Alumni Interview with Benjamin Moll

In 2009, I began a voluntary social service year at the Heidenheim Social-Psychiatric Residential Community and subsequently studied social work at the Heidenheim Cooperative State University. After graduating, I worked as a residential group staff member and team coordinator until January 2026. At that point, I took on the role of deputy director of the facility.

The Heidenheim Social-Psychiatric Housing Cooperative is a specialized housing program for adults with mental illness. While I was studying at THA, I continued to work here as a residential group staff member. My responsibilities included providing daily support, crisis prevention, planning interventions, liaising with partner organizations, as well as project planning and participating in various committee meetings. With my transition to a management role starting in 2026, these responsibilities have shifted accordingly to the areas typical of this position.

Given the foreseeable retirement of the previous facility directors, the association had already begun searching in advance for suitable candidates to potentially succeed them. These candidates were to be specifically prepared for the new position. This applied to me and another colleague who took over as director of the facility after completing his studies at THA.

Initially, our search for potential continuing education opportunities focused more on one-day workshops, but after some research, the benefits of a more comprehensive program became clear. We therefore specifically sought out continuing education programs and degree courses to broaden and deepen our knowledge. A tip brought the certificate program at THA to our attention. We chose this program in the hope that the knowledge imparted by a university would be of a high standard and up to date. This hope was fully realized.

As a residential group staff member and social worker, I had very little knowledge of business administration. The knowledge I gained on topics such as personnel management and recruitment, professional process and time management, business administration, quality management, and many others—which had been of only secondary importance to me as a residential group staff member—made it much easier for me to transition into my new role as assistant director.

This enabled me to understand processes and their underlying contexts more quickly, and the knowledge I gained sparked many new ideas and perspectives on how existing systems could be improved and where I should focus my efforts in the future.

Even before starting my studies, I had reduced my work hours to 30 hours per week. At the time, I had a one-year-old child at home who required a lot of attention. Despite these circumstances, the workload was manageable. Studying for the exams (which I found to be very fair) and writing my thesis took quite a bit of time, as you might expect.

However, I never felt like I had to give up much (in my personal or professional life) because of my studies, nor did I feel under a great deal of pressure or stress. I found the requirements to be entirely appropriate for a part-time university program.

The program prepared me very well for my new role. Even while working full-time, I was able to manage the workload quite well. The course content is interesting and challenging. Thanks to the diverse range of instructors, a wide variety of topics and discussions arise, and I’m convinced that everyone—whether they’re already familiar with these topics or are exploring them for the first time—gains new insights and is engaged in a way that matches their level of knowledge.

1. Versatile
2. Professional
3. Great

The interview was conducted by Prof. Dr. Erika Regnet