Suzy Matthijssen

Head of Mission

Suzy Matthijssen, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, psychotherapist, and internationally recognized expert in the field of trauma and anxiety treatment. She works at PSYTREC and is Director of both the PSYTREC Academy and the Enhancing Trauma Treatment Institute. Suzy obtained her PhD at Utrecht University, where her dissertation, Enhancing Trauma Treatment, focused on developing and evaluating innovative methods to improve trauma therapy. For many years, she spent her time as a Director at the Altrecht Academic Anxiety Centre, combining clinical leadership with research. She is a CBT Supervisor & Trainer and an EMDR Europe & EMDRIA Consultant and Trainer, and she has played a central role in developing and disseminating EMDR 2.0, an evidence-informed modernization of EMDR therapy, designed to enhance treatment outcomes. Suzy provides national and international training in EMDR (2.0), intensive PTSD treatments, and complex anxiety disorders. Suzy is also Vice President of the Dutch EMDR Association (VEN), a member of the Scientific Committee of EMDR Europe, and the former Co-Chair of the EMDR Council of Scholars’ Future of EMDR Project.

Ad de Jongh

Mission Partner

Ad de Jongh, PhD, is a mental health psychologist and emeritus professor of Anxiety and Behaviour Disorders at the University of Amsterdam. He is also visiting professor of Northumbria University, honorary professor in psychology at the School of Health Sciences of Salford University in Manchester, at the Institute of Health and Society of the University of Worcester, and at the School of Psychology of Queen’s University in Belfast. He was involved in establishing the Psychotrauma Expertise Center (PSYTREC), where he is working at the research department. He is an expert in the treatment of anxiety disorders and involved in research on the efficacy of evidence-based trauma-focused treatments for a wide variety of patient groups, including children and adolescents, people with intellectual disabilities and other complex psychiatric conditions such as personality disorders and psychosis. He published more than 500 scientific articles, book chapters and books on his areas of expertise, is an approved trainer for the EMDR Europe association and former board member of the Dutch EMDR association and the EMDR Europe association.

Drs. Erik ten Broeke (trainer) is a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist. He is an independent cognitive behavioral therapist based in Deventer. For approximately 30 years, he has been involved as a trainer and supervisor for the VGCt in various cognitive behavioral therapy trainings. In addition, he is certified by EMDR Europe as a senior EMDR trainer. Together with Ad de Jongh, he has provided EMDR trainings for many years and they have written numerous articles and books on EMDR, including Handbook EMDR, EMDR in Practice (Part I and II) and EMDR Encyclopedia. He has also written - often in collaboration with others - articles, book chapters and several (hand)books on (integrated) cognitive behavioral therapy.

Dr. Loes Marquenie is a clinical psychologist, psychotherapist and VGCt supervisor. She works at Jellinek as a clinician, supervisor, and senior researcher. In addition, she is deputy head trainer of the clinical psychology training program at RINO Amsterdam. She obtained her PhD on the treatment of anxiety disorders in clients with alcohol addiction. Afterwards, she was involved as co-supervisor in two randomized clinical trials on Imagery Rescripting (ImRs), where she supervised the treatments, among other things. This provided her with a wealth of examples of practical challenges and ways to overcome them. As an independent practitioner ([email protected]), she provides supervision and teaches regularly, often on ImRs and PTSD as well as on addiction.

Jannetta Bos is a psychotherapist and NVVS sexologist with many years of experience in treating people who have been traumatized. She worked for 14 years in Hoorn at GGZ Noord-Holland Noord, including within the care program for complex trauma and personality disorders. For the past 12 years, until her retirement in April 2023, she worked at Arq Centrum ’45 with people who have been victims of war, persecution, and violence.

Rafaele Huntjens, PhD, is professor in the field of trauma-related disorders and dissociative disorders at the University of Groningen. She is also editor-in-chief for the Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry. The main focus of her research is on cognitive-behavioral processes in trauma-related disorders and the treatment of dissociative identity disorder.

Agnes van Minnen, Ph.D, is a former professor in the field of the treatment of anxiety disorders and fear regulation. She is one of the founders of PSYTREC, is a licensed clinical psychologist, and supervisor in the field of behavioral and cognitive therapies. She conducted research on intensive treatment, and on treatment processes that influence treatment outcome in PTSD. 

Iva Bicanic, PhD, is a clinical psychologist specialized in the field of sexual trauma. She is head of the National Psychotrauma Centre at the University Medical Centre Utrecht. Also, she is the director of the multidisciplinary Sexual Assault Centre located in 16 regions across the Netherlands for acute victims of rape. She finished her PhD on psychobiological correlates of rape in female adolescents in 2014. Her current research project focuses on the effectiveness of Early EMDR in acute victims of rape. Iva is board member of the Dutch EMDR society.

Arne Hofmann PhD. MD, is specialist for psychosomatic and internal medicine, founder of the EMDR-Institute Germany and one of the heads of an EMDR trauma hospital in Wesseling, Germany. He learned EMDR in 1991 from Francine Shapiro and is co-founding board member of EMDR Europe and a member of the German national guideline commission on the treatment of PTSD. He is teaching, researching and publishing in the field of psychological trauma, depression and has been teaching at the Universities of Cologne, Boston University and Peking University. In 2010 he co-founded the European EDEN research group that has up to now co-published 5 controlled studies that have shown that EMDR is highly effective in the treatment of depression. For his work has received several awards and the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.