person setting

Project overview

How does psychotherapy work when it involves all the important members of a social system (e.g. family, couple) in a needs-orientated way? We know that our social relationships have a fundamental influence on our socio-psychobiological well-being. Nevertheless, most psychotherapies in European and North American countries are carried out with the involvement of only one person, the patient. It is known that psychotherapies in a multi-person setting contribute to a sustainable improvement in both psychological and systemic functioning. However, less is known about the specific mechanisms of action that cause these changes.

Our research project has the following aims:

  1. a systematic review to analyse and evaluate the current state of research on symptom- and system-relevant changes in multi-person psychotherapies
  2. Semi-structured interviews with experts in multipersonal psychotherapy on indicators of system-relevant moments of change and the role of the respective actors in the therapeutic process
  3. Piloting of a taxonomy of change indicators for multipersonal psychotherapies based on the SOPHO-CBT/ST

Further information

Selected publications

  • Hunger-Schoppe, C., Schweitzer, J., Hilzinger, R., Klewinghaus, L., Deußer, L., Sander, A., Bents, H., Mander, J., Lieb, H. (2022). Integrative systemic and family therapy for social anxiety disorder: Manual and pilot randomised controlled trial. Frontiers in Psychology. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.867246
  • Hunger-Schoppe, C., Immel, N., Braus, N., von Oepen, R. & Schweitzer, J. (2021). Systemic therapy and social anxiety in adulthood: Overview of therapeutic approaches and their effectiveness. Psychotherapeut, 66:478-486. doi.org/10.1007/s00278-021-00539-w
  • Immel, N., Dagnino, P., Navarro, J. & Hunger-Schoppe, C. (2021). Associations between Patient Personality, Symptomatic Change and Therapy Dropout. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 29, 922-932. doi: 10.1002/cpp.2670
  • Hunger, C., Hilzinger, R., Klewinghaus, L., Deusser, L., Sander, A., Mander, J., Bents, H., Ditzen, B., & Schweitzer, J. (2020). Comparing cognitive behavioral therapy and integrative systemic psychotherapy for social anxiety disorders: randomised controlled pilot trial (SOPHO-CBT/ST). Family Process, 59(4), 1389-1406.
  • Hunger, C., Hilzinger, R., Bergmann, N., Mander, J., Bents, H., Ditzen, B., & Schweitzer, J. (2018). Psychosocial attachment stress in adult patients with social anxiety disorder: Efficacy study of cognitive behavioural therapy and systemic psychotherapy. Psychotherapist, 63(3), 204-212.
  • Hunger, C., Schweitzer, J., & Hilzinger, R. (2016). If one has no fear, he has no imagination. Social anxiety, social anxiety disorders and system-therapeutic treatment options. Familiendynamik, 41(2), 2-15.

Book (chapter)

  • Hunger-Schoppe, C., Immel, N., Boyde, C., & Scholz, S. (2024). Process models and rating scales. In G. Reich, M. Stasch, J. Walter, & M. Cierpka, Handbook of family diagnostics (4th ed.) (pp. 441-458). Heidelberg: Springer.
  • Schweitzer, J. & Hunger, C., Hilzinger, R., & Lieb, H. (2020). Social anxiety (Series: Treating disorders systemically; ed. Hans Lieb). Heidelberg: Carl-Auer.

Awards and honours

2021: Individual Research Grant from the Society for Psychotherapy (SPR)

Project management

  • Dr Nina Immel, Post-Doc at the Chair of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy III
    Contact: E-mail
    Address: Alfred-Herrhausen-Straße 44, 58455 Witten
    Room number: 1.129b