Elisabeth Punzi

Director of Studies

Department of Social Work

Mail

elisabeth.punzi@gu.se

Visiting address

Sprängkullsgatan 25

41123 Göteborg

Postal address

Box 720

40530 Göteborg

About Elisabeth Punzi

Biography

Clinical psychologist, specialized in clinical psychology, specialized in neuropsychology. I have worked with clients with various psychosocial difficulties, in marignalized situations. PhD in psychology and associate professor.

Teaching

I mainly teach qualitative methods and courses in mental health, disability, trauma, crisis and substance misuse. I am also director of doctoral studies.

Research interests

I write about how people with severe mental healthissues and/or intellectual disability can receive adequate and person-centred interventions, not least in cases of violence. I often start from an existential, humanistic, critical, Mad studies or psychoanalytical perspective.

In addition, I write about how creative expressions can support recovery, involvement in education and practical activities.

I am interested in the cultural heritage of psychiatry and who "has the right" to define history and cultural heritage. Who will tell the story when old psychiatric institutions are converted into business parks and housing estates? Which human efforts and perspectives were there before in the world, which we can learn from? I collaborate with people who are or have been users of psychiatry, for example within the association Mad Heritage & contemporary arts.

In addition to this, I examine the relationship between Judaism and psychoanalysis, especially Sigmund Freud's Jewish identity, how he and other Jews were exposed to anti-Semitism, and how his approach and psychoanalysis as a discipline need to be understood against this background.

Current research

I have received funding from RJ to establish an international, interdisciplinary network that touches on narrative, creative expression and clinical practice. The network is led by myself and Jarmila Mildorf, Paderborn University, Christoph Singer, Innsbruck University and Cornelia Wächter, Dresden University. Together, we are editors for the book series Narratives and Mental Health, which is published by the academic publisher Brill.

At the turn of the year 2023-2024, I started a three-year research project financed by the crime victims' fund. The project is called Crime victims with intellectual disabilities. To identify the target group and improve the response using the LDSQ questionnaire. I have the project together with Mikaela Starke and Johan Hagborg Melander. I am also involved in a Forte-funded project led by Mikaela Starke where, together with representatives of the city of Gothenburg, we are investigating how social services can better work together to support people with intellectual disabilities who are exposed to violence.

I also have a research project together with Kompetenscentrum kultur och hälsa, Region Stockholm where I research Creative Workshop, a creative operation for patients in affective Psychiatry, Stockholm Södra.

Previously, I have participated in a project on the renovation of housing led by Professor Paula Femenias, Chalmers, where I particularly look at psychosocial factors and how renovation is experienced by the residents, as well as being a researcher in a project led by docent Lisa Rudolfsson that deals with response of women who have been raped. The studies took into account the perspective of the women, the medical staff and the police on how treatment works today and how it can be improved. Together with Mikaela Starke and Anneli Larsson, I had a research project on violence against people with intellectual disabilities. It was done in collaboration with the the Swedish agency for participation and we focused on what knowledge about violence is available for professionals, and what methods to identify violence and support vcitims, are used, and not least what knowledge and efforts are needed.

In addition, together with doctoral student Mostafa Hosseini, I had a research project on how newly arrived young people from Afghanistan perceive integration and what they see as strengthening a sense of belonging.