Livia van Leuven

Psychology degree from Karolinska institutet, lic. psychologist, and PhD from Karolinska institutet, the Department of Clinical Neuroscience. I have previously been working as a clinical psychologist with children and adolescents within primary care.

My research mainly focuses on preventing child abuse/maltreatment, particularly among high-risk families or those where abuse has occurred. During my doctoral studies, I led two controlled trials and conducted qualitative studies evaluating a parenting program implemented within social services. The program targets parents reported for physical or emotional child abuse.

Beyond this, I have a broader interest in child maltreatment prevention, including identifying and addressing risk factors such as parental psychiatric conditions. I currently lead a project aimed at training social workers to recognize mental health challenges in parents following reports of child maltreatment and enhancing collaboration with healthcare. Another ongoing project evaluates parent training within child and adolescent psychiatry.

Additionally, I am involved in other projects assessing the effectiveness and implementation of parenting programs. My broader research interests include developing and evaluating methods to improve the overall well-being of children.