Academy for

Psychotherapy Logotherapy

Specialist Master's Study in Sports Psychotherapy - Logotherapeutic and Existential Approach (M.L.E.P.-Sport)

HOW THE STUDY IS DONE

Studies at the Academy for Psychotherapy Logotherapy are designed as a modern, academically demanding and at the same time flexible model of specialist psychotherapeutic education, which combines individualized study work, a lively academic community, practical training, supervision and the personal development of the therapist.

The program is based on the belief that a psychotherapist cannot be formed simply by passively listening to lectures, but rather through an active process of independent study, reflection, professional dialogue, practical work, personal transformation and gradual professional maturation.

Therefore, the study is organized according to a modern model of continuous entry and individualized progression, which allows the student to join the program throughout the year and begin their study path at the time that is most suitable for them.

Individualized theoretical study

The basic theoretical content of the program is organized into structured study modules, which include:
• professionally prepared video lectures,
• mandatory and additional professional literature,
• study presentations and supporting materials,
• reflective and applied study tasks,
• continuous essay work.

The student processes the theoretical content individually, at his own pace, within a clear academic structure and in accordance with certain study standards.
Such an organization allows for a high level of flexibility, without reducing the academic complexity of the study. On the contrary, it requires greater independence, discipline, personal responsibility and active professional engagement from the student.

Academic Integration Seminars

A key part of the study is represented by the mandatory Academic Integration Seminars, which take place live via the online environment throughout the entire academic year. These seminars are not classic lectures, but interactive academic spaces for professional dialogue, conceptual integration, reflection and development of clinical thinking.

Their purpose is:
• connecting theoretical knowledge with psychotherapeutic practice,
• deepening the understanding of study content,
• developing clinical and therapeutic thinking,
• addressing professional, clinical and ethical issues,
• shaping a psychotherapeutic professional identity.

Academic integration seminars take place four times a month at predetermined fixed times, which allows students to clearly organize their study and professional obligations.

Each student must actively participate in at least two seminars per month.

Active participation means that the student comes to the seminar prepared, having previously independently processed video lectures, literature and study materials.

The seminars are based on a modern model of active and reflective learning. Within the seminar, the student actively participates in professional dialogue, presents his/her understanding of the literature discussed, raises questions, discusses conceptual dilemmas, and connects theory with practical psychotherapeutic situations.

Such a model ensures that the study remains alive, relational, academically demanding, and developmentally oriented.

Essay and reflective work

An important part of the study process is continuous written reflective and academic work.

In individual subjects, the student prepares structured professional essays with which he/she:
• deepens his/her understanding of literature,
• develops the ability to think critically,
• connects theory with practice,
• develops professional argumentation,
• forms his/her own therapeutic professional voice.

Essay work represents an important part of the assessment of academic maturity and professional integration of knowledge.

Practical exercises and development of therapeutic competencies

Psychotherapeutic competencies are not developed solely through theory, but primarily through experience, relationships and practical work. Therefore, the program includes regular practical exercises, which take place 2–3 times a month live via the online environment in the first six semesters of study.

Exercises include:
• simulations of therapeutic processes,
• conducting therapeutic dialogues,
• working in pairs and small groups,
• development of therapeutic presence,
• practical use of logotherapeutic and existential approaches,
• development of clinical sensitivity,
• ethical reflection on therapeutic work.

A distinctive feature of the program is a vertically connected learning environment in which students of different developmental levels work together.
This allows beginning students to directly observe the professional development of more advanced colleagues, while more advanced students further strengthen their own competencies through active participation.
Such a model encourages the organic development of psychotherapeutic identity and realistically reflects the nature of professional psychotherapeutic education.

Supervision and Clinical Practice

After completing the initial phase of intensive practical training, the student enters a more demanding phase of professional development, which includes supervised clinical practice.

From the higher semesters onwards, the study includes:
• individual supervision,
• group supervision,
• analysis of therapeutic cases,
• ethical reflection,
• development of therapeutic responsibility,
• integration of theoretical knowledge into real clinical work.

