I am a PhD student in psychology at Aarhus University and have previously worked as a clinical psychologist at the Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Aarhus University Hospital. My primary research areas are behavioral psychology and differential psychology (also known as personality psychology), where I investigate individual differences in human needs (specifically reinforcement sensitivity).

The goal of my research is to tailor psychotherapy to better account for individual differences in treatment receptivity - even before treatment begins.

Despite the proven efficacy of behavioral psychology, it remains underutilized in Denmark, both within and outside of academia. In a study by Jacobsen et al. (2012), where psychologists in Denmark could choose more than one approach, only about 12% reported using behavioral methods as one of their primary tools. In comparison, about 54% of psychologists reported using cognitive therapy, and a similiar 54% picked psychodynamic therapy.

I find this incredibly unfortunate, as several of our most effective treatment forms originate from behavioral psychology - or draw heavily on its theories. Notable examples include exposure therapy, behavioral activation, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), behavioral family therapy, Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).

Even within grief research (e.g., Boelen et al., 2007), studies indicate that starting treatment with behavioral psychological components has better effects than beginning with cognitive components.

Therefore, it is my hope that knowledge of behavioral psychology and its methods can be more widely disseminated in Denmark.

I intend to work towards the following goals:

1. Spread knowledge of behavioral psychology in Denmark
2. Investigate the effectiveness of various forms of psychotherapy
3. Explore individual differences to develop more concrete recommendations for tailoring psychotherapy to individuals

References:
Boelen, P. A., de Keijser, J., van den Hout, M. A., & van den Bout, J. (2007). Treatment of complicated grief: A comparison between cognitive-behavioral therapy and supportive counseling. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 75(2), 277–284. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.75.2.277

Jacobsen, C. H., Nielsen, J., & Orlinsky, D. E. (2012). Danish psychologists as psychotherapists: Professional, demographic and personal characteristics, and change in theoretical orientations. Nordic Psychology, 64(3), 168–181. https://doi.org/10.1080/19012276.2012.731311

Supervision of master’s theses:
I am currently supervising theses in the autumn of 2024.
I am not available to supervise during the spring of 2025.

Internal courses and lectures: 
I independently taught a 15 ECTS course titled ‘A Behavioral Approach to Psychological Theory and Psychotherapy’ at Aarhus University, first in the spring of 2024 and then again in the autumn of 2024.

Additionally, I held a lecture on ‘Friendships and social needs' in Developmental Psychology during the autumn of 2024.

Currently assisting the Danish National Encyclopedia as an editor and author for the behavioral entries.