Nikola Stenzel

Prof. Dr. Nikola Stenzel holds a Professorship for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy with a focus on Behavioral Therapy at the Berlin School of Psychology. She actively embodies the "scientist-practitioner" approach, integrating scientific research with clinical practice to advance psychological interventions and patient care.

Her primary research domain is psychopneumology, where she investigates psychological factors in chronic lung diseases such as COPD and IPF. She has developed internationally recognized measurement instruments including the COPD Anxiety Questionnaire Revised (CAF-R) and has demonstrated how disease-specific fears significantly impact quality of life and treatment adherence in respiratory patients. Additional research streams include chronic depression treatment mechanisms, stress belief systems, and placebo effect applications in clinical settings.

Prof. Stenzel's publications reveal consistent focus on transdiagnostic concepts in psychotherapy, measurement development, and the intersection of physical and mental health. Her recent work increasingly addresses pandemic-related health challenges including long-COVID rehabilitation approaches.

As founding member and spokesperson of the Psychopneumology Working Group of the DGP, she has secured research funding from multiple sources including the Heinrich Böll Foundation and BMBF. Her leadership extends to international collaborations across Belgium, Turkey, England, and Australia.

She actively supervises doctoral students and teaches in the M.Sc. Psychology: Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy program, while overseeing clinical training through the University Outpatient Clinic (HSA). Her laboratory focuses on developing practical interventions to improve quality of life for patients with chronic physical illnesses, with strong emphasis on participatory research involving patient support groups.