Conflict management for Paderborn University staff

I am a Protestant theologian (pastor) by profession, and for 30 years I played a major role in shaping the Paderborn telephone helpline as its deputy director. Part of the leadership work was also the conflict management of an institution with at times over eighty employees and two denominationally different sponsors. During this time, I helped to establish the Paderborn Emergency Chaplaincy and led it for ten years. In order to be able to carry out these activities in a professionally responsible manner, I completed several additional psychological and psychotherapeutic training courses.

I have been working in my own practice for about 15 years. There I was able to gain experience in the supervision of team and leadership conflicts in social organizations. Currently, one of the main focuses of my work is individual and conflict counseling. When dealing with acute and chronic conflicts in the workplace, I advocate a psychoanalytic approach to supervision that allows access to the psychodynamic background of unconscious processes. In doing so, I can, if necessary, draw on a wide methodological variety that enables a deeper understanding of current conflictual tensions and is capable of releasing surprising aspects of solutions.  

My connections to the academic world have so far been of a more private nature: all four of my children have earned doctorates at different universities and in different fields, and two of them have completed their habilitation. In the many years of accompanying these processes, I have been able to gain intensive insights into the many personal and structural questions, difficulties and conflict situations associated with them.

I have been involved with successful cooperation since my youth: first in youth association work, later in adult education and at universities, and for over 15 years as an independent consultant. As such, I have been involved in development processes on a personal, interactive and structural level in social institutions, family businesses, administrations and universities. Conflicts are an everyday occurrence. That is why, after my further training in group dynamics and my training as a "supervisor" (supervision = reflective counseling in work situations), I have continued my education in the areas of "conflict and mediation" as well as "organization" (see website below).

We sometimes feel that our basic social needs, such as belonging, justice, appreciation, orientation and self-efficacy, are trampled on rather than satisfied in everyday life. This leads to frustration and resistance up to burnout or own destructive behavior. Conflicts, on the other hand, can often be a motor for further developments on all levels if they are tackled in a resource-oriented way.

Whatever your conflict is: I listen to you. Disappointment, anger, helplessness or fear have their place with me. Confidentiality is the basis of my work. Together we look for new perspectives on what is happening and practical ways for you to continue dealing with the conflict.

Welcome to my office hours.