Focus areas

 

1. Focus areas of my teaching and research activities

 

  • Child welfare/endangerment
  • Attachment oriented, (preventive) child protection – early support
  • Development in childhood and youth
  • Requirements and challenges in foster care – attachment and education
  • Development under risk conditions/development and trauma
  • The social and developmental psychologic importance of the father
  • Psychology of emotions
  • Communication/interaction/psycho-social consulting
  • Supervision
  • Qualitative social research

2. Research projects of recent years

 

“Gaarden 1-2-3” – a study about the effectiveness of an interdisciplinary early support model suited for burdened families with children at an early age

“Gaarden 1-2-3” is an interdisciplinary and attachment-oriented early support offering for families who cannot attend the parent consultation for babies because their kids are no longer babies. It is a group-centred offer course parents with children at an early age supervised by a psychologist, a paediatric nurse, a special needs assistant and a paediatrician. The aim is to support the child’s development, to strengthen the parent’s competency and the relationship of the parents and children.

The main question in the scientific monitoring of “Gaarden 1-2-3” is how the mothers and especially the children can benefit from the support offered. The research examined concretelyis as follows:

  • the family situation, the background of the issues and the assistance needed
  • the stage of development and health and the children’s attachment and exploration behaviour (at the beginning and at the end of the project)
  • changes in the mother-child-interaction during the project
  • how the mother interacts with the child (motherly relationship competency) at the beginning and at the end of the project
  • the acceptance and evaluation of the offerings and services of the project from the perspective of the mother and the professionals

Management: Prof. Dr. Ariane Schorn

Financing: Ministry for Work, Social Affairs and Health of Schleswig-Holstein (now MSGFG)

Duration: 2011-2014

Early support for pregnant women and young families: “Große Hand – Kleine Hand”

 

“Große Hand – Kleine Hand” is a contact point for young families in need of support. The aim is to precociously identify families at risk and to support burdened parents or mothers. The employees of the product should be more of a companion and guide that leads with appropriate help (consult, company, care). “Große Hand – kleine Hand” is a project that provides early help and is characterised not least by the coordination of existing offers of  support in Kaltenkirchen and the region.

The accompanying research examines the background of the problems, the need of assistance of the participating families and analyses offers and services and how they are perceived and evaluated.

Management: Prof. Dr. Ariane Schorn:

Financing: Ministry for Work, Social Affairs and Health of Schleswig Holstein, duration 2011-2012

Evaluation of the family centres in Flensburg

The Youth Welfare Committee and the Social and Health Committee of the City of Flensburg decided in 2007 to support the development of day care facilities and family centres. The evaluation was based on an examination of services and offers of the family centres and the perception of the users and the professionals (How well do the offers meet the needs? How do users evaluate the offers?). A further aim was to provide a basis for the development of quality criteria and to give professional and organizational support.

Management: Prof. Dr. Raingard Knauer, Prof. Dr. Ariane Schorn; staff: Yvonne Rehmann, Christian Serck

Funded by the City of Flensburg, duration 2008-2009