About us - our current projects

On this page we would like to present our general and research projects, which we accomplish with a host of partners of the department. If you are interested in one of the projects do not hesitate to contact us.
The department of sports psychology has a wealth of experience transferring research into praxis. We are working closely with professional associations and clubs (e.g. applied sports psychology and consulting), as well as schools, pre-schools, local communities and instituions of the health care system. If you are interested in a cooperation, consulting, support, or a specific project in your club, team, school or institution feel free to contact us anytime. The responsible persons are:

• Professional Sport/sport psychology consulting:Birte Brinkmöller and/or Stephanie Bünemann
• Elite Sport and physical eduaction: Barbara Halberschmidt
• Children, Adolescence, and Schools, (public) health: Lena Henning
• Club- and Institutional consulting: Maike Tietjens
• Other areas of research to practice transfer: Barbara Halberschmidt

Your Bernd Strauß (Head of Department)

Self-concept in childhood and youth

For more than 20 years we have been engaged in research on the development of the (physical) self-concept in and through sports. The focus is primarily on development in childhood and adolescence. Within this framework, three questionnaires have been developed, which have been translated into several languages. These questionnaires enable to track the development of self-concept in the life course in an intercultural context. Responsible for this are Prof. Dr. Maike Tietjens, Prof. Dennis Dreiskämper (TU Dortmund) and Dr. Lena Henning. Link to the questionnaires

Athletes' Transition Tools for Achieving Horizons (ATTACH-U)

Description

The Athletes’ Transition Tools for Achieving Horizons - ATTACH-U project addresses the critical need for supporting athletes in their transition to post-sport careers. Elite athletes often face significant challenges upon retirement, including identity loss, mental health issues, and financial insecurity. The project aims to enhance employability and lifelong learning opportunities for retired athletes, fostering their social inclusion and enabling them to reintegrate into non-sporting careers. The project builds on existing dual career support structures and introduces innovative career transition programs. Key outcomes include the development of three tailored career pathways - entrepreneurship, coaching, and B2B sales - along with pilot testing and continuous improvement of these pathways. Additionally, digital tools for career transition support are created. The project actively promotes transnational cooperation and cross-sectoral collaboration among sports organizations, educational institutions, and businesses. Key findings are refined into policy recommendations for sports federations and education providers. The ATTACH-U project has a multifaceted impact. It empowers athletes to assume new societal roles, enhancing their personal and professional development. By addressing various business-oriented themes, the project enables athletes to leverage skills acquired in sports for their careers. Additionally, it fosters community engagement and promotes inclusion and diversity, ensuring that athletes from all backgrounds receive support for career transitions. Overall, the ATTACH-U project aims to create a sustainable model for supporting retiring athletes, with the potential to be replicated across EU member states, thereby enhancing the quality of support systems for retired athletes and contributing to broader societal goals of lifelong learning, employability, and social inclusion.

Projektleitung: Prof. Dr. Maike Tietjens
Projektteam, Antragstellende: Dr. Sebastian Brückner, Dr. Barbara Halberschmidt

Dual career

As part of this project, which was running up to December 2025, we were addressing the central question: What contributes to athletes being able to successfully combine their studies with a career in elite sport? We were investigating which factors and predictors promote the success of a dual career for top student athletes.

The aim of the project was to sustainably improve the conditions and support structures for athletes at universities and to enable them to successfully combine their studies with elite sport.

The project was being carried out by an experienced team led by Dr. Barbara Halberschmidt and Prof. Bernd Strauß as well as Laura van de Loo and Claire Kaeding. Together with our cooperation partners, the adh, the DOSB, the Olympic training centers and career advisors, we were working on practical solutions and recommendations.

The project was funded by the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) and the adh.

