prof.dr. E.T. Bohlmeijer (Ernst)

Ernst Bohlmeijer – Professor of Mental Health Promotion

Ernst Bohlmeijer is Professor of Mental Health Promotion at the University of Twente. His research focuses on the promotion of mental health and well-being, the development and evaluation of psychological interventions, and the role of digital technology in supporting human flourishing.

His work is grounded in positive psychology and related therapeutic approaches, including acceptance and commitment therapy, narrative psychology and compassion-focused therapy. He has a particular interest in developing and evaluating innovative interventions that help people strengthen resilience, navigate psychological challenges and enhance well-being. He has served as principal investigator or supervisor in more than 20 randomised controlled trials and has contributed to the development of 15 interventions, many of which are used in (mental) health care.

Since 2007, Bohlmeijer has held academic positions at the University of Twente, where he became professor in 2011. He was founder of the (positive) clinical psychology master track. From 2012 to 2025, he led the Psychology, Health & Technology Department and subsequently the Department of Technology, Human and Institutional Behaviour. His academic leadership has focused on the development of research, researchers and interdisciplinary collaboration. From 2016 to 2020, Ernst was affiliated with Scelta, a Top Clinical Center for Personality Disorders of GGNet. Since 2023, he has been affiliated with SCBS, a Top Clinical Center for Bipolar Disorders of Dimence. In 2025 en 2026 he co-directed a Growth-Fund Project on social innovation and hope in the Infrasector. .

Since 2012, he has co-authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications, written 15 scientific and popular books, and edited the Dutch Handbook of Positive Psychology. He has secured more than ten research grants from the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMw) and other funding bodies.

A major current focus of his work is Sustainable Mental Health Care, an approach that seeks to make mental health care more realistic, person-centred and effective. Recognising that psychological suffering cannot always be prevented or fully resolved, this approach combines efforts to reduce mental health problems with the promotion of positive mental health, personal recovery, autonomy and the capacity to adapt to life's challenges. It aims to develop forms of care that help people lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, with or without persistent symptoms, while strengthening the personal, social and contextual resources that support well-being and recovery.

More recently, his work has expanded towards the concept of existential hope: the human capacity to envision possibilities beyond present circumstances and to pursue meaningful action even when the future is fundamentally uncertain. His research explores how hope relates to agency, meaning and human flourishing, and how technological and social environments may enable or constrain this capacity. This emerging line of inquiry extends his longstanding work on mental health towards a broader question: how can we create conditions in which people retain the capacity to imagine and contribute to a better future, even in times of uncertainty and perceived threat?

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Expertise

• Psychology

  • Mental Health
  • Positive Psychology
  • Self-Compassion
  • Systematic Review
  • Psychometrics
  • Meta-Analysis
  • Mindfulness
  • Psychopathology

Organisations

Ernst Bohlmeijer (co)supervises the following PhD projects:

R2D2 - Development and evaluation of a digital multicomponent Positive Psychology Intervention (mPPI) for parents of children with Neuro Developmental Disorders (funded by EU). With: Kim Tönis (PhD student), Peter ten Klooster, Stans Drossaert and Wouter Staal (Radboud UMC).

Supporting cancer patients with Compas-Y. Evaluation of Compas-Y in a SCED study. With Jun Wang (PhD), Stans Drossaert and Maya Schroevers (UMCG).

Blended Positive Psychology Interventions for people with mood disorders. With Femke Hagoort (PhD student), Bart Geerling, Mirjam Radstaak and Stans Drossaert.

Examining and treating prolonged grief in daily life. With Deniz Ergun (PhD student), Peter ten Klooster, Gerben Westerhof and Lonneke Lenferink.

Towards evidence-based just-in-time adaptive interventions for depression and anxiety. With Felix Fiss (PhD-student), Nienke Beerlage-de Jong, Julian Rubel and Jannis Kraiss.

Towards sustainable mental health care, integrating positive mental health as a core outcome. With Katinka Franken (PhD-student), Peter ten Klooster and Gerben Westerhof.

Integration of sensor-based technology in mental healthcare. With Rianne Bosch (PhD student), Joanneke van der Nagel, Marcel Pieterse and Matthijs Noordzij.

Development of nature-based interventions for spiritual well-being. With Xingjian Ruan (PhD-student), Jannis Kraiss, Lonneke Lenferink and Thomas van Rompay.

Finished PhD projects

Melissa Laurens (2025). Web Based Cognitive Bias Modification for Alcohol Addiction: From controlled trial to realworld application. With Marcel Pieterse, Else. Salemink and Somaya Allouch. 

