Metacognitive training and self-help interventions to improve mental health

As part of our scientific activities at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, our research group develops innovative therapeutic concepts for various mental health disorders. Metacognitive Training (MCT) is a novel psychotherapeutic strategy, which is based on the latest research findings. Demonstrating MCT’s potential, we were awarded the Psychotherapy Prize from the German Association for Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics (DGPPN) for the development of MCT. To ensure its effectiveness, it is continuously updated based on participant feedback and rigorous research studies are conducted to examine outcomes. An overview of the training and our latest research results can be found here. Current MCT developments can be found on this page under the section "News". 

The following group training programs exist: 

-          Schizophrenia / Psychosis (MCT) 

-          Borderline (B-MCT) 

-          Depression (D-MCT)

All materials for Metacognitive Training for patients with schizophrenia (MCT) and for patients with borderline (B-MCT) are available free of charge to interested mental health professionals (e.g., psychotherapists, occupational therapists, psychiatric nurses) and psychiatric institutions via our website.

 

In addition to the group MCT programs, we have also developed an individualized psychosis training program for the traditional one-on-one setting (called MCT+) and a self-help manual for patients with OCD (my MCT). The effectiveness of both interventions has been successfully tested in randomized controlled trials. 

 

We urgently need financial support to improve dissemination of our MCT interventions as well as to develop them further and to translate them into other languages (while MCT is already available in 37 languages, MCT+, D-MCT and B-MCT are only available in 3 languages). We find it critical that we can continue to offer our intervention programs and materials free of charge. Your donation will help us to achieve this goal!

We also develop self-help tools for a number of psychological problems, such as depression (see www.uke.de/cogito_app) and body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) such as trichotillomania (see www.free-from-bfrb.org).