Roundtable @EASE
Fenna Hellegers
Fenna Hellegers is a PhD researcher at Amsterdam UMC. She has a background in Child and Youth Psychology and previously worked in clinical practice as a psychologist. In her research project, ENYOY: The Next Steps, she investigates the effectiveness of a digital mental health intervention (ENYOY / MOST) in reducing psychological distress among young people aged 16 to 25. By combining her research with her experience in clinical practice, she aims to contribute to meaningful, real-world improvements in mental healthcare for young people.
Casper Crombach
Casper Crombach is a PhD researcher at Maastricht University’s Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHeNs) Research Institute. With a background in Health Sciences and Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, his work focuses on early interventions aimed at improving youth mental health.
Alongside his academic work, Casper has been involved as a peer worker at the @ease walk-in mental health centers in the Netherlands, an initiative that also forms a central focus of his research. His work examines access to care for young people, including barriers and facilitators for underrepresented youth. He previously published research on an outreach pilot designed to improve engagement with mental health services and is currently involved in an international research project evaluating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of three promising mental health Interventions.
Anouk Boonstra
Anouk Boonstra is a psychologist working as a post-doctoral researcher at Maastricht University’s Mental Health & Neuroscience (MHeNs) research institute. Anouk’s recently finished PhD research was focused on the problems and possible solutions in the accessibility of youth mental health care. She studied young people’s experiences with care transitions at the age of 18 years and evaluated the (cost-)effectiveness of accessible youth-tailored interventions. These were the @ease mental health walk-in centres in the Netherlands, and an ecological momentary intervention among youth who experienced childhood adversity and have low self-esteem (‘SELFIE’). Beside these interventions (now studied further throughout Europe in the ‘YOUTHreach’ project), Anouk is interested in the effects of social media use and in the effects of contraceptive use on mental health. The latter brings back her passion for medical psychology, which was her master’s degree specialization.
Lauren C. van Stratum
Lauren C. van Stratum is a Dutch psychologist in training for a masters degree and an expert by experience in the areas of complex dissociation, profound giftedness, chronic illness, and gender dysphoria. He has a scientific publication on the differences between trauma related body-dysphoria and genderdysphoria. Based on personal experience with early childhood and long-term sexual trauma, he developed a methodological approach that combines clinical and in-depth experiential knowledge. His work lies at the intersection of trauma processing, body awareness, identity, and consciousness development, with a special focus on methodology development based on practical experience.
Innovating Youth Mental Health: Walk-In Centers, Apps, and Digital Platforms in YOUTHreach
In this session, we invite you to engage with YOUTHreach, a multicountry trial investigating the (cost)effectiveness of three mental health interventions aimed at improving young people’s mental health.
1) YEAH consists of easy-access, stigma-free, free-of-charge walk-in centers where young people can discuss mental health as well as physical, social, educational, and practical issues. These youth co-created centers offer a heterogeneous mix of support, ranging from peer-to-peer counselling to brief therapeutic interventions.
2) SELFIE combines a face-to-face introductory session with an app delivering daily exercises, allowing young people to work on their wellbeing outside the therapy room. SELFIE was designed for youth who have experienced childhood adversity and has already shown positive effects on wellbeing and self-esteem in the Netherlands.
3) MOST is a blended digital mental health platform for young people aged 16–25. It provides personalized therapy journeys using comics, videos, audios, and exercises, alongside support from coaches and peer workers via phone or video. The platform also hosts a moderated online community where users share mental health experiences with peers.
Your input in this session will help refine these interventions, ensuring they effectively meet young people’s real mental health needs and inform future youth-centered strategies.