Dr. Ruth Van der Hallen
Ruth Van der Hallen is an Associate Professor in Clinical Psychology and the coordinator of the master's specialisation in Clinical Psychology at Erasmus University Rotterdam. As coordinator, she is responsible for the coordination and further development of the programme, with a focus on strengthening the integration of scientific knowledge and clinical training. She also leads an innovative pilot programme, the APV-AMG pilot, aimed at facilitating a direct transition for students from the master's programme in Psychology to postgraduate training in healthcare psychology (GZ-psychologist training). In addition, she coordinates the master's course on Personality Pathology and mentors master's students during their practical and/or research internship. Her research focuses on individual differences in how people respond to adversity and traumatic experiences, and how these processes relate to mental health and well-being. She is particularly interested in the role of personality, coping, secrecy, and deception in psychological functioning and adaptation. Her work spans clinical and non-clinical populations and uses a range of methodologies, including survey research and ecological momentary assessment. She is committed to open science and interdisciplinary collaboration. Alongside her academic work, Ruth practices as a psychotherapist with a focus on personality-related difficulties, trauma, identity-related concerns, suicidality, and grief.
Prof.dr. Ingmar Franken
Ingmar Franken is a full professor at Erasmus University Rotterdam, affiliated with the Clinical Psychology group within the Department of Psychology, Education, and Child Studies. Currently, he serves as the head of the Center for Addiction and Substance Use Research (CESAR) in Rotterdam. His research primarily focuses on the mechanisms underlying addiction and substance use. He is committed to a "From Lab to Society" research approach, which emphasizes bridging basic experimental research with clinical practice. He has presented his work at numerous international conferences and has successfully secured both governmental and private funding, including prestigious VENI and VIDI grants. He is a member of the management team of Generation R and a core team member of the GUTS consortium, two large-scale longitudinal studies in Rotterdam investigating child and adolescent development. Professor Franken serves on several editorial boards and regularly reviews for a wide range of scientific journals and funding bodies, including the European Research Council (ERC). He has authored over 250 peer-reviewed scientific articles and is the lead editor of the SAGE Handbook of Addiction Psychology, as well as two Dutch handbooks on psychopathology and addiction for professionals. Beyond academia, Franken serves on several boards, including as chairman of the board for licensing psychologists in clinical psychology and psychotherapy (Bopp-West) and is in the executive board of the national vLOGO. His expertise has led to regular invitations to serve on evaluation panels for European university programs and to provide advisory services to organizations such as the Netherlands Gambling Authority. He also maintains clinical practice as a psychologist at Ready for Change, a clinic specializing in addiction treatment.
Dr. Femke Truijens
Femke Truijens is an Assistant Professor in Clinical Psychology, Methodology, and Philosophy of Science at Erasmus University Rotterdam. Her research is focused on meaningful measurement in clinical research and practice – specifically the validity and interpretation of measurement data given the meaning-making processes involved when patients score self-report measures. Her research incorporates qualitative and mixed research methods, validity theory, hermeneutic theory, and philosophy of science. Furthermore, she plays an active role in the ongoing debate on recovery as paradigm for clinical practice. In teaching, she coordinates the master courses on Severe Mental Illness and Recovery, in which a self-critical approach is taken to medical, recovery-oriented, and narrative-based approaches of mental health, and Qualitative Research in Psychology, in which students from multiple master specialisations learn to think about and do qualitative research. Previous teaching was focused on diagnostics and assessment, psychotherapeutic techniques, qualitative and quantitative research methodology, philosophy of science, and scientific/clinical ethics and reflexivity. She is a lecturer in Scientific Development and Innovation in the Clinical Psychology postgraduate training at RINO Utrecht. She is founder and chair of the Qualitative Research Collective GGZ (KOG). Finally, she is psychotherapeutic practitioner in her private practice for gifted adults.
Dr. Linda P. Dekker
Linda Dekker is an Assistant Professor in Clinical Psychology at Erasmus University Rotterdam and a trained Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychologist. She teaches in the Bachelor's and Master's programmes in Clinical Psychology and is passionate about helping students develop both strong scientific knowledge and practical clinical skills. Her research focuses on psychosexual health and well-being, with particular attention to understanding, identifying, and preventing vulnerabilities related to sexuality across the lifespan. Her work includes topics such as autism, digital sexuality, healthy sexual development, and the prevention of sexual boundary violations. In 2020, she co-founded the Rotterdam Autism Consortium (R.A.C.), and she is also one of the founders of the Erasmus Love Lab (E.L.L.), an interdisciplinary research platform dedicated to sexuality, relationships, and intimate well-being. She is the recipient of a prestigious NWO VENI grant, supporting her independent research program on youth digital sexual health. She collaborates with national and international researchers and has been a Visiting Research Scholar at Tufts University (USA). Within the Psychology program, she co-coordinates the MSc practicum Clinical Skills in Assessment & Treatment, supervises research and clinical internships, and mentors Honours and Advanced Research Program students. Her goal is to bridge science and clinical practice while inspiring the next generation of psychologists.
Dr. Minita Franzen
Minita Franzen is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology at Erasmus University Rotterdam. Her research focuses on grief reactions in daily life, using Experience Sampling Methods (ESM) and Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) to better understand the development and treatment of prolonged grief. Her research background includes interpersonal theory, with a focus on how interpersonal processes can help explain the development of depression in individuals with experiences of bullying. Her teaching responsibilities include co-coordinating “Clinical Skills in Assessment & Treatment” (4.1) and “Emotional and Affective Disorders” (2.4), as well as serving as EUR coordinator for the LOGO and BAPD certificates. She also supervises clinical GZ internships and master’s theses. In addition to her academic work, she is a therapist at Antes in Rotterdam, where she uses cognitive behavioural therapy and schema therapy–based approaches in the treatment of addiction, trauma, personality pathology, and grief.