Management & coordination: Dr. Barbara Halberschmidt & Laura van de Loo

Link: https://www.uni-muenster.de/Spitzensport/en/DualeKarriere.html

CULTurn

The CULTurn project is funded by the Federal Institute of Sport Science from June 2022 to June 2024 and is implemented in cooperation with the German Gymnastics Federation (DTB). The aim of the project is,
(1) to develop and support leadership diagnostics in the professional context of competitive sports in the German Gymnastics Federation with the help of a reliable and valid instrument;
(2) the development of an appreciative resource-oriented self-image and external image for coaches in the context of the intervention;

(3) to implement an individualized, flexible understanding of leadership in the DTB in competitive sports, which will be reflected in further steps in the training, coach education and continuing education tools of the DTB,

... so that coaches and subsequently athletes can embrace and develop their full potential.
A change diagnosis on leadership competence in competitive sports is carried out with the 40 participating coaches. This is based on the Competing Values Framework and also includes the topic of charismatic leadership. Based on this, individual coaching interventions are then conducted at the coaching level in the context of strength- and resource-oriented individual coaching sessions as well as coaching through group workshops. At the DTB level, the results of the initial diagnostics and later the change diagnostics are also reported back in aggregated form. Here, impulses for action, transfer possibilities and change processes are discussed and, if necessary, operationalized. Responsible for the project are Prof. Dr. Maike Tietjens, Prof. Dr. Ralf Lanwehr, Prof. Bernd Strauß, Dr. Sebastian Brückner and Jasper Guzmán.

Link zur Projekthomepage

Link to offer

Move4health

Within the project move4health, funded by the BMFSFJ (Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth), three central topics are investigated in cooperation with Prof.in Ulrike Burrmann (HU Berlin), Prof.in Jessica Süßenbach (Leuphana University Lüneburg), Prof.in Nils Neuber (University of Münster), Prof.in Miriam Kehne (University of Paderborn), Prof.in Bettina Rulofs (DSHS Cologne), and Prof.in Gunda Voigts (HAW Hamburg).

(1) the potential of exercise, play and sport for the psycho-social health of children and adolescents
(2) the attractiveness of sports clubs for children and adolescents
(3) conducive and obstructive conditions for children and adolescents to access and remain in sports, with a particular focus on socially disadvantaged target groups and those who are not involved in sports.

These three topics will be investigated in quantitative (representative survey) as well as qualitative (in-depth studies in specific areas) studies and linked in mixed-method approaches. All three topics are covered in the quantitative survey, which is conducted in cooperation with the research institute Kantar public (N = 4000). The qualitative focus is on a) all-day care, b) open child and youth work (OKJA), and c) socially disadvantaged families.
The Department of Sport and Exercise Psychology leads and coordinates the joint project and is also involved in the topic area (1) the potential of exercise, play and sport for the psycho-social health of children and adolescents (Prof. Dr. Dennis Dreiskämper & Dr.in Lena Henning) as well as in the in-depth study on the topic of all-day activities (Prof. Nils Neuber).

Management & Coordination: Prof. Dr. Dennis Dreiskämper (TU Dortmund) & Dr.in Lena Henning

Duration: 01/2023 - 12/2023

Link to the project page

"Sportpaten"

The goal of the "Sportpaten" project is to support children with adverse developmental chances through sponsors. Through physical activity with the sponsors, the children are to be supported in their motoric, social, emotional, cognitive, and physical capabilities, to give every child the same chance in their development. The special value of the project, which was established in 2012, is the mutual benefit of the schools, the universities, the pupils, and the teachers in training. Students of the University of Münster at the sport institute, economics, and medicine support the pupils over the length of one school year (or more) and meet up every week. Throughout the year, sponsors are taking part in the Sportpatenseminar of the University of Münster, which is supported by the department of sports psychology. Observations and experiences are collected and reflected through supervision and are set into a pedagogical context. Through this, the sponsors achieve key competences in the areas of self- and social competence as well as the ability to skillfully act in their professional career. The project has achieved recognition beyond the university and the city of Münster, namely through the Cusanuswerk, the British Varkey Foundation, as well as former German Minister of Foreign Affairs Sigmar Gabriel, who has the patronage of the project. Homepage: www.sportpaten.com

The project was awarded the University of Münster's teaching prize on January 9, 2026. Here is the video about this award-winning project.