Supervision represents one of the key pillars of the professional development of a psychotherapist.

A special value of the program is that students of different developmental stages also meet in the supervision process, which enables learning through observation, dialogue and the gradual assumption of greater professional responsibility.

Guided autobiographical process

Since psychotherapeutic work also requires the personal maturity of the therapist, the program includes a structured guided autobiographical process.

This part of the study supports:
• self-reflection,
• understanding one's own life story,
• recognition of personal vulnerabilities and sources of strength,
• development of therapeutic authenticity,
• personal integration of the therapist.
Psychotherapeutic work is not based solely on professional knowledge, but also on the personal integrity and maturity of the therapist.

Medical and interdisciplinary modules

The program also includes specialized medical and interdisciplinary modules that enable the development of functional understanding of:
• psychiatry,
• psychopathology,
• psychopharmacology,
• medical diagnoses,
• interdisciplinary professional cooperation.
These modules enable the student to develop responsible and professionally competent cooperation with medical and other professional systems.

Master's thesis

The final part of the study is a master's thesis or an applied master's project. With the support of a mentor, the student develops independent professional or research work that connects theoretical knowledge, clinical practice, reflection, and professional identity.

More than a study

The program is not designed solely as an academic transfer of knowledge, but as a comprehensive formation of a psychotherapist.

It combines:
• academic rigor,
• individualized flexibility,
• active professional community,
• practical training,
• supervision,
• personal development,
• research reflection,
• professional formation of a therapist...

The goal of the study is not only to obtain an academic title, but to form a professionally mature, ethically responsible and personally integrated psychotherapist who is able to competently accompany a person in their suffering, search for meaning and personal transformation.

Flexible entry and individualized study pace

A special feature of the study model of the Academy for Psychotherapy Logotherapy is the possibility of continuous enrollment throughout the year, which means that a candidate can join the study at any time of the year and begin their study path when it is most suitable for them personally and professionally.

The study is designed so that the student is not tied to the classic model of a fixed start of the academic year or a rigid semester rhythm, but can, with a clear academic structure, progress at his own pace, in accordance with his life rhythm, work obligations and professional development.

Such a design enables a modern way of studying, adapted to adult professionals, in which flexibility does not mean less demanding, but greater personal responsibility, independence and active involvement in the study
process.

Regardless of the individual start of the study, each student enters a living academic community, where through integration seminars, practical exercises, supervision, personal development and professional dialogue he remains connected to the study environment and the continuous process of professional maturation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY

The specialized master's study in sports psychotherapy (M.L.E.P.-Sport) is a highly specialized, practice-oriented postgraduate program intended for individuals who want in-depth professional training for psychotherapeutic work with athletes, coaches and sports systems. The program is based on Viktor E. Frankl's logotherapy and the existential-analytic approach, which are upgraded with the most demanding modern findings in the field of sports psychotherapy, psychopathology in sports, medicine, systems and ethics in a top sports environment.
The study is intended for experts in the fields of psychotherapy, psychology, counseling, sports, health, pedagogy, social work and related helping professions who work or are preparing to work in professional, competitive and top sports.

The curriculum connects existential anthropology, personal development of the therapist, clinical and field work with athletes, supervision, research and reflective writing and interdisciplinary cooperation with medicine and sports systems. The program is based on the understanding that an athlete is not just a performer or a result, but a holistic human being who faces meaningful challenges, suffering, responsibility, identity and boundaries in sport.

The program has a dual, clearly defined purpose:
• enables the fulfillment of the conditions for obtaining a license for a psychotherapist in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Slovenia on psychotherapy, including requirements regarding the scope of theoretical education, personal experience, clinical practice and supervision;
• on the other hand, enables the acquisition of the academic title of Master in Counseling, which is awarded in cooperation with the partner faculty, whose P.R.I.M.E. partner is the Academy of Psychotherapy and Logotherapy, in accordance with its academic and evaluation standards.
The study goes beyond the classic models of sports psychology, focused solely on optimizing achievements, and develops a psychotherapist who acts as a guardian of human dignity, meaning and ethical responsibility in sports culture.

