HKT is used in a variety of settings: in schools, at universities, in adult education, in sport and in the health sector. It offers the opportunity to adapt the programme flexibly to the target group, the context and the focus (e.g. performance optimisation or lifestyle changes) in line with the principle of outcome-orientation.
One of the first and best-known projects in which the Heidelberg skills training programme was incorporated was the school subject ‘Happiness’ at the Willy-Hellpach School in Heidelberg. Here, based on the principle of self-awareness, the programme promotes life skills, a zest for life and personal development among young people; it encourages them to discuss their life goals and helps them build on their strengths. Students at Heidelberg University of Education receive regular support with their exam preparation. Other partners include the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, as well as 10 ‘HKT schools’ (a network comprising secondary schools, academic secondary schools, grammar schools and vocational schools) in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region. The HKT has also already been integrated as a component into teacher training. Our latest project is ‘StarkmacherSchule’, which we are running at 21 schools across Germany in collaboration with Starkmacher e.V., with funding from the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and the European Social Fund.
In its original form, the HKT was conceived as ‘Integrative Mental Training in Sport’. The aim was to build mental resilience in young athletes so that they could fully realise their performance potential, resist the temptation to use performance-enhancing drugs, and, alongside their development as competitive athletes, establish a second pillar of support through their academic and career development. We now work with many athletes from the Heidelberg Olympic Training Centre. Other partners include the Mannheim Hockey Club (MHC) and the Racket Centre Heidelberg.
The HKT has already been successfully implemented in the field of health and rehabilitation. At the Heidelberg-Königstuhl Rehabilitation Clinic, patients receive regular support in developing a physically active lifestyle. The HKT has also been implemented as part of the workplace health promotion programme for administrative staff at Heidelberg University of Education. Other clients include nursing schools, occupational therapy schools, health insurance funds and self-help groups. Since January 2012, the HKT team has been supporting the Heidelberg Police Headquarters with its workplace health management programme.