Eva de Krijger (2025). Emotional Awareness: Compassion as a means to promote the sustainable mental health of military personnel. With Saskia Kelders en Elbert Geuze.

Annemieke Yvonne van der Horst (2023). Strength Back: The development and evaluation of a digital health intervention for spinal surgery patients based on Acceptance & Commitment Therapy and positive psychology. With Hester Trompetter, Jan Jukema en Karlein Schreurs.

Judith Austin (2023). Compassion in turbulent times. The co-design and mixed methods evaluation of a mobile self-compassion intervention for people with cancer. With Jelle van Dijk, Maya Schroevers, Stans Drossaert and Robert Sanderman.

Bart Geerling (2023). Development and implementation of ehealth interventions to improve selfmanagement and wellbeing in patients with bipolar disorder (WELLBE-BD). With Saskia Kelders and  Ralph Kupka. 

Youri Derks (2022). Alexithymia in Borderline Personality Pathology: From Theory to a Biosensor Application. With Matthijs Noordzij and Gerben Westerhof.

Maartje Witlox (2022). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with older adults. With Vivian Kraaij, Nadia Garnefski and Philip Spinhoven.

Gitta Kleijn (2022). Power of the Past: Life Review Therapy in Palliative Cancer Care. With Pim Cuijpers and Irma Verdonck-de Leeuw.

Jannis Kraiss (2021). Living well with bipolar disorder: Integrating positive psychology and personal recovery into the treatment of bipolar disorders. With Peter ten Klooster and MelissaChrispijn and Ralph Kupka.

Sander de Vos (2021). Understanding mental wellbeing in the face of adversity: A scientific exploration in eating disorder patients. With Mirjam Radstaak and Gerben Westerhof. 

Renate Willems (2021). The compassionate listener: resources and barriers for mental health in crisis line volunteers. With Harald Miedema and Stans Drossaert.

Noortje Kloos (2020). Positive psychology in the nursing home: wellbeing of nursing home staff and residents. With Stans Drossaert and Gerben Westerhof.

Jochem M. Goldberg (2020). Positive Education as a Whole School Approach: Broadening the Perspective on Learning.With Aleisha Clarke and Karlein Schreurs.

Tom Hendriks (2018). Positive Psychology Interventions in a Multi-Ethnic and Cross-Cultural Context. With Marijke Schotanus-Dijkstra.

Vincent van Bruggen (2018). Assessment of Existential Anxiety: Development and Validation of the Existential Concerns Questionnaire (ECQ). With Joel Vos, Gerben Westerhof and Gerrit Glas.

Marion SommersSpijkerman (2018). Mind compassion: Mental health outcomes and change processes in Compassion Focused Therapy. With Hester Trompetter and Karlein Schreurs.

Marijke Schotanus (2016). How to flourish in everyday life? Enhancing Flourishing in Mental Health in the general population as a new strategy for the prevention of anxiety and depressive disorders. With Marcel Pieterse, Stans Drossaert and Jan Walburg.

Nadine Kohle (2016). Hold on, for each other, supporting partners of cancer patients via eHealth and positive psychology. With Stans Drossaert and Robert Sanderman.

Wendy T. M. Pots (2016). Living to the fullest! Mindfulnessbased interventions as public mental health interventions for depression.With: Karlein Schreurs.

Laura Weiss (2016). Direction Happiness: Improving wellbeing of vulnerable groups. With Gerben Westerhof. 

Annemarie Lohuis (2016). Balancing acts: How healthcare professionals and teams working with people with intellectual disabilities make sense of solution-focused work With: Mark van Vuuren.

Linda Bolier (2015). Positive psychology online: using the internet to promote flourishing on a large scale. With Stans Drossaert and Marcel Pieterse. 

Hester Trompetter (2014). ACT with pain: measurement, efficacy and mechanisms of acceptance & commitment therapy. With Karlein Schreurs.

Jeffrey Webster (2014). Time to Be Wise: Temporal Perspective and Wisdom. With GerbenWesterhof.

Sanne Lamers (2012). Positive mental health: Measurement, relevance, and implications. With Gerben J. Westerhof. 

Saskia Kelders (2012). Understanding adherence to webbased interventions. With Lisette van Gemert-Pijnen.

Martine Fledderus (2012). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Public Mental Health Promotion: Effectiveness of the “Living to the Full” Programme. With Marcel Pieterse, Stans Drossaert en Karlein Schreurs.

