Sanne Houben (S.T.L.)
Research profile
My research focuses on the negative effects of psychotherapy, including therapeutic failure, adverse treatment reactions, and unintended consequences of psychological interventions. My work examines how psychotherapy can lead to outcomes such as symptom deterioration, emotional distress, and memory-related side effects, including the development of false or distorted memories.
A central theme is the systematic assessment and conceptualization of therapeutic side effects, including the development and evaluation of measurement tools and the study of clinicians’ and patients’ perspectives on adverse outcomes.
Additionally, my work bridges clinical and legal psychology, investigating how therapeutic techniques (e.g., imagery-based interventions, EMDR) may influence memory processes and belief formation, with implications for the reliability of memory in legal contexts.
Key publications
-
Houben, S. T. L., Backus, A. C. P., Merckelbach, H., & Dandachi-Fitzgerald, B. (2026). Exploring the Overlooked: Dutch Clinicians' Perspectives on Side Effects of Psychological Interventions. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 33(1), Article e70209. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.70209More information about this publication
-
Houben, S. T. L., Backus, A. C. P., Hermans, S., Merckelbach, H., & Dandachi-FitzGerald, B. (2025). Evaluating the UE-ATR Checklist: Nuanced Attribution in Unsuccessful Therapeutic Outcomes. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 32(3), Article e70091. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.70091More information about this publication
-
Dandachi-FitzGerald, B., Houben, S. T. L., Broers, N. J., & Merckelbach, H. (2024). A Scale for Measuring Positive and Negative Experiences of Psychotherapy (PNEP): First Psychometric Findings of a New Instrument for Monitoring Clients' Experiences. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 31(3), Article e3014. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.3014More information about this publication
-
Dandachi - Fitzgerald, B., Houben, S., Otgaar, H., van den Hout, M., & Merckelbach, H. (2022). De schaduwkant van psychotherapie: Hoe vaak rapporteren patiënten negatieve ervaringen? Tijdschrift voor Psychotherapie, 48(1).More information about this publication
-
Houben, S. (2020). Tinder voor psychotherapie? Over de blinde vlek van therapeuten. De Psycholoog, 55(1), 10-18. https://www.tijdschriftdepsycholoog.nl/wetenschap/tinder-voor-psychotherapie/More information about this publication
-
Merckelbach, H., Houben, S., Dandachi - Fitzgerald, B., Otgaar, H., & Roelofs, J. (2018). Als psychotherapie faalt: Pleidooi voor de therapeut als katalysator. De Psycholoog, 2018(10), 10-21. https://www.tijdschriftdepsycholoog.nl/wetenschap/als-psychotherapie-faalt/More information about this publication