PhD Position in Clinical Psychology

This project addresses the gap between current psychotherapy training and the reality of clinical practice. It aims to create a research-informed training model that equips therapists with the skills needed to handle the complexities of clinical work.

What you will do

You will write articles which will culminate in a dissertation. About 10% of the time will be spent on teaching, such as supervising BSc and MSc thesis projects.

• Literature Review and Theoretical Integration: Conduct thorough reviews of existing research on psychotherapy training, common principles of change, and deliberate practice.
• Development of Psychotherapy Interventions: Collaborate in designing novel, online, evidence-based, principle-based and marker-led psychotherapy training program (e.g., Emotion-Focused Training).
• Research Design and Implementation: Develop and conduct empirical studies to test the effectiveness of the newly designed training programs.
• Technology Integration: Explore and integrate innovative technologies (e.g., online platforms, virtual reality, AI-driven tools) to enhance the training experience.
• Data Collection and Analysis: Design and manage data collection processes, ensuring ethical standards and use advanced statistical techniques and software to analyze the effectiveness of training interventions.
• Collaboration and Communication: Engage with stakeholders, including psychotherapy educators, trainees, and practitioners, to refine the training program and present findings at academic conferences.

Where you will work

The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences consists of five institutes: Centre for Science and Technology Studies, Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology, Political Science, and Psychology. The faculty has approximately 7000 students and 1000 staff members. Within the institutes, not only education is provided but also groundbreaking research is conducted that pushes the boundaries of our understanding of human behaviour and societal structures. What makes our faculty unique is the diversity of research topics, the various styles of teaching, and the way professional support is organized; this provides you with the opportunity to explore and develop your interests and expertise.

Institute of Psychology

The Institute of Psychology educates new generations to contribute to the challenges of our society, now and in the future, based on leading behavioral scientific research and education. This is achieved through collaboration both within and outside our institute in the field of Psychology and related research areas, both fundamental and applied. The broad bachelor's program and a wide variety of master's specializations also contribute to this goal. Within the institute and the academic community, there is a committed and passionate atmosphere. The themes of Health and Well-being, Social-Cognitive-Affective Decision Making, Development and Learning, and Advanced Behavioral Research Methods guide research and education. The institute values conducting these activities in a safe and inclusive environment and provides space for new developments such as open science, recognition and appreciation, and interdisciplinarity, which are anchored in its strategy. With approximately 5,000 students and 600 staff members, the institute includes the Institute Office, the Department of Bachelor Education, and 6 units for education and research: Health, Medical and Neuropsychology, Clinical Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Developmental and Educational Psychology, Social, Economic and Organisational Psychology, and Methodology and Statistics.

You will be part of the Clinical Psychology unit, more specifically the theme group “Interventions”. The supervisory team of the PhD student consists of Dr. Anna Babl, Dr. Kim de Jong, and Dr. Bernet Elzinga.

What you bring

• Academic Background: A strong foundation in clinical psychology, understanding of psychotherapy theories, qualitative and quantitative methods, and principles of change.
• Research Experience: Prior experience in conducting psychotherapy research, experience with data analysis tools (e.g., SPSS, R, Mplus) and a strong understanding of research ethics.
• Affinity to Work Integratively: Interest or experience in applying technology to psychological interventions and comfort with developing technology-based tools for training.
• Innovative Thinking and Problem-Solving: Demonstrated ability to think critically and creatively about complex problems in psychotherapy training and openness to exploring new evidence-based approaches.
• Communication and Collaboration: Ability to work effectively in a team, strong written and verbal communication skills in Dutch and English, with experience in academic writing and presenting research.
• Motivation and Commitment: A strong personal interest in improving psychotherapy training and commitment to pursuing a research-intensive project that may involve developing new educational tools and methods.
• Adaptability: Flexibility in addressing challenges that arise during the project, whether related to research, technology, or curriculum development.

If you immediately recognise yourself in this profile, or if do you not quite meet all the requirements, but you believe that this is the right job for you, we look forward to your application!

What we offer

Our goal is to work together to create a transparent and inclusive work environment in which everyone feels welcome and appreciated. Our organisation is always evolving and we need your ideas for improvement and innovation to take us further. We want to devote attention to your personal development.

You can expect an enjoyable job within the socially relevant world of education and research. The University's challenging and international work environment is located just steps away from Leiden’s lively city centre or the bustling city centre of The Hague. We also want to work with you to devote attention to your health and vitality, for example with the fun activities we organise through Healthy University.

We also offer:

• An employment contract for (30,4 hours per week) as a PhD candidate, initially for a period of 1 year, with the possibility of extension for 4 years after a positive evaluation. This contract falls under the CLA of Dutch Universities;
• A salary of a minimum of € 2872 and a maximum of € 3670 gross per month, based on a full-time appointment (38 hours) (scale P);
• A holiday allowance (8%), an end-of-year bonus (8,3%), and an attractive pension scheme at ABP;
• Flexible working hours: as a standard, you are entitled to a minimum of 29 leave days on the basis of a full-time working week of 38 hours; you can also save for extra leave, for example by working 40 hours a week, and in this way accrue an extra 96 leave hours, or exchange 96 leave hours for a 36-hour week.
• Lots of options when it comes to secondary employment conditions; we can, for example, discuss options for a sabbatical or paid parental leave. Within our terms of employment individual choices model, you can exchange leave days and/or salary for benefits such as an advantageous sports subscription or bicycle scheme, and we also offer child-care options;
• If your work allows it, hybrid working is possible within the Netherlands;
• A home-working allowance (day and internet allowance) and attention for good workplaces. The University will also provide you with a laptop and a mobile telephone (if applicable for the position).

What we find important

Promoting an inclusive community is central to Leiden University’s values and vision. Leiden University aims to be an inclusive community in which all students and staff members feel valued and respected, and are able to develop to their full potential. Diversity in experiences and perspectives enriches our teaching and strengthens our research. High-quality education and research means inclusive education and research.