ABOUT ME

Dr. Christina Winters

Hello! I am a native English speaking psychologist and educator based in Rotterdam. I am an American expat and I have lived between the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and United States for the past 12 years. I am a caring and socially concerned lifelong learner who loves to read and play team sports. I have always been interested in people, relationships, how to define and identify risk, and how systems serve (or fail) to protect people.

I moved to the Netherlands in 2020, which proved to be a very difficult time for me given many issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, I started an online Expat Grief Support Group for foreigners living in the Netherlands who lost someone in their home country. During this time I came to understand many systemic issues in the field of mental healthcare.

I am inspired by the work of Carl Jung, Erving Goffman, Lev Vygotsky, Michael Foucalt, bell hooks, Margaret Atwood, Brené Brown, Andrew Solomon, and Francis Weller.

ABOUT MY SERVICES

My expertise lies in identity, investigative interviewing, self-disclosure, and narrative-based therapies.

How can I help you?

People are as unique as the stories they tell.

In my therapeutic practice, I take an integrative approach, combining narrative therapy approaches with psychoeducation and elements of other therapeutic modalities. I have four years of combined experience in clinical and community psychological care, and over ten years of combined experience in research and education. Insights from research help me find the right questions to ask you. I am trauma-informed and I adopt a non-authoritarian and anti-pathology approach to client care.

I specialize in helping clients who struggle with: trauma, grief, identity changes, bereavement, relationship difficulties, existential angst, and anxiety and sadness related to climate change and societal change. I also have experience working with clients with the following issues:

  • post-traumatic stress

  • depression

  • loneliness

  • anxiety

  • attention problems

  • obsessions & compulsive behavior (e.g., contamination, hoarding, etc.)

  • addiction & dependence (e.g., mobile phone use, pornography, alcohol, etc.)

  • eating disorders

  • adjustment problems (expat/migrant issues)

  • maladaptive behavior (e.g., abuse, counterproductive work behavior, etc.)

  • personality problems

  • disabilities

I believe that construction of a coherent self-narrative is one of the greatest healing tools, and that people are as unique as the stories they tell.

I have recent training in Narrative Exposure Therapy (2023), which is specifically for treating clients with multiple and complex traumas. I have also recently completed Grief Ritual Leadership training (2024) for tending to Ecological Grief and the associated pain concerning the loss of life and loss of familiar ways of life.

In my practice, I maintain a strong focus on Narrative Therapy while incorporating elements of Collaborative Therapy, Person-centered Therapy, and Schema Therapy.

In the past, I worked with clients in community settings, psychiatric facilities, jails, prisons, and in their homes. Today, I work with clients online and from my office in De Fabriek in historic Delfshaven.

Professional Profile

Academic background

Postdoctoral Researcher in Digital Privacy and Identity (2023)
Tilburg Law School, Netherlands

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (2022)
Thesis: Safe Space: Contextual and Interpersonal Influences on Self-disclosure in Pre-employment Security Vetting Interviews
Lancaster University, United Kingdom

Master of Science in Forensic Psychology (2014)
Maastricht University, Netherlands

Postgraduate Certificate in Intelligence Analysis (2010)
University of Maryland School of Public Policy, USA

Bachelor of the Arts in Psychology and Sociology (2009)
Clemson University, USA


Selected Training

  • Grief Ritual Leadership (2024)

  • Narrative Exposure Therapy (2023)

  • Narrative Therapy, Level One (2022)

  • Workshop Facilitation (2022)

  • Higher Education Teacher Training (2018)

  • Schema Focused Therapy (2013)

  • Psychological Diagnostics & Assessments (2012-2013)

  • Psychological Astrology (2010)

Current Affiliations

  • Now I See a Person

  • Centre for Research and Evidence on Security Threats

  • Expat Grief Support Group (Founder & Facilitator)

  • Higher Education Academy (Associate Fellow)

  • Workshop for Research on Insider Threats (Chair)

  • Narrative Exposure Therapy Institute

  • The Narrative Therapy Institute

Past Affiliations

  • American Psychological Association

  • Alliance Anti-Trafic

  • British Psychological Society

  • Connecticut Department of Correction

  • Digital Legal Lab, Tilburg Law School

  • European Association of Psychology and Law

  • Gateway House, Inc.

  • International Investigative Interviewing Research Group

  • International Weapons Control Center, DePaul University Law School

  • National Alliance on Mental Illness

  • Security, Privacy, Identity, Trust in the Digital Economy (SPRITE+)

  • Society for Personality Assessment

  • South Carolina Department of Mental Health

  • University of Maryland Center for Addictions, Personality and Emotion Research

My research interests are diverse and varied.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

I have conducted research and reviewed literature on range of topics, including self-disclosure, identity, investigative interviewing, insider threat, digital privacy, AI, Big Data, security vetting, behavioral and cybersecurity, police psychology, intelligence analysis, interview analysis, deception, addiction, environmental and contextual effects on human behavior, personality traits and “disorders,” narcissism, psychopathy, the Dark Triad, malingering, symptom validity testing, implicit bias, racial micro-aggressions, sex offending, eco-grief, domestic violence, abuse, jealousy, social media, COVID-19, romantic relationships, climate change, and self-continuity.

In my academic career, I conducted research and presented my findings for academic institutions and security organizations around the world.

I like asking questions. I am an expert in information elicitation and self-disclosure.
I use research insights to inform my therapeutic practice.

I have dedicated the majority of my professional life to keeping people and organizations safe.

I am deeply honored to continue this work with individuals and organizations in my practice.