I am an assistant professor of developmental psychopathology and an orthopedagoog (currently in training to become a Child and Youth Psychologist NIP) at the Center for Eating Disorders of LEVVEL, a center for specialized and academic youth mental health care in Amsterdam and the surrounding region. Alongside my clinical work, I am involved in teaching, particularly in the clinical courses of the MA Orthopedagogiek, as well as in post-master education for clinicians at LEVVEL.

In both my clinical and research work, I am motivated by the observation that therapy is most effective when young people feel genuinely seen and understood as individuals with their own minds, and when they experience trust in the therapeutic relationship. This is often referred to as epistemic trust, the sense that one can learn from another person. This has led me to reflect on how care for young people with eating disorders can be better tailored to their individual needs. I am particularly interested in how research can contribute to the development of more personalized and evidence-based youth care, in ways that are feasible and directly relevant to everyday clinical practice.

Another important focus of my work is mentalizing: the ability and willingness to understand one’s own and others’ thoughts, feelings, and intentions. I am particularly interested in how mentalizing plays a role in family dynamics and in the mental health of children and adolescents. Because mentalizing seems to be a transdiagnostic factor across many forms of psychopathology, I study how it can best be assessed in youth with eating disorders, and what may help to strengthen mentalizing within the family system.

My academic background includes a bachelor’s degree in Criminology from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, followed by a clinical master’s in Orthopedagogiek and a research master’s in Child Development and Education at the University of Amsterdam. I completed my PhD in 2019 under the supervision of Susan Bögels, Geert-Jan Stams, and Elizabeth Meins (University of York). Throughout my career, I have tried to consistently combine scientific work with clinical practice, as I believe the two strongly inform and enrich each other.

Other links

• Levvel
• Eetstoornissen | Levvel

• Teacher 'Orthopedagogiek' 
• Lecturer ‘Psychological Problems and Parenting’
• Teacher ‘From Diagnosis to Treatment I’
• Supervisor Clinical internship 
• Supervisor (research) Master theses