PERSONAL STATEMENT

I was honored to serve as Vice President from May 2015, as such being strongly involved in welcoming all members to Vienna as the host city for the 2016 ISST Conference.

For those of you who may not know me, I am a medical specialist in psychiatry and a psychotherapist practicing schema therapy. Since 2013, I have been the medical director of a psychiatric outpatient rehabilitation clinic in Vienna, the Zentrum für Seelische Gesundheit LEOpoldau.

Additionally, since 2001, I have been working at the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of the Medical University Vienna, lecturing and focusing on psychiatric genetics and, more recently, schema therapy. I also hold a doctorate in genetics from King's College in London, and habilitated in this research area as well.

My academic experience also includes serving as principal investigator of several research grants, including a large current project investigating affective disorder and suicidal patients, funded by the Austrian Science Funds.

My goals as ISST Vice President since May 2015 included working together with the board and members to host a rewarding 2016 conference, along with promoting schema therapy through increased trainings and establishing more treatment programs that include the scientific evaluation of schema therapy. Besides, I am member of the ISST Scientific Committee and as member of the ISST Training and Certification Committee reviewer for Austria.

Being part of the ISST Executive Board has been a truly challenging, but above all fulfilling part of my live the last one and a half years, and I would be delighted to remain in this position for another election period.