Interdisciplinary Medical Center

Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy

We take care of patients with diseases within the whole special field of psychosomatic and psychotherapeutic medicine. Apart from primarily caused psychic diseases, we also treat patients who developed psychic disturbances or symptoms as a reaction of other severe physical diseases, as well as patients with psychic diseases and co-morbid physical diseases.

Our patients are treated in the context of multimodal therapy concept whose focus is on psychodynamic psychotherapy both within singular sessions and group sessions. Depending on each disease and its clinical and scientific standard criteria, sessions are completed by cognitive behavioural therapy. Nonverbal therapy - such as music therapy, art therapy or motor therapy is a further central part of treatment. Physiotherapeutic measures complete our multi-professional therapy.

Apart from general consulting service for all departments of Klinikum Stuttgart/Stuttgart Clinical Centre, we offer psychooncological, psychodiabetological and psychodermatological consultation and liaison service. Furthermore, we treat palliative medicine patients in terms of the psychosomatic point of view.

Treatment and care emphases

  • Complex somatoform vertigo disorders
  • Complex somatoform pain disorders
  • Complex eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia, severe obesity, Binge-Eating)
  • Anxiety disorders and phobias
  • Depressive disorders and so-called Burn-Out
  • Dissociative disorders of consciousness
  • Dissociative disorders of movement and sensation
  • Somatoform disorders
  • Certain personality disorders
  • Psycho-dermatological diseases
  • Posttraumatic stress disorders
  • Reactions to severe stress and adjustment disorders
  • Patients with chronic insomnia
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorders
  • Psycho-oncological disorders
  • Somatopsychic diseases

Special offers and facilities

  • Inpatient treatment and day care treatment include:
    • Art, music and motor therapy
    • Biofeedback
    • Relaxation therapy (autogenic training, progressive muscle relaxation)
    • Occupational therapy
    • Specific trauma therapies
    • Individual psychotherapy or group psychotherapy
    • Psychodynamic psychotherapy (TFP)
    • Cognitive behavioural therapy (among others: fear-combating training, specific VT for obsessive-compulsive disorders)
    • Psychodynamic couple therapy and family therapy
    • Interdisciplinary psychodermatological therapy
    • Psychometric diagnostics
    • Structured diagnostics (SKID I und II)
    • Operational psychodynamic diagnostics (OPD-II)
    • Inpatient unit for private patients
    • Inpatient crisis intervention
    • Interdisciplinary centre for eating disorders
  • Psychooncological service for Stuttgart Clinical Centre
  • General psychosomatic counselling for Stuttgart Clinical Centre
  • Psychodiabetological consultation and liaison service
  • Psychodermatological consultation and liaison service
  • Psychosomatic diagnostics for patients prior to bariatric surgery in cooperation with the Clinic for General and Visceral Surgery, Bad Cannstatt Hospital

Distinguished techniques in diagnosis und therapy

  • Specific disorder treatment services in:
    • posttraumatic disorders
    • somatoform vertigo disorders
    • complex dissociative disorders
    • eating disorders
  • Psychoonkological consultation, diagnostics and therapy
  • Psychodiabetological consultation, diagnostics and therapy
  • Psychodermatological consultation, diagnostics and therapy
  • Psychosomatic consultation and intervention of palliative medicine

Studies / scientific activities

  • Several interdisciplinary studies on pathogenesis, regarding course and treatment of vertigo disorders in cooperation with Munich University and Mainz University
  • Multicentric study on comparison of fully inpatient and partly inpatient therapy of depressive disorders (INDDEP-study, Freiburg University, Mainz University and others)
  • Examination of efficiency of a therapy module to increase cognitive-motivational flexibility with anorexia nervosa, cooperation with Heidelberg University Clinic
  • Study: relationship presentation and relationship experience of patients with bulimia nervosa and healthy control test persons, Ulm University Clinic, Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Prof. Dr. J. von Wietersheim
  • Study of internet behaviour of patients with eating disorders, Gießen University Clinic and Marburg Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Prof. Dr. med. T. Kircher (from 01/2012)
  • Freiburg occupational accident study (FAUST II); multicentric study, Freiburg University Clinic

Quality assurance

  • Base documentation Psy-BADO und CL-BADO
  • Certification of the psychooncological offer at the organ centres, as mentioned above
  • Weekly external supervision
  • Weekly internal supervision
  • Weekly internal clinic conferences
  • Weekly leadership conference
  • Curriculum education of continuing education assistants
  • CIRS (Critical Incident Reporting System)
  • Regular external team supervisions

Hospital numbers

2015 2016 2017  
34 34 34 Available beds inpatient cases
239 270 264 Fully inpatient cases
46.3 44.0 45.0 Length of stay in days (fully inpatient)
10 10 10 Available beds day-hospital
86 86 85 Cases in day-hospital
29.7 29.2 29.9 Length of stay in day-hospital

Selected Services (number of cases)

2015 2016 2017  
697 583 497 First preadmission conversation, ambulant therapies
475 451 456 Psychosomatic counselling services
1.044 1.390 1.827 Psycho-oncological contacts