Research interests

My main research interests are personality disorders (PDs), especially borderline personality disorder (BPD), depression, and anxiety disorders, especially posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  Using the approach of experimental psychopathology I tested psychological theories of these disorders and contributed to the development of their psychological treatment. The last decade I became more interested in change processes and techniques, especially experiential techniques, like imagery rescripting, which have for a long time been neglected in academic research, but offer powerful methods to bring about change in complex forms of psychopathology. One of my major aims is to connect basis research and clinical work in developing and testing psychological theories and treatments. I also treat PTSD and PD patients, and I view this as essential to connect the areas of basic research with clinical applications.

I was project leader of the multicenter RCT that compared schema therapy (ST) to psychodynamic psychotherapy for BPD patients, and of another multicenter RCT that compared ST to treatment as usual (TAU) and Client Centered Therapy for 6 other PDs. Together with Dr Joan Farrell I was PI of the international RCT that compared group-ST to TAU in nearly 500 BPD patients of sites in 5 countries. I also chaired a Dutch-German collaborative study investigating basic brain and cognitive processes in BPD and their change during treatment that is associated with the international RCT; and two international studies on treatment of PTSD related to trauma experienced in childhood.

Together with professor Jan Henk Kamphuis, Roland Sinnaeve, and Carlijn Wibbelink, I lead the BOOTS trial, a treatment study aiming to develop a method to better match patients with BPD for Schema Therapy or Dialectical Behavior Therapy (personalized medicine). I am co-PI of a study run at the Jellinek Clinic testing whether treatment of PTSD parallel to addiction treatment is superior to sequential treatment. In 2021 a multicenter RCT started on the comparison of group schema therapy to individual schema therapy and treatment as usual for cluster-C personality disorder, of which I am together with Nathan Bachrach the PI.

Currently, I lead an RCT that compares individual to combined individual-group Schema Therapy for PTSD. 

Together with prof. Marleen Rijkeboer and Dr Dylan Molenaar, and Carmen Mamali as junior researcher, in collaboration with an international consortium (ISTIC), I am leading an international study to develop and validate extended and revised versions of questionnaires central to the theory underlying Schema Therapy.

As to PTSD, I was PI of the IREM trial, comparing Imagery Rescripting (ImRs) to EMDR as treatments for childhood trauma related PTSD, and of the IREM-Freq trial, comparing two session frequencies (once vs twice a week) of ImRs and EMDR for the same complex form of PTSD. Both studies are international multicenter studies.

My work has been supported by grants from ZONMW, NWO, ORA, Fonds Psychische Gezondheid, Insurance Company Funds (CZ, SAG), Foundation VCVGZ.

Expertise and research fields

• Personality Disorders
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Imagery Rescripting
• Schema Therapy and Theory
• Emotional Memory
• Randomized Clinical Trial
• Multiple Baseline Case Series 

Research methods

• Randomized Clinical Trial
• Multiple Baseline Case Series
• Experimental research
• Qualitative research / in-depth interviews
• Cost-effectiveness research

Ancillary Activities

Arnoud Arntz works for 1.5 - 2  days per week as a registered Clinical Psychologist at ACTP Amsterdam, a mental health care institute, in the context of the academic collaboration that the University of Amsterdam and the the mental health care institue "Hersencentrum" have created. The renumeration goes to the UvA.

He is chair of the executive committee of the postmaster training programs (health psychologist, psychotherapist, and clinical psychologist – mental health care professionals under Dutch law) in Amsterdam, St. PDO (unpaid). He represents this organization in the national association of such post master training programs (vLOGO, unpaid). He was member of and chaired workgroups of Dutch mental health care standard committees (the renumeration went to the UvA). Arnoud Arntz chairs the convention of professors of clinical psychology, that represents the Dutch full professors of Clinical Psychology (unpaid). He was member of a working group of the national taskforce that prepares a proposal for an update of the psychological post-master professions in health care (“APV”) (unpaid).

Arnoud Arntz is also affilated to the NPI, another expert center for the treatment of personality disoorders, where he advises and supervises junior researchers. The renumeration goes to the UvA.

Arnoud Arntz occasionally provides trainings, workshops and lectures (the renumeration goes to the UvA).