Education
| 12/2015 | Licensure for psychological psychotherapy for childhood and youth (ZPP, Heidelberg) |
| 09/2015 | Licensure for psychological psychotherapy (ZPP, Mannheim) |
| 04/2014 | Doctor of Social Sciences, University of Mannheim (“Cognitive and Behavioral Context of Pain Facilitation - Nocebo Conditioning and Uncontrollability-Induced Sensitization”, supervised by Prof. Dr. Rupert Hölzl |
| 03 - 08/2011 | Research visit at the Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain (AECRP), McGill University, Montreal (Canada), supervised by Prof. Dr. Petra Schweinhardt |
| 09/2009 - 08/2012 | PhD studies at the “Center for Doctoral Studies in Social and Behavioral Sciences” of the “Graduate School of Economic and Social Sciences”, University of Mannheim |
| 08/2009 | Diploma in psychology (excellent) |
Academic and Clinical Positions
| since 04/2020 | Manager of the outpatient clinic (Geschäftsführerin der Forschungs- und Lehrambulanz), University of Mainz |
| since 05/2016 | Deputy head of the outpatient clinic (stellvertretende Leitung der Forschungs- und Lehrambulanz), University of Mainz |
| since 09/2015 | Clinical psychologist, outpatient department, University of Mainz |
| since 10/2014 | Research assistant, Department of Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy & experimental Psychopathology (Prof. Dr. Witthöft), University of Mainz, Germany |
| 09/2012 - 09/2014 | Research assistant, pain center (PD Dr. Justus Benrath), University Medical Center Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim |
| 04 - 09/2013 | Research assistant, research outpatient department (Forschungsambulanz), Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim |
| 10/2012 - 03/2013 | Psychological training II, outpatient clinic, Department of Psychosomatics and Psychotherapeutic Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim |
| 09/2011 - 09/2012 | Psychological training I, ward 4B, Department of Psychosomatics and Psychotherapeutic Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim |
| 11/2007 - 08/2009 | Student assistant, University of Mannheim, Otto Selz Institute for Applied Psychology, Mannheim, Germany |
Scholarships and Awards
| 03/2020 | financial grant for the „18th World Congress on Pain“ in Amsterdam 2020 by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP; 160 USD, congress postponed) |
| 10/2018 | NachwuchsFörderpreis Schmerz 2018 by the German Pain Society (Deutsche Schmerzgesellschaft; 7.000 €) |
| 07/2018 | travel grant by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD; 2.251 €) |
| 04/2018 | travel grant by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP; 1.000 USD) |
| 04/2017 | travel grant by the Society for Interdisciplinary Placebo Studies (300 €) |
| 07/2015 | research funding by the University of Mainz (7500 €) |
| 05/2012 | research funding by the Heinrich-Vetter-Stiftung (3000 €) |
| 09/2010 - 08/2012 | PhD scholarship from the German National Academic Foundation (Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes) |
| 09/2010 | PhD scholarship from the German Pain Society (Deutsche Schmerzgesellschaft; 4000 €) |
| 09/2009 - 08/2010 | Scholarship from the Graduate School of Economic & Social Sciences (DFG excellence initiative) |
| 03/2010 | Scholarship from the DGPs group “Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology” for the spring school “fMRI in psychological research” |
| 06/2007 - 08/2009 | Student scholarship from the German National Academic Foundation (Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes) |
Publications
Schiller, D., Yu, A. N. D., Alia-Klein, N., [et al., including Bräscher, A.-K.], Lowe, L. (2024). The human affectome. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105450 Full Text
Deisenhofer, A.-K., Hehlmann, M.I., Rubel, J.A., Lutz, W., Schwartz, B., Bräscher, A.-K., Christiansen, H., Fehm, L., Glombiewski, J.A., Heider, J., Helbig-Lang, S., Hermann, A., Hoyer, J., In-Albon, T., Lincoln, T., Margraf, J., Risch, A.K., Schöttke, H., Schulze, L., Stark, R., Teismann, T., Velten, J., Willutzki, U., Wilz, G., Witthöft, M., & Odyniec, P. (2024). Love Yourself as a Therapist, Doubt Yourself as an Institution? Therapist and institution effects on outcome, treatment length, and dropout. Psychotherapy Research. DOI: 10.1080/10503307.2024.2352749 Full Text
Balthasar, L., Bräscher, A.-K., Kaptchuk, T. J., Ballou, S. K., & Kube, T. (2024). Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Hope in Medicine Scale. Clinical Psychology in Europe, 6(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.32872/cpe.12001 Full Text
Bräscher A.K., Brähler E., Häuser W., Witthöft M. Further Evidence for a Dimensional Latent Structure of Health Anxiety: Taxometric Analyses of the Whiteley Index Based on Two German Representative Samples. Assessment. 2023 Dec 30:10731911231219802. doi: 10.1177/10731911231219802. Epub ahead of print.. Full Text
Ramsperger S., Witthöft M., Bräscher A.-K. (2024). Bridging the feedback implementation gap: A comparison of empirical and rational decision rules in naturalistic psychotherapy. Psychotherapy Research 12, 1-15. doi: 10.1080/10503307.2024.2334047. Epub ahead of print.. Full Text
Huth, D., Bräscher, A.-K., Tholl, S., Fiess, J., Birke, G., Herrmann, C., Jöbges, M., Mier, D., Witthöft, M. (2023). Cognitive-behavioral therapy for patients with post-COVID-19 condition (CBT-PCC): A feasibility trial.Psychological Medicine, 1-11. doi:10.1017/S0033291723002921 Full Text
Klan, T., Bräscher, A.-K., Klein, S., Diezemann-Prößdorf, A., Guth, A.-L., Gaul, C., Witthöft, M. (2022). Assessing attack-related fear in headache disorders – structure and psychometric properties of the Fear of Attacks in Migraine Inventory. Headache 62, 294-305. doi:10.1111/head.14272. Full Text
Witthöft, M., Jungmann, S. M., Germer, S., Bräscher, A.-K. (2022). Early Adverse Effects of Behavioral Preventive Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Germany: An Online General Population Survey. Clinical Psychology in Europe 4(3), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.32872/cpe.7205. Full Text
Hartmann J., Bräscher A.-K., Forbush K. T., Selbom, M., Watson, D., Witthöft, M.. (2022) The Somatoform Spectrum Within the HiTOP System: A Taxometric Test of the Latent Structure. Psychosomatic Medicine. 84(9), 1067-1076. Full Text
Kube, T., Kirsch, I., Glombiewski, J. A., Witthöft, M., Bräscher, A.-K. (2022). Remotely provided open label placebo reduces frequency of and impairment by allergic symptoms. Psychomomatic Medicine 84(9), 997-1005. Full Text
Bräscher, A.-K., Ferti, I.-E., Witthöft, M. (2022). Open-label placebo effects on psychological and physical well-being: a replication study. Clinical Psychology in Europe 4(4), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.32872/cpe.7679 --Full Text
Keller, F., Kühner, C., Alexandrowicz, R. W., Voderholzer, U., Meule, A., Fegert, J. M., Legenbauer, T., Holtmann, M., Bräscher, A.-K.., Cordes, M., Fehm, L., Fladung, A.-K., Fydrich, T., Heider, J., Hoyer, J., In-Albon, T., Lincoln, T., Lutz, W., Margraf, J., Renneberg, B., Schlarb, A.A., Schöttke, H., Teismann, T., Velten, J., Willutzki, U., Witthöft, M., Ziem, M., Hautzinger, M. (2022). Zur Messqualität des Beck-Depressionsinventars (BDI-II) in unterschiedlichen klinischen Stichproben: Eine Item-Response-Theorie Analyse. Zeitschrift für Klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie 51 (3-4), 234-246. Full Text
Germer, S., Weyrich, V., Bräscher, A.-K., Mütze, K., & Witthöft, M. (2022). Does Practice Really Make Perfect? A Longitudinal Analysis of the Relationship Between Therapist Experience and Therapy Outcome: A Replication of Goldberg, Rousmaniere, et al. (2016). Journal of Counseling Psychology, 69(5):745-754. Full Text
Bräscher, A.-K. & Witthöft, M. (2021). Die Erfassung allgemeiner Wirkfaktoren in der Psychotherapie – Eine Validierung des Mainzer Stundenbeurteilungsbogens (MSB). Zeitschrift für Klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie, 49(2) 128-135. Full Text
