Löffler-Stastka H, Post S. Mentalization capacities in multidisciplinary teams. World J Psychiatry 2026; 16(9): 115716 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.115716]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Henriette Löffler-Stastka, Department of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, and Postgraduate Program Clinical Academic Psychotherapeutic Propedeutics and Medical Humanities, Medical University Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, Vienna 1090, Austria. henriette.loeffler-stastka@meduniwien.ac.at
Research Domain of This Article
Psychiatry
Article-Type of This Article
review-article
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World J Psychiatry. Sep 19, 2026; 16(9): 115716 Published online Sep 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.115716
Mentalization capacities in multidisciplinary teams
Stefanie Post, Henriette Löffler-Stastka
Henriette Löffler-Stastka, Department of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, and Postgraduate Program Clinical Academic Psychotherapeutic Propedeutics and Medical Humanities, Medical University Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
Stefanie Post, Department of Psychiatry, Klinik Favoriten and Postgraduate Program Clinical Academic Psychotherapeutic Propedeutics and Medical Humanities, Medical University Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
Author contributions: Löffler-Stastka H conceived the study, contributed to this paper, designed the overall concept and outline of the manuscript, contributed to the writing, edited the manuscript, illustrations, and review of literature; Post S contributed to the writing, and both iteratively discussed the paper.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Henriette Löffler-Stastka, Department of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, and Postgraduate Program Clinical Academic Psychotherapeutic Propedeutics and Medical Humanities, Medical University Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, Vienna 1090, Austria. henriette.loeffler-stastka@meduniwien.ac.at
Received: October 24, 2025 Revised: January 4, 2026 Accepted: February 5, 2026 Published online: September 19, 2026 Processing time: 305 Days and 9.9 Hours
Abstract
Multidisciplinary team interventions provide enhanced healing rates and positively influence emotional well-being and satisfaction among patients. For this strategy to be a potential strength for application in clinical practice, good enough mentalization capacities and emotional awareness are essential in the treatment team. This editorial points at and examines the mentalizing ability of staff at the psychiatric department of an acute psychiatric ward and serves as the accompanying research for a project aimed at improving the communication between patients and staff. For this purpose, the clinic management offered a multi-month training in mentalization-based therapy open to all professional groups and measuring both the mentalizing ability of staff and patients. For the accompanying research concerning the staff, twenty training participants from various professions (physicians, nurses, occupational and physiotherapists, social workers, and psychologists) took part in a baseline survey. At the second measurement point after completion of the training, seventeen participants were surveyed. These participants were assessed both before and after the training with regard to their mentalizing ability and symptom burden. An expected improvement in mentalizing capacity and reduction in symptom burden could be confirmed underlining the effects of a multidisciplinary team and giving hints for further continuing training for multidisciplinary team interventions.
Core Tip: The role of mentalization and related psychic functioning is relevant for adequate patient-centered care. Research findings on mentalization-based training of professionals working in highly stressful professions are highlighted in their relevance for therapeutic strategies. For further research directions, inter-professional processes have to be focused in order to investigate the therapeutic processing of work and containment intensity and their associated psychological, cognitive, and affective functions to provide the best point of care for dangerously, severely ill patients.
