Holger Kirsch

Prof. Dr. med. Holger Kirsch is a Professor of Social Medicine at the Evangelical University of Applied Sciences Darmstadt, where he focuses on mentalization in social work, psychotherapy, and education. He served as Dean of the Department of Social Work/Social Pedagogy and Head of the BA Social Work program (2019-2022). His research spans psychosomatic medicine, mental health resilience, and mentalization-based interventions for trauma and education.

• Education: Studied human medicine at Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt.
• Professional Roles: Editor-in-chief of the Journal of Individual Psychology, Chair of the Scientific Section of the German Society for Organ Transplantation, and coordinator of the Erasmus+ project Mentalization Training for Pedagogical Professionals.

His research interests include:

• Mentalization in social work and psychotherapy
• Psychoanalytic approaches to trauma and resilience
• Health policy and psychosomatic care
• Integration of mentalization in educational systems

Recent publications highlight applications of mentalization in child/adolescent therapy, educational settings, and cross-disciplinary training programs, often in collaboration with international institutions.

He has delivered lectures on topics like mentalization in psychotherapy, psychosocial inclusion, and empowerment in healthcare. His affiliations include the Alfred Adler Institute Mainz and memberships in the German Society for Psychosomatic Medicine, German Society for Psychoanalysis, and Frankfurt Working Group on Psychoanalytic Pedagogy.