[Netherlands] PhD Position - Utrecht University
Funded PhD Position in Innovative Bereavement Intervention at Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland
Centre for Bereavement Research and Intervention, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Deadline for applications is October 1st, 2008.
Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Utrecht University, The Netherlands The Faculty of Social Sciences of Utrecht University, The Netherlands, provides academic training for more than 5000 undergraduate students. There are five departments, of which Psychology is the largest. Within Psychology the Division of Clinical and Health Psychology has the largest number of students and staff members. Research projects at Clinical and Health Psychology cover a wide range of theoretical, clinical and societal topics, such as experimental psychopathology, stress, coping, eating disorders and grief and trauma Staff members who have specialized in the area of grief and bereavement collaborate under the umbrella of the Centre for Bereavement Research and Intervention (CBRI).
Centre for Bereavement Research and Intervention
Within the CBRI, a number of internationally renowned bereavement researchers and a number of PhD-researchers collaborate across a wide range of research projects dealing with theoretical, clinical and societal aspects of death, grief and loss. Senior members of CBRI are Prof Margaret Stroebe, Prof Wolfgang Stroebe, Prof Jan van den Bout, Dr Henk Schut and Dr Paul Boelen. Research projects cover, for instance, the effects of grief therapy and grief counselling, the phenomenology and role of continuing bonds in bereavement, interdependent coping of partners confronted with the loss of their child, the role of cognitions in the development of complicated grief, the role of ruminations in the grief process, and differential determinants of grief by different causes of death.
CBRI is embedded in two research institutes, namely, Psychology & Health and the Linschoten Institute. Psychology & Health is a research institute in which Dutch and Belgian universities and research centres participate and which coordinates the postgraduate training of large numbers of PhD-researchers. Psychology & Health offers PhD-researchers a wealth of post-graduate, top quality training possibilities in research techniques and theoretical orientations. The development of a tailor-made training plan for PhD-researchers is standard procedure.
To strengthen our team, the CBRI is looking for a PhD-researcher on the project
‘Effects of an innovative bereavement intervention programme at Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland’
(0,8 fte)
Description:
For an innovative and challenging project, entitled ‘Effects of an innovative bereavement intervention programme at Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland’, we are looking for a highly qualified and motivated colleague to join Prof Margaret Stroebe and Dr Henk Schut, the main researchers of this project.
The project deals with a state of the art intervention model developed in close collaboration between Utrecht University and Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland (CBCS). Research thus far has shown that to be effective, bereavement intervention must focus either on risk groups or on cases of complicated grief. Surprisingly, though, it is common practice in bereavement care to offer help irrespectively of complications, for no other reason than that a person has become bereaved. Interventions also need to be tailored to the complexity of clients’ problems. Yet, nowhere in the world have routine referral and care procedures taken the specific needs of individual clients into account. An exception is a new program created by CBCS. In this research project, this new service model is to be put to the test. A quasi-experimental effect study will be conducted with baseline assessment of level of grief symptoms and risk factors, as determinants of allocation to specific modes of intervention. Two fundamental questions are addressed: whether these interventions are efficacious, and whether the interventions are more effective for specific categories of clients.
The new colleague will be responsible for further developments of the research plans, he or she will conduct the study and report on the findings.
Part of the challenge of the project is that the PhD-researcher will have to live in Scotland for almost four years during the project. The project will be coordinated from the national office of CBCS in Perth, central Scotland. Supervision and postgraduate research education will mainly take place in the Netherlands.
Qualifications
We seek an outstanding academic with a recent MSc or equivalent degree, who can demonstrate an excellent background in social scientific quantitative research and statistics and who has excellent social skills. She/he must be able to communicate easily in English, both verbally and in writing. Demonstrable knowledge of the area of grief and bereavement is an advantage.
Terms of employment
The future colleague will be offered a PhD-position for a period of five years (from 1-1-2009 till 31-12-2013), with the specific intent that it results in a doctorate. Conditions are based on the Collective Employment Agreement of the Dutch Universities.The gross monthly salary starts at € 2,042.- in the first year and increases to € 2,612.- (at 1,0 ftu) in the fourth year and is supplemented by a holiday allowance of 8% per year and a year-end bonus of 8,3%. Also offered is a royal pension scheme and flexible employment conditions.
Funding applies to: Open to applicants from a range of countries
Contacts and how to apply
Academic contact:
Further details can be obtained by contacting Prof Maggie Stroebe, e-ail: m.s.stroebe@uu.nl or Dr Henk Schut, e-mail: h.schut@uu.nl.
Administrative contact and how to apply:
Applications, including a Curriculum Vitae and the names of two references (with e-mail contact addresses), should be sent to Faculty of Social Sciences, Personnel Department, P.O. Box 80140, 3508 TC Utrecht, The Netherlands. Please quote vacancy number 69829 in all communications.
