Bennard Doornbos Appointed Professor by Special Appointment

As of 1 September 2026, Bennard Doornbos has been appointed Professor by Special Appointment. His chair focuses on the development of mental disorders, with particular attention to personality disorders from a psychodynamic perspective. The chair was established and funded by the Stichting Psychoanalytische Fondsen, in support of the role of psychoanalytic thinking within mental healthcare.

A central question within the chair is how mental disorders emerge and develop throughout a person’s life, with particular attention to personality disorders. From a psychoanalytic perspective, unconscious relational patterns are assumed to play an important role. These patterns are shaped, among other things, in early relationships with caregivers and attachment figures. Understanding these developmental processes can provide valuable insights for the early detection and prevention of mental health problems.

Through his chair, Doornbos aims to connect psychoanalytic theory with recent insights from developmental psychology and with experiences from everyday clinical practice in mental healthcare. Through this cross-fertilisation, he aims to further strengthen psychoanalytic theory, inspire students and practitioners, and contribute to improving the quality and effectiveness of treatments.

Doornbos will devote eight hours per week to the chair. He will also continue his work at Lentis as a psychiatrist in the personality disorders department, as a psychiatry training supervisor and as a senior researcher. As a member of the Dutch Association for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (NVPP), he also treats patients with personality disorders using this therapeutic approach.