Duration of study and structure

The program is designed as an extended specialist master's study, lasting ten semesters (five years).

The study includes:
• 18 basic theoretical and integrative courses,
• 12 specialist courses in the field of sports psychotherapy,
• 6 basic courses in logotherapy and existential psychotherapy,
• applied and clinical modules,
• a year of intensive clinical and/or field supervision,
• interdisciplinary medical modules,
• guided autobiographical and reflective process,
• master's thesis or applied master's project.

The program's workload significantly exceeds the scope of a standard master's study and corresponds to the demanding specialist training of a psychotherapist for work in a sports environment.

Admission requirements

Candidates who meet the following requirements may enroll in the program:
• completed undergraduate studies or equivalent education,
• appropriate prior education or experience in a related field (psychotherapy, psychology, sports, medicine, pedagogy, counseling, etc.),
• demonstrated personal suitability for psychotherapeutic work in a demanding sports environment,
• successfully completed the Academy's admission procedure (application, documentation, interview),
• candidates who may not meet all the enrollment requirements or are not entirely sure of their eligibility can contact the Student Affairs Office, where the possibility of enrollment under special conditions can be checked as part of the pre-application process.

Program Requirements

To complete the program, students must:
• successfully complete all 18 units of study in accordance with the curriculum of the APL Academy and the partner faculty,
• complete the course Research Methodology,
• complete at least 700 hours of supervised clinical/field practice,
• regularly participate in individual and group supervision,
• complete a guided autobiographical process,
• successfully defend a master's thesis or master's project,
• fulfill all academic and financial obligations.

Research Methodology

Research Methodology is a mandatory core course that introduces:
• scientific paradigms in psychotherapy,
• qualitative and quantitative research methods,
• case studies and phenomenological approaches,
• ethical aspects of research and clinical work.

The course provides a methodological basis for master's thesis and applied projects.

Transfer Credit

Students can apply for recognition of previously completed academic and professional content. Each application is assessed individually and may reduce total study obligations.

Mentoring and Supervision

Each student is assigned an academic mentor and a clinical supervisor, who monitor their professional and personal development. The mentor's role is primarily guiding and formative, with the aim of promoting independent, reflective and ethically responsible therapeutic work.

Clinical practice, supervision and work in the sports system

From the middle of their studies onwards, students enter supervised practice, which may include:
• work with individual athletes,
• work with injuries, crises and career transitions,
• work in teams, clubs or national teams,
• cooperation with medical and professional staff.

Supervision develops the ability to act ethically, reflectively and existentially in an environment of pressure and results.

Clinical practice and supervision

From the sixth semester onwards, students enter supervised clinical practice, within which:
• they carry out psychotherapeutic work with clients,
• they participate in individual and group supervision,
• they prepare in-depth case studies,
• they integrate logotherapeutic and existential approaches into clinical work.

Completion of clinical practice is a mandatory requirement for graduation.

Medical modules in psychotherapy

Special emphasis is placed on interdisciplinary cooperation with medicine, understanding injuries, RED S, doping, chronic stress and physiological limitations. The student is trained to clearly separate competencies and participate responsibly in a multidisciplinary team.

Master's thesis / applied master's project

The final part of the study is a master's thesis or an applied master's project, which can be:
• scientific research work,
• applied clinical project (program, model, manual, intervention protocol),
• integrative case study from sports psychotherapy.

Requirements:
• approximately 45,000–60,000 words or equivalent project format in terms of content,
• clear theoretical positioning in logotherapy and existential psychotherapy,
• original professional contribution to the field of sports psychotherapy.
After approval by the mentor, the student submits the work for final institutional review and archiving.

