About Us

Dr. Ellin Simon

Dr. Ellin Simon works as an Associate Professor of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology at the Open University in the Netherlands. She is a developmental psychologist and obtained her PhD on the subject of anxiety disorders in children. She is committed to the early detection and treatment of psychological problems in children and young people. Together with Prof. Dr. Peter Muris, she developed the YAM-5 questionnaire, after which it was used internationally by various research groups and clinicians. Ellin is the developer and author of the evidence-based anxiety training ‘Learn to Dare!’ (Simon & Bögels, 2013).

Dr. Heike Gerger

Dr. Heike Gerger works as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Child and Youth Psychology at the Open University in the Netherlands. She has previously conducted extensive research into the effectiveness of interventions at various universities in Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Nowadays her research focuses on early recognition and treatment of psychological problems in children and the role of interprofessional collaboration between different healthcare institutions.

Dr. Anke Klein

Dr. Anke Klein is an Associate Professor at the Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology at Leiden University. In addition, she is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Knowledge Center for Anxiety and Stress in Youth. She obtained her PhD Cum Laude in the field of anxiety in children. She is known for her excellent work in the field of internalizing problems. Anke is driven to help as many children as possible who experience anxiety. Together with colleagues, she founded the Knowledge Center for Anxiety and Stress in Youth. The mission of this centre is to share knowledge and skills in the field of anxiety and stress problems in children with professionals from clinical practice, with schools, parents and children.