Dr Dorien Graas

Since September 1, 2016, Dorien Graas has been a professor of Youth at Windesheim. In her inaugural lecture, she advocated for "ordinary and engaging parenting," emphasizing less focus on problems and more on restoring the normal parenting situation.

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Research Focus

Dorien Graas conducts research in the broad field of ensuring a safer, healthier, and more promising upbringing for children and young people. She collaborates with youth, parents, professionals, and policy and practice organizations in education, youth care, and youth health services. Her work is guided by the principles of reducing concerns, normalizing situations, and strengthening the socio-pedagogical context and relationships. A key example of this is the development of the Regional Knowledge Workshop Youth: Normalizing Together.

Education

Dorien Graas graduated as a historian and has worked as a secondary school teacher. She earned her PhD at the Faculty of Psychology & Education at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) with research on children with special needs in (special) education.

Research Experience

Dorien has held various roles, including senior advisor for the Council for Social Development (an advisory body to the Dutch government) and director of the interdisciplinary institute Amsgterdam Centre for Child Studies at VU Amsterdam.

Read more about the Professorship of Youth on our Dutch website (opens in new tab)