List of courses:

SPLO 1: Fundamentals of logotherapy and existential therapy in sports
SPLO 2: Identity, development and existential crises in sports
SPLO 3: Diagnostics and psychopathology in sports
SPLO 4: Therapeutic relationship in sports psychotherapy
SPLO 5: Existential understanding of mental disorders in athletes
SPLO 6: Meaning, motivation and psychological resilience in sports
SPLO 7: Ethics and professional responsibility in the sports environment
SPLO 8: Interdisciplinary medicine in sports psychotherapy
SPLO 9: Advanced methods of sports psychotherapy
SPLO 10: Narrative analysis and sports stories
SPLO 11: Supervision of performance of sports teams and systems
SPLO 12: Personal existential transformation in sports career
LO 2: Haddon Klingberg Jr. – When Life Calls Us
LO 6: Viktor E. Frankl – On the Theory and Therapy of Mental Disorders
LO 9: Methodology of Scientific Work and Research in Psychotherapy / Logotherapy
LO 10: Classical Psychotherapeutic Schools – Comparative Analysis
LO 15 and LO 16: Emmy van Deurzen – The Wiley World Handbook of Existential Therapy

Object descriptions:

SPLO1:
ABOUT THE COURSE

The course introduces students to the philosophical and anthropological foundations of logotherapy and existential therapy as a psychotherapeutic approach that understands humans as beings of meaning, freedom, and responsibility. Special emphasis is placed on the sports context, in which fundamental existential questions – success, defeat, suffering, identity, and value – often become acute.
The focus is on understanding the will to meaning as a central motivating force in humans and its importance for the psychological resilience, integrity, and long-term mental health of athletes. The course develops the insight that superior motivation and mental toughness do not stem solely from the desire for success or victory, but from a deeper relationship to meaning, values, and responsibility.
The student becomes familiar with basic logotherapy techniques and gradually develops the ability to have an existential dialogue with an athlete – a dialogue that connects victory and defeat, success and suffering, discipline, and humanity. The therapist is understood in this context as a companion, not as a coach or “fixer”, who protects human dignity in a world of results.

SPLO2:
ABOUT THE COURSE

The course explores the development of an athlete’s identity through an existential developmental perspective, from childhood and adolescence to the end of a sports career. The focus is on understanding identity as a dynamic process of becoming, which in a sports environment is often shaped under the pressure of success, expectations and external evaluations.
Special emphasis is placed on issues of freedom, responsibility and authenticity in a system where results often determine the sense of self-worth. The course addresses key existential crises that occur in athletes when they are injured, lose their role, fall in form or end their career, and shows how a therapist can use a logotherapeutic and narrative approach to help an athlete reconstruct meaning, re-establish identity and integrate their life story. The student learns to understand the relationship between "playing sports" and "being an athlete", recognizes the dangers of instrumentalizing a person, and develops a therapeutic attitude that supports the athlete in the transition from an identity tied solely to the result to a broader human identity.

SPLO3:
ABOUT THE COURSE

The course provides an in-depth understanding of mental disorders in the sports environment at the intersection of classical psychiatric diagnostics and existential psychopathology. The student learns to distinguish between health and pathology, and between suffering as a clinical symptom and suffering as an existential call for meaning, which is often concealed or normalized in sports.
Special emphasis is placed on understanding that the sports environment, with its culture of discipline, overcoming pain, and idealization of success, often conceals or legitimizes serious mental distress. The course therefore develops the ability for ethical, compassionate, and
responsible diagnostics that sees the person beyond the diagnosis and understands the context in which symptoms occur.
The student is introduced to the diagnostic criteria (DSM 5 TR / ICD 10 and 11) and connects them with Frankl's existential or spiritual diagnostics, which distinguishes between psychogenic and noogenic disorders. Special attention is paid to recognizing hidden forms of depression, anxiety, burnout, eating disorders, impulsive behaviors, psychotic dynamics and the risk of suicide in the sports environment.

SPLO4:
ABOUT THE COURSE

The course explores in depth the therapeutic relationship in the context of top-level sport, where human vulnerability meets high expectations, systemic power and pressure for results. The focus is on understanding the therapeutic relationship as a basic space in which an athlete can reconnect with their humanity, inner freedom and meaning - even in circumstances of defeat, injury or identity crisis.
The course develops the therapist's ability to be present, listen and act ethically in an environment where the boundaries between the personal and professional are often blurred. Special emphasis is placed on understanding transference, countertransference and trust as fundamental dynamics of the relationship and on the question of how to maintain the integrity of the therapist in a system that often instrumentalizes the person.
The therapist is understood in this context as a companion and guardian of the relationship, not as a strategist or agent of success. The relationship itself becomes a therapeutic medium – a space of dialogue, presence, silence and responsibility, in which the athlete is no longer just a result, but a person.

