Neuropsychology and psychological resilience research
Head
Prof. Dr. Michèle Wessa
Phone: +49 621 1703-7490
Secretariat
Heike Schmidt-Harth MTA-F
E-Mail
Phone: +49 621 1703-7491
About me — Michèle Wessa
I studied Psychology at the University of Mannheim and Humboldt University Berlin — and looking back, it was a perfect match. After getting my first taste of academic life as a research assistant and intern at the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim, I knew that I wanted to pursue an academic career in clinical psychology. After completing my studies, I did just that, and earned my doctorate at the Central Institute of Mental Health under Herta Flor on the topic of “Neural correlates of implicit and explicit memory processes in post-traumatic stress disorder”.
This doctoral thesis was my entry into the world of neuroscience, and during a postdoctoral stay in France, I was able to deepen my knowledge in that field and, at the same time, to build up a scientific network that continues to this day. My positions at Heidelberg University as Professor of Experimental Psychopathology and Neuroimaging and at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz for Neuropsychology and Clinical Psychology showed me that broadening one's focus, both in terms of content and methodology, is always possible and valuable. In Mainz, I was able to expand my research to also cover neuroscientific and applied resilience research and intervention development, which I was able to advance intensively as a founding member of the Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research. It was not until 2020 that sports psychology was added, a field of research that has long interested and fascinated me – resilience research and sports psychology go so well together that I absolutely wanted to combine them, and training as a sports psychologist at the Centre for Mental Excellence gave me the decisive boost.
For more details about my research topics, see the description of the department, as well as the specific research projects.
Michèle holds a diploma in Psychology, a PhD in Psychology and has received her habilitation (venia legendi) in Neuropsychology, Clinical Psychology and Medical Psychology. More recently she was also certified as sport psychologist. After being professor at the Universities of Heidelberg from 2011 to 2013 and at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz from 2013 to 2024 she is now back as Professor at the University of Heidelberg, leading the Department of Cancer Survivorship and Psychological Resilience at the DKFZ Hector Cancer Institute and the Department of Neuropsychology and Psychological Resilience Research at the Central Institute of Mental Health.
Description
The overarching research goal of the Department of Neuropsychology and Psychological Resilience Research is to investigate the neurobiological and psychological mechanisms underlying resilience and mental health, as well as the etiology of mental disorders. Our research work is divided into three main areas, which are reflected in different target groups: adolescents and adults from the general population, high-performance athletes, and patients with mental disorders. In our partner division “Cancer Survivorship and Psychological Resilience” at the DKFZ-Hector Cancer Institute at the University Medical Center Mannheim we deal with the aforementioned mechanisms particularly in life-threatening diseases, particularly cancer.
Our general research approach in all domains is to use neuroscientific and behavioral experimental methods to unravel resilience mechanisms that are either universal or specific to a certain target group. In our current research projects, we particularly focus on emotion regulation, cognitive distortions and perceived controllability of stress as promising candidate mechanisms for resilience. These mechanisms also represent transdiagnostic markers for mental disorders and are therefore of particular interest to our working group, as they form the bridge between the psychopathological and salutogenic perspective on mental health.
This experimental, mechanistic approach is complemented by accompanying longitudinal studies to develop causal models of mental health and resilience. Based on our results, we aim to develop evidence-based psychological interventions to promote individual resilience and the evaluation of their effectiveness in the different target groups. In this vein, we want to use our own insights as well as those from other research groups (e.g. based on systematic evidence syntheses) to educate different target groups with respect to their mental health literacy and to make scientific achievements available and comprehensible for the public.
Main areas of work
- Experimental psychopathology
- Neuropsychological resilience research
- Sports psychology research team
Sports psychology
The sports psychology team, which contributes a new research focus to the Central Institute of Mental Health, is primarily engaged in investigating emotional, psychosocial, and cognitive predictors of athletic behavior and mental health of athletes.
One part of our research deals with the functional and dysfunctional mechanisms (such as self-distancing and rumination) that can influence the performance and mental health of athletes in competitive sports. Another research focus in sports psychology focuses on the study of sports injuries, their individual development, progression, and prediction. The aim is to gain insights into the psychosocial factors and mechanisms that may underlie different psychological and performance-related trajectories in response to sports injuries and to develop tailored interventions in the future that support athletes in their individual performance development and mental health after such crucial events.
Finally, results from these projects and from other research groups of the department contribute to our work on the emerging topic of mental health literacy and help-seeking behavior among athletes, which has recently gained enormous importance in sports psychology. The aim is to counteract the stigma that still surrounds mental illness, educate athletes about the topic and help them to help themselves or seek help, as well as to develop a general and unstigmatized understanding of mental health.
Zentralinstitut für Seelische Gesundheit (ZI) - https://www.zi-mannheim.de