Henk Rienties, Psychotherapist at Academic Anxiety Centre Altrecht:

"This collaboration is a typical example of a win-win situation"

When Henk Rienties was a student, the Van Unnikgebouw looked out on pastures. Lately, the anxiety disorders team leader of the Altrecht Anxiety Centre Altrecht and current coordinator of a collaboration project with the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences has been visiting his former study environment frequently. “It is unbelievable how much livelier De Uithof has become.”

Academic Anxiety Centre Altrecht

“During my theology studies in Utrecht, I did a traineeship in a psychiatric hospital, where I worked as a pastor. I developed a love for mental health therapy and that is why after graduating I started my career as a psychotherapist with the Catholic Bureau for Life and Family Issues at the Maliebaan, an early precursor of Altrecht, my current employer.

Last year, we concluded a collaboration agreement with the Clinical Psychology Department of Utrecht University and together we set up the Academic Anxiety Centre Altrecht. Although students could already do a traineeship at our institute, the collaboration agreement will reinforce the link between research and care for patients with an anxiety disorder, similar to academic medical centres.”

Latest scientific findings

“This collaboration is a typical example of a win-win situation. The academic clinicians and researchers can benefit from our large group of patients. Our patient population includes many people from different ethnic minorities. This is very important, because until now they have not been included in a large part of scientific studies.

The collaboration has given us the advantage of becoming an ‘academic anxiety centre’. Moreover, our medical staff can keep up with the latest scientific findings, both by attending post-graduate courses organised by Utrecht University and by joint research. I already look forward to our first publications.

Apart from establishing a connection with the Faculty of Social Sciences, we also entered into a collaboration agreement with the Ambulatorium at De Uithof, where patients are treated by clinical psychologists of Utrecht University. This gives us the opportunity to refer patients to the Ambulatorium and at the same time provides the Ambulatorium with a larger intake of patients. Again, this creates a situation which is advantageous to both parties.”

For further information, see Collaborations Utrecht University and Academic Anxiety Centre Altrecht