SPLO5:
ABOUT THE COURSE

The course deepens the understanding of mental disorders in athletes through an existential and logotherapeutic perspective and upgrades clinical diagnostic knowledge with insight into the issue of meaning, responsibility and personal attitude towards suffering. The focus is on distinguishing between psychogenic and noogenic disorders and understanding the loss of meaning as the central core of many psychological distresses in the sports environment.
The course stems from Frankl's belief that mental suffering is often not just a symptom of a pathological process, but an existential response of a person to the loss of orientation, values or internal reason for action. The sports environment, with its culture of productivity, comparison and physical perfection, often reinforces the very cracks in which crises of meaning, burnout, depression or eating disorders develop.
The student learns to understand suffering, guilt, injury, the end of a career and the loss of a role not only as clinical events, but as potential sites of spiritual growth and transformation. Special emphasis is placed on the integration of medical, psychological and existential approaches and the development of a therapeutic stance that always places the person at the center – not the diagnosis.

SPLO6:
ABOUT THE COURSE

The course explores meaning as a central source of internal motivation and psychological resilience in elite sport. It is based on the logotherapeutic understanding of man, according to which human action is not driven solely by the desire for pleasure or success, but primarily by the will to meaning. In a sports environment where external achievements, awards and recognition are often in the foreground, this difference becomes crucial for the long-term mental health, integrity and endurance of the athlete.
The course systematically distinguishes between the will to succeed, external motivational factors and Frankl's will to meaning, which enables persistence even in circumstances of defeat, injury, burnout or identity crisis. Special attention is paid to the phenomena of existential emptiness, loss of motivation and the phenomenon of "emptiness after success", when an achieved goal does not bring the expected fulfillment.
The focus is on logotherapeutic dialogue, values and therapeutic approaches that help the athlete to re-establish autonomy, internal compass and personal responsibility. The course develops models of existential resilience that humanize the experience of sport and support growth, dignity and loyalty to one's own values even in a competitive system.

SPLO7:
ABOUT THE COURSE

The course addresses ethical dilemmas, professional responsibility and integrity of a sports psychotherapist in a complex, hierarchical and interwoven sports system. The student explores the boundaries between the well-being of the athlete, the demands of the club or national team and the pressure of results and the public. Special emphasis is placed on recognizing conflicts of loyalty, power dynamics, abuse of power and the dangers of dual relationships, which are common but often overlooked in the sports environment.
The course develops the understanding of the therapist as an ethically reflective professional who consciously assumes responsibility for protecting human dignity in a system that often treats the athlete as a means to achieve goals. Key issues include confidentiality, ethical data use, legal frameworks (GDPR, licensing, psychotherapy legislation) and collaboration with various stakeholders (clubs, coaches, agents, media).
The therapist is understood in this context as the moral compass of the system – a person who does not act against sport, but rather protects the boundaries of humanity, freedom and responsibility within it. The course guides the student to develop their own personal and professional code of ethics, which enables responsible action in top-level sport.

SPLO8:
ABOUT THE COURSE

The course examines the holistic connection of physical, psychological and spiritual processes in sport and trains the student for professional, ethical and reflective collaboration with health and medical experts in a complex interdisciplinary environment. The focus is on understanding how physiology, injuries, hormonal regulation, stress and medical interventions affect the psychological experience, motivation, identity and existential position of the athlete.
The course develops the ability to clearly distinguish between the role of a psychotherapist and the role of a physician, while simultaneously strengthening the competencies for participation in a health team. Special emphasis is placed on the logotherapeutic view of the body as an integral part of the human whole and on understanding illness, injury or physical limitation as an existential break, which also carries the potential for transformation, growth and a new meaning of life.
The psychotherapist is designed in this context as a bridge between medicine and psychotherapy - not as a technical assistant or interpreter of diagnoses, but as a dialogical partner who understands physical suffering in its human, psychological and spiritual meaning and helps the athlete integrate the experience of illness or injury into a meaningful life whole.