Jojanneke Korte (2012). The stories we live by: The adaptive role of reminiscence in later life With Gerben J Westerhof and Filip Smit

Publications

Other contributions

Selection of publications

• Sommers-Spijkerman, M.P.J., Trompetter, H.R., Schreurs, K.M.G., Bohlmeijer, E.T. (2018) Compassion-focused therapy as guided self-help for enhancing public mental health: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 86: 101-115.
• Köhle, N., Drossaert, C.H.C., Van Uden-Kraan, C.F., Schreurs, K.M.G., Hagedoorn, M., Verdonck-de Leeuw, I.M., Bohlmeijer, E.T. (2018). Intent to use a web-based psychological intervention for partners of cancer patients: Associated factors and preferences. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, 36: 203-221.
• 2017
• Derks, Y.P.M.J., Visser, T. de., Bohlmeijer, E.T., Noordzij, M.L. (2017). mHealth in Mental Health: how to efficiently and scientifically create an ambulatory biofeedback e-coaching app for patients with borderline personality disorder. International Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics, 5: 1.
• de Vos, J.A., LaMarre, A., Radstaak, M., Bijkerk, C.A., Bohlmeijer, E.T., Westerhof, G.J. (2017). Identifying fundamental criteria for eating disorder recovery: A systematic review and qualitative meta-analysis
• Schotanus-Dijkstra, M., Drossaert, C.H.C., Pieterse, M.E., Boon, B., Walburg, J.A., Bohlmeijer, E.T. (2017). An early intervention to promote well-being and flourishing and reduce anxiety and depression: A randomized controlled trial. Internet Interventions, 9: 15-24.
• Koopman, M.Y., Pieterse, M.E., Bohlmeijer, E.T., Drossaert, C.H.C. (2017). Mental health promoting Interventions for the unemployed: a systematic review of applied techniques and effectiveness. International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, 19: 202-223.
• Vowinckel, J.C., Westerhof, G.J., Bohlmeijer, E.T., Webster, J.D. (2017). Flourishing in the now: Initial validation of a present-eudaimonic time perspective scale. Time and Society, 26: 203-226.
• Trompetter, H.R., Lamers, S.M.A., Westerhof, G.J., Fledderus, M., Bohlmeijer, E.T. (2017). Both positive mental health and psychopathology should be monitored in psychotherapy: Confirmation for the dual-factor model in acceptance and commitment therapy. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 91: 58-63.
• Köhle, N., Drossaert, C.H.C., Jaran, J., Schreurs, K.M.G., Leeuw, I.M.V.-D., Bohlmeijer, E.T. (2017). User-experiences with a web-based self-help intervention for partners of cancer patients based on acceptance and commitment therapy and self-compassion: a qualitative study. BMC Public Health, 17: 225.
• Bohlmeijer, E.T., Bolier, L., Lamers, S.M.A., Westerhof, G.J. (2017).Positive clinical interventions: Why are they important and how do they work? Papeles del Psicologo, 38: 34-41.
• Westerhof, G.J., Bohlmeijer, E.T., McAdams, D.P. (2017). The relation of ego integrity and despair to personality traits and mental health. Journals of Gerontology - Series B Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 72: 400-407.
• Derks, Y.P.M.J., Westerhof, G.J., Bohlmeijer, E.T. (2017). A meta-analysis on the association between emotional awareness and borderline personality pathology. Journal of Personality Disorders, 31: 362-384.
• Elfrink, T.R., Goldberg, J.M., Schreurs, K.M.G., Bohlmeijer, E.T., Clarke, A.M. (2017). Positive educative programme: A whole school approach to supporting children’s well-being and creating a positive school climate: a pilot study. Health Education, 117: 215-230.
• van Bruggen, V., ten Klooster, P., Westerhof, G., Vos, J., de Kleine, E., Bohlmeijer, E., Glas, G. (2017). The Existential Concerns Questionnaire (ECQ)-Development and Initial Validation of a New Existential Anxiety Scale in a Nonclinical and Clinical Sample. Journal of Clinical Psychology,
• Schotanus-Dijkstra, M., Ten Have, M., Lamers, S.M.A., De Graaf, R., Bohlmeijer, E.T. (2017). The longitudinal relationship between flourishing mental health and incident mood, anxiety and substance use disorders. European Journal of Public Health, 27: 563-568.

Research profiles

Affiliated study programs

Courses academic year 2026/2027

Courses in the current academic year are added at the moment they are finalised in the Osiris system. Therefore it is possible that the list is not yet complete for the whole academic year.

Courses academic year 2025/2026

Address

University of Twente

Cubicus (building no. 41), room B131B
De Zul 10
7522 NJ Enschede
Netherlands

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Organisations