Chronic pain is increasingly a health problem that affects the lives of individuals in many different ways. In Germany, around 15 million people are currently affected by chronic pain. Around 4 - 5 million suffer from particularly severe impairments.

There are special treatment approaches for people with chronic pain that enable them to find their way back to work and everyday life. Together with a therapist, techniques can be learned and unfavorable patterns of experience and behavior can be reduced in order to return to an active and pain-free life or to be able to accept lasting pain.

At the University of Potsdam, UP Transfer GmbH, in cooperation with the Institute for Behavioral Therapy Berlin, offers an extra-occupational certification course for pain psychotherapists. Here, therapists learn how to diagnose and treat pain disorders, opening up a new professional perspective.

Den Schmerz verstehen – Die Ärztin Thi-Minh-Tam Ta qualifiziert sich an der Universität Potsdam auf dem Gebiet der Schmerzpsychotherapie

The passing of the new Psychotherapists Act has led to a restructuring of psychotherapy training. In future, special pain psychotherapy is to be given more importance and offered as a further training course. We are very pleased about this development.

Until all restructuring processes have been completed (in 2025 at the earliest), we will only offer the modules of our certificate program individually and not as a complete curriculum. In this way, we ensure that we can quickly meet the requirements of the chambers and professional associations. The content of the curriculum has already been adapted to the new further training regulations so that up-to-date material is taught.

Addressees
 

Participation in the courses and modules is possible for qualified psychologists, doctors, therapists from all specialist groups, nursing staff, etc..

It is recommended that you already have practical experience and psychotherapeutic knowledge of pain-specific disorders.

If all individual modules are booked, the certificate course for the theoretical block can be completed with a university certificate (transcript of records).

In order to obtain the title of “Special Pain Psychotherapy”, which can be used for management purposes, it is necessary to complete the practical training section (therapy hours under supervision and final examination) in addition to the license to practice. The practical training must be organized in a practice together with a supervisor.

Scope

• 80 hours of courses
• 6 case documentations
• 10 participations in interdisciplinary pain conferences in 2 years
• 6 individual and 4 group therapies as pain therapy activities in an inpatient facility or a recognized facility
• At least 30 hours of case-related supervision
• Examination colloquium
• Receipt of the examination and certification fee

Your advantages

Positioning

This first certificate course in Germany enables students to specialize in an innovative professional field. The increase in the number of people with chronic pain requires an interdisciplinary approach to prevention and therapy and a much stronger integration of active (exercise) programs in prevention. With this training, you can position yourself with payers, clinics and outpatient facilities alike. In your professional environment, communication with various specialist groups will be easier.

Learn from experts

In this further training course, you will profit from experienced academics and practitioners from the fields of medicine, psychology, sociology and sport who teach as part of the certificate course at the University of Potsdam or other universities/outpatient clinics. The interdisciplinary portfolio of lecturers is unique.

Curriculum

The content of the additional course of study is based on the guidelines of the East German Chamber of Psychotherapists (OPK), which gives members of the OPK the opportunity to obtain a professional title at the end of the certificate course. The entire course, including the examination, must be completed for this.

In addition to the basic modules of the further training course, you can book individual additional modules to expand your knowledge in selected pain-related subject areas.

You can find an overview of the content HERE.

Further information on the curriculum, dates, lecturers, etc. can be found HERE.

Costs

Complete package

Booking the entire theory curriculum of 80 hours costs a total of € 2,980 including VAT. This includes a small breakfast, cold drinks, coffee, tea and a small snack for full-day events.

Individual module booking

The modules can be booked individually at a price of € 45.00 per course unit.

Examination fee

A one-off fee of € 250 incl. VAT is payable for participation in the examination.

Additional modules

The costs for additional modules will be communicated on request.

Financial support

Participants who are employed in the state of Brandenburg can apply for financial support for the certificate course from the Investitionsbank des Landes Brandenburg (ILB).

Further information on current funding programs and the associated requirements for submitting an application can be found on the ILB website.

Accreditation

• 80 teaching units (TU) "Special Pain Psychotherapy".
• Supervision: 1 point per hour of supervision
• Module: 1 point per training unit

Certificate

The modules of the certificate course are recognized by the East German Chamber of Psychotherapists (OPK). With membership of the OPK, psychological psychotherapists working in Brandenburg have the opportunity to use the content at the end of the certificate course to acquire the title “Special Pain Psychotherapy OPK”, for which, in addition to a license to practice, attendance of the practical training section is also required.

Registration

Are you interested in the program and still have questions?
PLEASE CONTACT US:

Head: Prof. Dr. Pia-Maria Wippert

Contact: Michaela Rogovits
Am Neuen Palais 10, Haus 12, 1.15
Phone: +49 331 977 1218
(telephone consultation hours Mon. - Fri. 09:00-15:00)
Email: schmerztherapie@uni-potsdam.de

For a binding registration, please fill out theregistration form and send it by e-mail to schmerztherapie@uni-potsdam.de or by fax to 0331-9771143.

Study program committee

Prof. Dr. Pia-Maria Wippert (Head)
Scientific Project Manager, UP Transfer GmbH at the University of Potsdam
Professor, Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Potsdam

Prof. Dr. Michael Linden
IVB Outpatient Clinic Berlin

Dr. med. Andreas Kopf
Head of Pain Outpatient Clinic, Department of Anaesthesiology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin