Urs Nater serves as Head of the Department, Giorgia Silani serves as Deputy Head. The main focus of the Department´s research and teaching is to advance the understanding of clinically and health relevant experience and behavior. In addition to the individual characteristics of humans, social context factors are taken into account as well.

Research perspectives include psychological resilience as well as the vulnerability of humans in various areas of life and across different age groups. Within the framework of the biopsychosocial model, the research topics address biological, cognitive, affective, behavioral, and social processes of health and impairment. They also consider societal diversity and psychological regulatory processes.

Concrete research questions concern factors and conditions of the development, redevelopment and maintenance of mental and physical health and illness. The behavioral research methodology is complemented by biopsychological and neuroscience methods. This approach contributes to the basic understanding of mental processing, risks, and resources that require prevention, promotion, or intervention. Thus, findings are relevant for psychological assessment and counselling, health-psychological and clinical treatments as well as for psychotherapy.