SPLO9:
ABOUT THE COURSE

The course delves into the most demanding therapeutic interventions in top-level sport and develops the therapist's ability to act thoughtfully, ethically and existentially in crisis, borderline and complex situations. It is intended for work where routine procedures fail and where the therapist is called upon to a high level of personal maturity, inner stability and orientation towards meaning.
The student is introduced to advanced logotherapeutic techniques, narrative approaches, somatic awareness and the integration of various therapeutic modalities into a single, meaningfully coordinated process. Special emphasis is placed on working in real time – in moments of defeat, injury, burnout or the collapse of an athlete's life story – when the therapist must maintain calm, clarity and human presence.
The course develops an understanding of the body as a space for expressing mental and existential content and prevents slipping into a purely technical treatment. The therapist is trained to remain faithful to the person and their meaning, not just the method.
The ultimate goal of the course is to develop a personal, integrated model of existential sports psychotherapy that combines the method, ethics and maturity of the therapist.

SPLO10:
ABOUT THE COURSE

The course introduces the narrative approach as a central tool for understanding the athlete and his existential experience. It is based on the belief that identity, motivation, suffering and the experience of success are shaped through the stories that an individual tells himself, others and the world. An athlete is not just a bearer of results, but a person who lives within certain personal, physical and social narratives.
Special emphasis is placed on identifying disintegrating and threatened narratives that appear in the event of injuries, defeats, exclusions or loss of meaning, and on developing the therapist's ability to co-create a new, more authentic and meaningful life story with the athlete. The course connects Frankl's existential logotherapy, narrative therapy (White & Epston) and contemporary approaches to life story analysis (McAdams).
The student is trained in narrative analysis of interviews, media narratives, body (somatic) narratives and personal records of the athlete. The aim of the course is to form a therapist who can listen to a person as a story and help him/her to become the author of his/her own narrative again, from being a passive prisoner of his/her own narrative.

SPLO11:
ABOUT THE COURSE

The course introduces an existential-systemic view of sports teams and organizations and develops the student's ability for professional supervision in complex, hierarchical and highly stressful sports environments. It is intended for work where a team or system operates under the pressure of results, power and expectations, and where technical solutions are no longer sufficient to restore functionality, connection and human dignity.
The student gains an understanding of the dynamics of power, communication, identity roles and hidden tensions that shape the functioning of sports systems, and learns how supervision enables the system to regain responsibility, balance and meaning. Special emphasis is placed on a dialogical and reflective approach, where the supervisor does not solve problems instead of the system, but creates conditions for the team to start regulating itself more consciously, ethically and effectively.
The course connects Frankl's logotherapy, systems theory, models of clinical and organizational supervision and analysis of relationships in top sports structures. The student gradually forms his professional identity as a supervisor who is "in the system, but not part of the system", and develops the ability to act as a stable, ethical and reflective point in an environment dominated by pressure for results.
The ultimate goal of the course is the development of a personal, integrated model of existential-systemic performance supervision in sport that respects the person, the process and the limits of power.

SPLO12:
ABOUT THE COURSE

The course explores the personal, identity and existential transformation of an athlete through key transitions in a sports career, such as injury, defeat, loss of form or the end of a career. It focuses on moments when an athlete faces loss, vulnerability and uncertainty, but also the possibility of deeper growth and transformation of their relationship to themselves, sport and meaning.
The course connects the philosophical foundations of existential transformation (Frankl, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche) with a narrative and therapeutic understanding of identity reconstruction, when an athlete ceases to be defined solely by a result or role. The student develops the ability to recognize moments when an existential breakdown is not a pathological event, but a transition to a more holistic and authentic form of being.
Special emphasis is placed on therapeutic dialogue as a safe space for transformation, where mourning, fear, doubt and at the same time new freedom can arise. The course also consciously includes reflection on the personal development of the therapist, who, while accompanying athletes, faces his own limitations, shadows and changes in identity.
The ultimate goal of the course is to understand how an existential break in a sports career can become the beginning of a more holistic, meaningful, and responsible life path, for both the athlete and the therapist.

