Psychology
New professor researches grief and trauma
Franziska Lechner-Meichsner // Photo Friederike von Heyden
Persistent grief disorder, i.e. chronic grief, and post-traumatic stress disorder are the two core topics of her work. "One of my focal points is to investigate how symptoms develop after loss and trauma and which factors influence their course. On this basis, I develop starting points for psychotherapeutic interventions that can specifically help those affected," explains Lechner-Meichsner.
She is also developing therapeutic approaches for the treatment of persistent grief disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Another focus of her research is the investigation of mechanisms of action, i.e. the processes that contribute to the reduction of symptoms during therapy. "A deep understanding of these mechanisms enables us to organise psychotherapy more efficiently and adapt treatments more specifically," says the 38-year-old.
Franziska Lechner-Meichsner also works with various groups, including older people and people who have experienced flight. Culture-specific aspects of symptoms and culturally sensitive approaches to psychotherapy are particularly important to her.
About the person
Franziska Lechner-Meichsner studied psychology at Friedrich Schiller University Jena, where she also completed her doctorate in 2016. She received her licence to practise as a psychological psychotherapist in 2020. She was a research assistant in Jena and Frankfurt, a visiting research scientist at Columbia University in New York (USA) and, before moving to the University of Wuppertal, an assistant professor at Utrecht University in the Netherlands.
