History

The Sigmund Freud Private University (SFU) is a private university accredited under Austrian law since 2005, with campuses in Vienna, Linz, Paris, Berlin, Milan and Ljubljana.

The founding vision of the SFU: the establishment of the science of psychotherapy
The founding fathers and mothers, Professor Alfred Pritz, Professor Jutta Fiegl, Heinz Laubreuter and Dr Elisabeth Vykoukal, resolved in 2003 to found the Sigmund Freud Private University with the ambition of transforming psychotherapy into the science of psychotherapy, and to place it on a scientific footing, following Sigmund Freud’s vision set out in 1926 in ‘On the Question of Lay Analysis’ – that psychoanalysis would one day be taught as a discipline in its own right … This was followed in 2007 by the establishment of the Faculty of Psychology under Dean Univ.-Prof. Dr Mag. Gerhard Benetka, in 2015 by the Faculty of Medicine, and in 2016 by the Faculty of Law at SFU Vienna.

European Orientation
Inspired by the vision of the founding fathers, it became clear that the SFU’s vision required a European orientation, which led to the establishment of branches at the aforementioned locations. Assoc. Prof. Dr Katharina Reboly, formerly one of the very first students at SFU Vienna, has been committed to the SFU branch in Berlin since 2008, working to establish and expand this European university specialising in the human sciences in Germany.

SFU Berlin at the Tempelhof Campus
SFU Berlin commenced teaching and research activities for the Bachelor’s degree programme in Psychology at the site of the historic airport in Berlin-Tempelhof following its accreditation in 2013. The degree programme in Psychotherapy Science and the Art Therapy course followed in 2015.

In the teaching and research of its degree programmes, university courses and continuing professional development programmes, SFU Berlin is committed to imparting a broad spectrum of theoretical and practical scientific approaches, with a view to creating a fertile ground for academic and professional discourse. Thus, the various methods and theories are taught in equal measure, drawing on both empirical and hermeneutic foundations as well as practical skills; for example, in the Psychotherapy Science programme, the various scientifically recognised psychotherapeutic methods are taught. This breadth is covered within the Bachelor’s degree programmes, whilst Master’s programmes allow students to specialise in specific areas. All degree programmes are based on the three-pillar model: theory, practice and personal development.

Professional identity, academic discourse and personal maturity
The primary focus of our teaching, across the entire range of courses on offer, is on the development of an individual professional identity, fostering a critical approach to academic discourse amongst the next generation of scholars, and promoting personal maturity. Consequently, admission is not based on a minimum grade requirement (Numerus Clausus), but on personal suitability for the respective field of study. The strengths of our still-young university lie in innovative education, student-centred teaching, the identification and pursuit of promising research niches, and serving as an intellectual home for students eager for new experiences, where they can flourish.