LO2:
ABOUT THE COURSE

The course introduces students to a biographical and existential understanding of the emergence of logotherapy through the lives of Viktor E. Frankl and Eli Frankl. Based on the work of Haddon Klingberg Jr. When Life Calls Us, the course goes beyond classical academic biography and presents logotherapy as an experiential, life-based and ethically grounded practice that was formed in a concrete historical, personal and relational context.
Special emphasis is placed on understanding how Frankl's ability to maintain meaning in extreme conditions, especially during the Nazi concentration camps, co-created fundamental logotherapeutic insights about inner freedom, dignity and responsibility. The course also sheds light on the marital and relational dimensions between Viktor and Eli Frankl and shows how logotherapy is not only manifested in theory and clinical work, but primarily in the therapist's way of life, attitude and ethical stance.
The student develops sensitivity to the historical and personal conditioning of therapeutic approaches and deepens their understanding of the therapist as a person whose own life story inevitably enters the therapeutic relationship.

LO6:
ABOUT THE COURSE

The course is based on one of the lesser-known, but professionally extremely important works of Viktor E. Frankl, in which he develops logotherapy as a clinical, scientifically based and existentially oriented approach to understanding and treating mental disorders. The work represents a profound connection between psychiatry, psychopathology and logotherapeutic anthropology of man.
The focus is on Frankl's critical and at the same time constructive treatment of psychiatric diagnoses, which goes beyond the reductive understanding of symptoms and mental disorders and places them in the broader context of human freedom, responsibility and relationship to meaning. The course emphasizes the distinction between psychogenic and noogenic neuroses and develops the understanding that many forms of mental suffering are not simply an expression of pathology, but a response to existential conflicts, loss of meaning or inner disorientation.
The student becomes familiar with logotherapeutic interpretations of neuroses, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorders, hysterical phenomena and exhaustion and develops a therapeutic stance that places the will to meaning at the center of the clinical process as a healing and transformative factor. Special emphasis is placed on understanding the therapist as an ethically responsible companion who, even in the presence of severe symptoms, recognizes the person as a "being of possibility".

LO9:
ABOUT THE COURSE

The course represents a methodological foundation for the development of scientific, research and applied thinking in psychotherapy, with a special emphasis on the epistemological foundations of logotherapy and existential psychotherapy. It is intended to form a research attitude that combines professional accuracy, clinical experience and ethical responsibility.
The course introduces the student to the basic scientific paradigms and research methods in the field of psychotherapy and develops the ability to reflectively conceptualize clinical and experiential questions. Special importance is given to qualitative research approaches, which are often the most appropriate for psychotherapy, as they enable a deeper understanding of subjective experience, the therapeutic relationship and the process of finding meaning.
The course also serves as direct preparation for writing a final specialist or master's thesis, whereby the student gradually forms a draft of a research project, a research question or the
conceptual core of his final work. Science is presented not as an abstract technical apparatus, but as a responsible practice of seeking truth, based on respect for the person, the client and the profession.

LO10:
ABOUT THE COURSE

The course provides the student with an in-depth and comparative insight into the classical schools of psychotherapy that have formed the foundation of modern psychotherapy. The student selects three key authors or schools (e.g. Sigmund Freud, Carl Gustav Jung, Alfred Adler, Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, Harry Stack Sullivan) and analyzes their fundamental theories, concepts and therapeutic methods in comparison with logotherapy.
The purpose of the course is not an eclectic collection of techniques, but rather the development of an understanding of the historical and theoretical heritage of psychotherapy and the reflection of one's own therapeutic identity. The student learns to recognize how different authors understand human motivation, personality, development, pathology and the therapeutic relationship and how these views complement or diverge with the existential logotherapeutic approach.
The course encourages critical thinking and helps to form a therapeutic orientation based on conscious choice, values and the understanding of the human being as a holistic being - physical, psychological and existential.

