TRAINING IN MULTI-MODAL STRESS COMPETENCE: A COMBINATION OF EVIDENCE-BASED AND JUDGMENT-BASED PSYCHOLOGY

The development of the training in multi-modal stress competence started about 15 years ago, when five psychologists from different regions of Germany, educated at different universities in evidence-based psychology and highly experienced in delivering training courses in stress management of different forms, came together for sort of a qualitative research like “Deliberative Inquiry” in order to construct a new system for training stress competence by adding their knowledge of practices, what Polkinghorne called a judgment-based approach to the human sciences. A first sketch of this modular construction system for training multi-modal stress competence was published in 2002 by the five originally contributing members of the group, and was developed and refined by four of them in the following years with the help of other psychologists of the section for clinical psychology of the German professional association of psychologists (Berufsverband Deutscher Psychologinnen und Psychologen BDP) and in later years also with the help of members of the German society for relaxation methods (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Entspannungsverfahren DG-E), until in 2014 a first handbook of the approach appeared.

The modular constructing system for training in multi-modal stress competence addresses the biological, psychological and socio-cultural foundations of experiencing and behaviour under stress. It employs methods for achieving knowledge, capacity for self reflection, strategies as well as skills and techniques, and focuses on
a) resources of the person,
b) processes of cognitive-emotional appraisal,
c) action strategies, and
d) regulation of tension.

It aims for:
A) a reduction of frequency and impact of stressors,
B) more adequate stress reactions, and
C) stress resilience.

Among the characteristic traits of this training system are: paying special attention in the analysis of stress to the interplay of perceiving, thinking, feeling and acting, and paying special attention in the management of stress to the interplay of acceptance and modification.
Besides an introduction to some general principles and methods of the training in multi-modal stress competence, this presentation will also include an exemplary description and discussion of one of the original specific methods from this training system- the so called “Worry Wiper”

References:
[1] Mathesius, R. & Scholz, W.-U. (2014). Multimodale Stresskompetent (MMSK) - Handbuch - Konzept - Didaktik/Methodik - Übungsmaterial, Lengerich (D): Pabst Science Publishers