Specialization
Clinical Psychology
Focus of research
As a professor of Clinical Psychology in Psychiatry at Amsterdam University Medical Centers, my research program focuses on common mental health disorders (such as depression).
I study potentially modifiable etiological factors of onset, recurrence and chronicity using an interdisciplinary complexity approach. I am a co-director of the new Centre for Urban Mental Health together with prof. Wiers that is awarded by the University of Amsterdam (UvA) for the coming 5-10 years. As a fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) at the UvA, I studied the use of complexity models in order to explore new targets for prevention, treatment and relapse prevention of mental disorders. Additionally, as a fellow at the World Health Organization (WHO), I studied the possibilities of using technology to increase the accessibility of effective psychological interventions worldwide. Besides, I work as a clinical psychologist at the Psychiatry Department of the University Medical Academic Centres.
My research program focuses on the following issues:
1) Understanding etiological and maintenance factors in depression and related common mental health disorders using a complex systems approach.
2) Developing innovative multimodal psychological interventions (i.e. combined with technological devices and pharmacological treatments) and evaluating the effect in RCT’s and micro RCT’s (using ecological momentary assessment and affective networks).
3) Increasing accessibility of effective psychological interventions in low and middle income countries using technology and/or non-specialists.