Learning from Crises in Bielefeld: Personal Experience as a Resource for Mental Health

Learning from Crises: When Experience Becomes Valuable Knowledge

On Thursday, November 5, 2026, the Knowledge Workshop Bielefeld invites you to the workshop Learning from Crises. The central theme is experience as a resource for mental health, focusing on the question of what knowledge personal crises produce and how new self-efficacy can arise from them.

Experiential Knowledge as a Special Form of Knowledge

Crises bring people to personal limits, but they do not only leave burdens. They shape the perspective on one’s own body, mental health, and the handling of difficult life situations. The workshop will explore together how experiential knowledge differs from other types of knowledge and what value it has for health research and personal everyday life.

Impulses, Reflection, and Joint Exchange

Impulses from experience experts and researchers will open the event. Afterwards, the moderated discussion will provide space for reflection and exchange. Participants will engage with how personal experiences can be transformed into knowledge and why it is helpful to be an expert in one’s own matter.

Event as Part of GENIALE 2026

This format is part of the GENIALE 2026 program and takes place within the framework of SchLaDo Alter(n). The offering was developed by Bielefeld University, the Faculty of History, Philosophy, and Theology, the Medical Faculty OWL, and the Recovery College Bielefeld. The organization is led by Gina Maria Klein and Nele Röttger.

Who is the Workshop Suitable For?

The offering is aimed at adults and seniors. No prior knowledge is required. The focus is on an accessible event format, scientific perspectives, and a respectful audience atmosphere where personal experiences are considered as a relevant resource.

Conclusion

Learning from Crises connects mental health, research, and personal experience into an engaging workshop with space for new perspectives. Anyone who wants to approach their own experiences differently and think together with others about self-efficacy, reflection, and health knowledge will experience a focused and dialogue-oriented evening at the Knowledge Workshop Bielefeld.

Official Channels of Learning from Crises:

• Instagram: no official profile found
• Facebook: no official profile found
• YouTube: no official profile found
• TikTok: no official profile found

Sources:

• Knowledge Workshop Bielefeld – Event Details
• Bielefeld.NOW – Learning from Crises
• Bielefeld University – Events
• Knowledge Workshop Bielefeld – Event Calendar