Leonie Vreeke Assistant Professor

Leonie is the Principal Investigator (PI) in the Brave Little Ones research group and works as Assistant Professor at the Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology at the University of Leiden. She has been researching shy, withdrawn behavior in toddlers and preschoolers and their relationship to anxiety problems for years. In her promotional research at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, she examined a questionnaire to measure this shy, withdrawn behavior, and she investigated the influence of parental anxiety and parenting behaviors on this behavior. Leonie succesfully (co-)applied for multiple research grants totaling nearly €1.4 million, which has enabled her to set up this line of research into shy and anxious behavior in young children. 

Do you want to know more about Leonie? Visit Leonie’s LinkedIn page or view her page on the Leiden University website. 

Nina Komrij Postdoc

Nina works as a postdoctoral researcheron the ‘Building Blocks’ research project and conducted her doctoral research within the ‘Cool Little Kids’ project, both at the Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology at Leiden University. She has been involved in the Brave  Little Ones research group since the end of 2020 and is therefore also involved in setting up  and implementing various other projects, including, for example, the podcast 'Klein & Dapper' (Small & Brave). She has a background in Health Sciences, which makes her particularly interested in prevention, implementation, and applied research. 

Do you want to know more about Nina? Visit Nina’s LinkedIn page or view her page on the Leiden University website. 

Sanne works as a PhD Candidate at the ‘Brave Steps’ research project and is working on this project as a PhD candidate (AIO) in the Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology at the University of Leiden. In 2024, she graduated in Developmental Psychology at the University of Leiden. She is committed to developing and researching appropriate support programs for young children and their parents. 

Do you want to know more about Sanne? Visit Sanne’s LinkedIn page. 

Anique van Klink Student assistant

Anique is a student assistent in the Brave Little Ones research team. She recently finished her bachelor's in Psychobiology at the University of Amsterdam. In the third year of her bachelor's, she did her internship at the Brave Little Ones research team. During her internship, she did her own research within the research team, looking into the potential moderating effect of birth order on the effectiveness of the Cool Little Kids program. 

In the Brave Little Ones research team, Anique assists with several tasks, like recruitment of participants, creating questionnaires for the studies and other administrative activities. 

Do you want to know more about Anique? Visit Anique's LinkedIn page. 

Frederike Scheper Child and adolescent psychiatrist/IMH specialist MOC 't Kabouterhuis

Frederike is a project advisor for multiple research projects within the Brave Little Ones research group. She works as a child and adolescent psychiatrist/IMH specialist DAIMH at MOC 't Kabouterhuis, where she is committed to Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health. In 2018, she obtained her PhD for her research into temperament, inhibited attachment behavior, and socially disinhibited contact in young children in relation to emotional and behavioral problems. 

Do you want to know more about Frederike? Visit Frederike’s LinkedIn page. 

Mia Kösters Researcher GGD Amsterdam

Mia is a project advisor for multiple research projects within the Brave Little Ones research group. She works as a researcher for the ‘Gezond Leven’ (Healthy Living) department of the Amsterdam Municipal Health Service (GGD Amsterdam). Here, she conducts research into the psychosocial health of children. She obtained her PhD from VU University Amsterdam for her implementation and impact study of the VRIENDEN voor het Leven (Friends for Life) prevention program, an intervention against anxiety and depression in primary schools. 

Do you want to know more about Mia? Visit Mia’s LinkedIn page. 

Anika Bexkens Professor

Anika is a project advisor and promotor for the ‘Brave Steps’ research project. She bridges the gap between science, practice, and education by combining her roles as researcher, clinician, and teacher. She focuses on evidence-based practice, which means that clinical decisions for individual clients are made by integrating clinical expertise and client preferences with the best scientific evidence. In her research, she develops diagnostic assessment and intervention models to improve the treatment of anxiety in young people with and without mild intellectual disabilities. 

Do you want to know more about Anika? Visit Anika’s LinkedIn page. 

Julia Offermans Remedial educationalist and Research & Education Coordinator MOC 't Kabouterhuis

Julia is a project advisor for the ‘Brave Steps’ research project. She works as a remedial educationalist and Research & Education Coordinator at MOC ‘t Kabouterhuis in Amsterdam. She obtained her PhD with the following thesis: 'Convergence and divergence. Comparing symptom expression of and treatment for (parents of) children with ASD and those with ADHD'. As a postdoctoral researcher, she also investigated the effects of ‘Mentorlessen over Stress’ (Mentoring lessons about Stress) in a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT). 

Do you want to know more about Julia? Visit Julia’s LinkedIn page. 

Michiel Westenberg Professor emeritus

Michiel is a project advisor and promotor for the ‘Cool Little Kids’ research project. He is professor emeritus at the Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology at the University of Leiden. In this role, he has many years of expertise in the field of (social) anxiety development.