is founder and director of the Milton Erickson Institute Heidelberg and medical director and managing director of the SysTelios Clinic Siedelsbrunn for Psychosomatic Health Development. He is co-founder and teaching therapist of the International Society for Systemic Counselling and Therapy (IGST), co-founder and teaching therapist of the Helm Stierlin Institute for Systemic Counselling, Research and Therapy (HSI), trainer and (from 1984-2003) 2nd chairman of the Milton Erickson Society for Clinical Hypnosis, co-founder and senior coach of the German Federal Coaching Association (DBVC). Winner of the Life Achievement Award of the German training industry.

He is internationally regarded as a pioneer of systemic solution-oriented counselling approaches and as the founder of the hypnosystemic concept in psychotherapy, counselling, coaching and organisational development (integrative model that makes the clients' overt and covert competencies optimally usable for them). Author of numerous professional publications (books, professional articles, audio and video publications).