Bräscher A.-K., Benke, C., Weismüller, B. M., Asselmann, E., Skoda, E.-M., Teufel, M., Jungmann, S. M., Witthöft, M., Pané-Farré, C. A. (2021). Anxiety and depression during the first wave of COVID-19 in Germany – results of repeated cross-sectional surveys. Psychological Medicine Mar 2:1-10. Full Text
Müller, M. & Bräscher, A.-K. (2021). Placeboeffekte bei chronischen Schmerzen: Forschungsstand und klinische Anwendung.Physikalische Medizin, Rehabilitationsmedizin, Kurortmedizin, 31, 60-71. Full Text
Velten, J., Pantazidis, P., Benecke, A., Bräscher, A.-K., Fehm, L., Fladung, A.-K., Fydrich, T., Heider, J., Hentschel, S., Limberg-Thiesen, A., Lincoln, T., Lutz, W., Margraf, J., Schöttke, H., & Hoyer, J. (2021). Wie häufig werden Diagnosen aus dem Bereich der sexuellen Funktionsstörungen an deutschen Hochschulambulanzen für Psychotherapie an psychologischen Instituten vergeben? Zeitschrift für Sexualforschung, 34(01), 5-14. Full Text
Mütze, K., Witthöft, M., & Bräscher, A.-K. (2020). Die Prognose psychotherapeutischer Behandlungsergebnisse im naturalistischen Setting durch Belastungsindikatoren zu Behandlungsbeginn. Verhaltenstherapie. Full Text
Van den Bergh, O., Bräscher, A.-K., Witthöft, M. (2021) Idiopathic environmental intolerance: A treatment model. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice 28, 281-292. Full Text
Klan, T., Bräscher, A.-K., Vales, A., Liesering-Latta, E., Witthöft, M., & Gaul, C. (2020). Determination of psychosocial factors in cluster headache – construction and psychometric properties of the Cluster Headache Scales (CHS). Cephalalgia,40(11):1240-1249. Full Text
Bräscher, A.-K., Schulz, S., Van den Bergh, O., & Witthöft, M. (2020) Prospective study of nocebo effects related to symptoms of idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI-EMF). Environmental Research 190, 110019. Full Text
Müller, M. & Bräscher, A.-K. (2020). Update Psychotherapie in der interdisziplinären multimodalen Schmerztherapie. Anästhesiologie, Intensivmedizin, Notfallmedizin und Schmerztherapie 55(09) 536-548. Full Text
Bräscher, A-K., Sütterlin S., Scheuren, R., Van den Bergh, O., & Witthöft, M. (2020). Somatic symptom perception from a predictive coding perspective – An empirical test using the thermal grill illusion. Psychosomatic Medicine 82(7) 708-714. Full Text
Witthöft, M., Bräscher, A.-K., Jungmann, S. M., & Köteles, F. (2020). Somatic symptom perception and interoception – a latent-variable approach. Zeitschrift für Klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie 228(2) 100-109. Full Text
Bräscher, A.-K. & Witthöft, M. (2019). Behavioral and electrodermal data on implicit nocebo conditioning using supraliminally presented visual stimuli. Data in Brief, 27, 104705.Full Text
Becker, S.*, Bräscher, A.-K.*, Bannister, S., Bensafi, M., Calma-Birling, D., Chan, R.C.K., Eerola, T., Ellings-en, D.-M., Ferdenzi, C., Hanson, J. L., Joffily, M., Lidhar, N. K., Lowe, L. J., Martin, L. J., Musser, E. D., Noll-Hussong, M., Olino, T. M., Pintos Lobo, R., Wang, Y. (in press). Pleasure and displeasure as core processes of feelings - the role of hedonics in the Human Affectome: from brain processing to language. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. Full Text
Bräscher, A.-K., Witthöft, M. (2019). Nocebo hyperalgesia induced by implicit conditioning. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry 64C 106-112.Full Text
Velten, J., Bräscher, A.-K., Fehm, L., Fladung, A., Fydrich, T., Heider, J., Hentschel., S., Limberg-Thiesen, A., Lutz, W., Margraf., J., Schöttke, H., Witthöft, M., & Hoyer., J. (2018). Behandlungsdiagnosen in deutschen Hochschulambulanzen im Jahr 2016. Ergebnisse einer Machbarkeitsstudie zum KODAP-Projekt. Zeitschrift für Klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie 47 175-185. Full Text
Müller, M. Bräscher, A.-K., (2018). Placeboeffekte bei chronischen Schmerzen: Forschungsstand und klinische Anwendung . Anästhesiologie, Intensivmedizin, Notfallmedizin und Schmerztherapie 53 605-617. Full Text