LO15, 16:
ABOUT THE COURSE

The courses LO 15 and LO 16 are based on an in-depth study of the modern basic manual of existential psychotherapy, edited by Emmy van Deurzen. It is a comprehensive and conceptually demanding work that brings together key existential movements and authors (Frankl, Längle, Yalom, van Deurzen, Spinelli, Schneider and others) and offers a broad overview of the philosophical foundations, diagnostic approaches and clinical practice of existential therapy in a contemporary context.
The courses provide the student with a comprehensive insight into the existential paradigm as a plural, dialogic and open field in which different voices, interpretations and therapeutic stances meet. Special emphasis is placed on understanding existential therapy not as a unified method, but as a fundamental therapeutic stance that responds to the ontological givens of human existence.
Due to the extensiveness and complexity of the course material, it is delivered in an extended modular time frame that allows for in-depth reflection, comparative analysis and integration of the content into the student's own therapeutic thinking and practice.

FINAL THESIS

The final master's specialist thesis represents the pinnacle of the student's professional, personal and existential formation process. It is a space for the synthesis of knowledge, experience and personal attitude, where the student demonstrates maturity for independent, responsible and ethical action as an existential logotherapeutic expert.
The thesis is not just an academic product, but evidence of the internal integration of theory, practice and identity of the therapist. The student is expected to go beyond the repetition of existing knowledge and create work that radiates personal reflection, clinical experience and a clear existential orientation towards meaning.

The final thesis can be designed as:
• scientific research (a theoretical-empirical thesis with a classic academic structure), or
• an applied project (development of a therapeutic or educational program, manual, curriculum, systemic intervention, evaluation, supervision model, series of workshops, etc.).
In both cases, the assignment must reflect the student's ability to think independently, create, reflect, and act ethically, while remaining faithful to the fundamental principles of logotherapy and existential analysis.

Key emphases of the final assignment:
• existential logotherapeutic foundation of research or application,
• clearly defined research or practical problem with meaningful relevance,
• connection between theory, clinical practice, and the student's personal reflection,
• critical use of scientific sources and contemporary professional insights,
• inclusion of concrete examples from practice, supervision, or the autobiographical process,
• ethical sensitivity and understanding of the boundaries of therapeutic action,
• innovation and contribution to the development of practice, profession, or education,
• awareness of the therapist's own position and responsibility towards the person, system, and meaning.

Structure – orientation framework of the final thesis:
• Problem definition and existential framework of the topic
• Theoretical foundations of logotherapy and existential analysis
• Methodological approach (research or application model)
• Analysis, treatment or implementation of the project
• Reflection on clinical experience and personal involvement
• Discussion: meaning, limitations and implications for practice
• Conclusion: synthesis of the therapist's professional and personal formation
(The structure is sensibly adapted to the nature of the research or project work.)

Requirements

• Scope: 45,000–60,000 words (or a content-equivalent structure in the case of an application project),
• Clear and consistent justification in logotherapy and existential analysis,
• Authentic personal reflection included, not just a description,
• Use of appropriate scientific methodology and professional literature,
• Integration of clinical or practical experience,
• Originality, coherence and professional academic style.

Connection with other parts of the study

The final assignment organically connects the entire study process:
• the topic often begins to take shape in the 5th semester (research methodology),
• drafts and concepts are deepened in courses 17 and 18 or specific courses for sports psychotherapy
• reflections from the supervision year, case studies or autobiographical processes are included,
• the assignment connects therapy, supervision, personal growth and professional stance into a whole.

Objectives of the final thesis

• demonstrate the ability to think independently professionally and existentially,
• demonstrate maturity in the synthesis of theory, practice and the personal attitude of the therapist,
• create work with added value for therapeutic, sports or clinical practice,
• consolidate the identity of a therapist who works out of meaning and responsibility,
• round off professional and personal formation at EQF level 7,
• form an expert who does not complete his studies with a "diploma", but with his own, reflected professional voice.

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