Simone Burger

Simone Burger serves as a Lecturer in the Clinical Psychology section of the Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Concurrently pursuing a PhD at the university and Mark van der Gaag Research Centre (Parnassia Psychiatric Institute), she leads research on trauma-focused treatments for comorbid PTSD and psychosis through the multicentre RE.PROCESS randomized controlled trial.

Her research centers on the dynamic interplay between PTSD and psychosis symptoms, specializing in trauma-focused therapies like EMDR and prolonged exposure. Key investigations include voice-hearing mechanisms, symptom exacerbation during treatment, and recovery trajectories in severe mental illness. This work directly advances UN Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being) through clinical innovations for dual-diagnosis populations.

Publication analysis reveals consistent focus on methodologically rigorous clinical studies, with recent work employing experience sampling and latent class growth analysis to map treatment mechanisms. Her 2025 articles demonstrate progression from protocol development to real-world implementation challenges in trauma care for psychosis.

Burger actively contributes as Project Researcher for the ongoing “Trauma-focused intervention for Posttraumatic stress In Psychosis” grant (2018-2025) and teaches critical courses including “Masterclass Psychose” and sustainability-focused behavioral science curriculum.

She operates within the Mark van der Gaag Research Centre ecosystem, collaborating with Parnassia Psychiatric Institute clinicians and international researchers to translate evidence into practice for psychosis and trauma care.