At the beginning of his career, he discovered the psychological works of Frederick Kanfer and Heinz Heckhausen in Bochum and of Klaus Holzkamp and Eva Jaeggi in Berlin. He graduated in 1974. Günther is also an Economics-and-Work teacher, school psychologist, as well as being a dovish follower of cognitive behavioural therapy. Later, from 1984-1986 he studied Health Sciences at famed Professor Dieter Kleiber’s institute.
Professional Experience
In 1977, Günther became the director of a private residential treatment centre. In 1979, he discovered Sam Ferrainola's Camp, namely the Glen Mills Schools close to Philadelphia, discussed this with Howard W. Polsky in New York City. and got internships 1980 in Boston's famous counseling-team Bridge Over Troubled Waters and in the very specialRobert White School. While travelling he inspected other psychosocial projects in countries like Denmark, Ukraine, Canada, Italy. After that, feeling inspired, Manfred founded and took charge of a consultancy for young people called "JOKER" in West Berlin's City in 1982, a position he held for 17 years. Later he moved to the Bonn-institution "German Crime Prevention Forum " to investigate and write surveys on "Prevention of violence for children in schools" after the first extreme german school shooting in Erfurt. From 2007-2013 he has been a consultant and in the emergency psychological service at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sciences in Berlin. To discuss his ideas, Günther was being interviewed on radio- and TV channels such as SFB 2, SFB 3, Hallo, N 24 and ZDF-Moma. The Ministry of Education, School, Youth and Family Brandenburg commissioned Manfred Günther with the curriculum developmentSocial Work
Universities
For 40 years, Günther has worked beside his main occupations in four different universities of Berlin and from 2011-2015 in Magdeburg. His main subject is "Rights of young people".
Memberships
1977-1980: Trade union "OTV Berlin, in charge of the "churches" group
1993-1998: Member of the "Landesjugendhilfeausschuss" in Berlin
1993-1997: Management team for "Humanistischer Verband Deutschlands, Berlin"
1996-1998: Management team responsible for "Aktion 70"
Today:
"German Humanist Association / IHEU", member of arbitration committee
Selection from roughly 40 essays
Disziplinierte Schüler durch Verhaltensmodifikation?, in: Klaus Ulich : Wenn Schüler stören. Beltz, München 1980, ; Preview in: Demokratische Erziehung 1977; once more in: Moll-Strobel, H. : „Die Problematik der Disziplinschwierigkeiten im Unterricht". Darmstadt 1982
Alternative Konzepte für 'nichtbeschulbare' und delinquente Jugendliche in den USA, in: Sozialpädagogik 1981. ISSN 0038-6189
Psychosoziale Auswirkungen von Arbeitslosigkeit auf Jugendliche, in: Jugend – Beruf – Gesellschaft 4/1981; once more in: BAG Jugendaufbauwerk : Jugendarbeitslosigkeit - Angebote der Jugendsozialarbeit zur Lösung eines drängenden Problems, Bonn 1982
Hilfen für junge Volljährige nach SGB VIII § 41, in: Jugendhilfe 8/ 1993
Prävention durch Sport, in: Forum Kriminalprävention. 2/ 2006
Research
: Jugend in Wilmersdorf 1984. Eine empirische Studie zum Zeitbewußtsein, Freizeit- und Problemverhalten der Jugendlichen im Bezirk, Community of Berlin-Wilmersdorf 1985
Psychodiagnostik, ambulante Therapie und Unterbringung in heilpädagogischen oder klinischen Einrichtungen. Eine Untersuchung über Indikationsprobleme bei Jugendlichen mit psychischen Störungen in psychosozialen Diensten, Berlin 1986
: Zur Situation der Erziehungs- und Familienberatungsstellen in Deutschland. Rahmenbedingungen, Prävention, Kooperation, Bonn 2005
Books
Jugendliche im Berliner Psychodschungel, Berlin 1987,
Fast alles, was Jugendlichen Recht ist, Berlin 2003, ; Preview-title JAW : Rechte junger Menschen, Berlin 1997
Wörterbuch Jugend – Alter with 50 illustrations of Klaus Stuttmann, Berlin 2010,