Bräscher, A.-K., Witthöft, M., Becker, S. (2018). The underestimated significance of conditioning in placebo hypoalgesia and nocebo hyperalgesia. Pain Research and Management, Article ID 6841985, 8 pages. Full Text
Bräscher, A.-K., Kleinböhl, D., Hölzl, R., Becker, S. (2017). Differential Classical Conditioning of the Nocebo Effect: Increasing Heat-Pain Perception Without Verbal Suggestions. Frontiers in Psychology 8. 2163. Full Text
Witthöft, M., Freitag, I., Nußbaum, C., Bräscher, A.-K., Jasper, F., Bailer, J., Rubin, J. (2017). On the origin of worries about modern health hazards: experimental evidence for a conjoint influence of media reports and personality traits. Psychology and Health 33(3) 361-380. Full Text
Bräscher, A.-K., Raymaekers, K. Van den Bergh, O., Witthöft, M. (2017). Are media reports able to cause somatic symptoms attributed to WiFi radiation? An experimental test of the negative expectation hypothesis. Environmental Research 156 265-271. Full Text
Bräscher, A.-K.*, Becker, S.*, Hoeppli, M.-E., Schweinhardt, P. (2016). Different brain circuitries mediating controllable and uncontrollable pain. Journal of Neuroscience 36(18) 5013-5025. Full Text
Bräscher, A.-K.*, Zuran, D.* Feldmann, R. E., Benrath, J. (2016). Patient survey on the evaluation of different materials of aligners in Invisalign® therapy. Journal of Orofacial and Orthopedics 77(6) 432-438. Full Text
Bräscher, A.-K.*, Blunk, J. A.*, Bauer, K., Feldmann, R. E., Benrath, J. (2014). Comprehensive curriculum for phantom-based training of ultrasound-guided intercostal and stellate ganglion blocks. Pain Medicine 15(10) 1647-1656. Full Text
Bräscher, A.-K.*, Blunk, J.*, Söhle, S., Feldmann, Jr., R. E., Bauer, M., Benrath, J. (2014). [Cost minimization analysis in postoperative pain management: economic efficiency and effectiveness of two infusion pump systems]. Der Anästhesist 63(10) 783-792. Full Text
Dusch, M.*, Bräscher, A.-K.*, Kopf, A., Treede, R. E., Benrath, J. (2014). [Medical educational evaluation of the German Pain Congress 2012. In the context of the CanMEDS physician competency framework]. Der Schmerz 28(5) 520-527. Full Text
Wei, K., Feldmann Jr., R. E., Bräscher, A.-K., Benrath, J. (2014). Ultrasound-guided stellate ganglion blocks combined with pharmacological and occupational therapy in complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS): a pilot case series ad interim. Pain Medicine 15(12) 2120-7. Full Text
Kortüm, F., Bräscher, A.-K., Schmitz-Buchholz, D., Feldmann Jr., R. E., Benrath, J. (2014). [Interventional pain therapy: Results of a survey among specialized pain physicians in Germany]. Der Schmerz 28(6) 591-599. Full Text
Puetzler, J., Feldmann Jr., R. E., Bräscher, A.-K., Gerhardt, A., Benrath, J. (2014). Improvements in Health-Related Quality of Life by Comprehensive Cancer Pain Therapy: A Pilot Study with Breast Cancer Outpatients under Palliative Chemotherapy. Oncology Research and Treatment 37(9) 456-462. Full Text
Rezensionen
Bräscher, A.-K. (2015). [Behavior therapy: case video clips for diagnostics and treatment]. Verhaltenstherapie 25(1) 69-70. (DVD Review) Full Text
Bräscher, A.-K. (2016). Soziale Angststörung. Fortschritte der Psychotherapie. Verhaltenstherapie 26(4) 295-296. Full Text
Bräscher, A.-K. (in press). Abwechslungsreiche Therapiematerialien für die Behandlung von Patienten mit chronischen Schmerzen. Zeitschrift für Klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie.
Professional Affiliations
- International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP)
- German Psychological Society (DGPs)
- Society for Neuroscience (SfN)
- Society for Interdisciplinary Placebo Studies (SIPS)
Research Interests
- pain perception, psychological pain modulation
- bodily symptoms, symptom perception
- placebo and nocebo effects
- classical conditioning
- idiopathic environmental intolerances
- psychophysiology, fMRI
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