The academic collaborative centre for Trauma & PTSD is part of the Sinai Centrum, a specialism of Arkin Mental Health and a national treatment and expertise centre for psychotrauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The TOPGGz Sinai Centrum offers the best treatments, based on science. We base our approach on the latest insights and guidelines. Clients can rely on evidence-based effective treatment. Our expertise lies in personalisation: treatment methods are delivered as intended by training and supervision, with at the same time great care and focus on the wishes, preferences, and needs of the client.

The academic workshop develops, evaluates, and implements innovative and, where necessary, intensive treatment strategies to improve treatment outcomes and reduce non-response and dropout. We bring science and practice together to further develop trauma treatment—with tailored and intensive pathways when needed—so that more people truly make progress. As such we want to accelerate sustainable recovery of people with mental problems associated with psychotrauma or PTSD.

Together with Arkin Research and Amsterdam UMC department Psychiatry, we work closely in academic research. Much of this research leads to publications in renowned professional journals. At the same time, we contribute to existing scientific knowledge by implementing innovations, which we then evaluate systematically in a scientific context.

Team members

dr. Kathleen Thomaes Principal Investigator and Psychiatrist
dr. Laurien Meijer Postdoc
dr. Lisa Steenkamp Postdoc
drs. Christin Kuhner PhD student
drs. Mariejean Albers PhD student
drs. Yvonne Merkies Clinical psychologist

About Sinai Centrum

Within Sinai Centrum, we work with three research lines: predictors of treatment effect among various target groups (post-war generations, veterans, people traumatized in early childhood), intergenerational transmission of trauma & parenting, and effects of increasing treatment intensity (by increasing frequency, inpatient treatment, comorbidity treatment). There are strong collaborations within these research lines with Utrecht University (Department of Dynamics of Youth), the Trimbos Institute and ‘Landelijk Zorgsysteem voor Veteranen’ (LZV).

We consider it of utmost importance to continue learning and developing. All forms of feedback are highly valued, both from clients and their environment or from colleagues. Our clinicians and researchers are in frequent contact, consulting and often working together to further improve treatment. This ensures that every clinician is well informed about the latest developments in psychotrauma treatment. Many researchers are also clinicians themselves (‘scientist practitioners’).