Handbook of Counselling Methods in the Field of Religiously Motivated Extremism

At the beginning of 2021, there were more than 50 projects in Germany offering distancing counselling or counselling for the social environment of people engaged in religiously motivated extremism. Next to social workers, educators and psychologists, many of these projects primarily employ social scientists. Due to the limited duration of the projects, there are also many young professionals in this field of work.

Although the organisations continuously strive to qualify and prepare their employees well for their work, new colleagues in counselling sessions frequently encounter challenges and questions. These may include how to build relationships with clients, deciding how to address certain topics, or exploring possible reasons for radicalisation. To support (prospective) counsellors and help professionalise the entire field, the IZRD has developed a methodology handbook for social environment, disengagement, and exit counselling in the context of religiously motivated extremism. In addition, the handbook offers suggestions for more experienced counsellors to sharpen their focus on the resources provided by different approaches and methods, and to further develop their own work attitude and methodology.

Read and download the handbook