Dr Emma Biggs - Psychologist
Location: Leuven & Online
When you live with a chronic condition, you quickly realize that not everyone understands what you’re going through. You may even struggle to understand the why and how of your experience. While I was studying neural changes in chronic pain, I heard research participants describe how friends, family, and sometimes even medical professionals told them that what they are experiencing is all “between their ears”. I wanted to help provide the scientific evidence they needed to be able to tell everyone “yes, and between my ears is a brain - which is going through very real physical changes”!
This mind-brain connection has always been fascinating to me: how our thoughts and feelings have a biological basis, and how our actions can reshape our brains. I believe that this type of research is especially important in “invisible” health conditions. I am motivated by the hope that providing people with evidence of physical changes in their brains will provide meaningful validation that what they are experiencing is “real”.
During my research career, it became clear that to get a deeper understanding of life with a chronic condition, I would sometimes need to step out from behind the MRI scanner and talk to people with lived experience. Luckily, I was surrounded by like-minded researchers studying different chronic conditions and I was able to hear the stories of people living with cancer (and cancer survivorship), cardiovascular disease, respiratory diseases like COPD and asthma, diabetes, tinnitus, and many more. While every situation is unique, I was struck by the commonalities in the experience of living with these conditions: the shifts in identity, the strain on relationships, the adjustments to work and daily life, and the daily effort of managing unpredictable symptoms.
My research (and personal) journey has led me from the USA, to the UK, to The Netherlands, to Belgium, back to the USA, and then back to Belgium. Wherever I went I encountered the same stories: life with a chronic illness often comes with many challenges. If you then add in navigating a foreign health system, in your non-native language, without your extended social network, this can feel really overwhelming, isolating, and destabilizing.
After more than a decade in health research, I want to use the knowledge that I have gained to offer a space where you can explore your feelings surrounding the issues you are facing. Together, we will work to figure out what you need to be able to cope, and thrive, despite ongoing challenges. I use a person-centered approach, with the emphasis being on your experience and your values and goals.
Typically, we will start by addressing three core questions:
Despite your health challenges, what does your best possible day look like?
What are the hurdles to making this day a reality?
What do you need to remove these hurdles?
I am aware that, especially in the case of a chronic condition, you may already have extensive experience with psychologists or other mental health support providers. I am very open to hearing about what has and hasn’t worked for you in the past, so that together we can figure out how to make counselling work for you.
If you would like to chat about your experience with a chronic condition, being affected by a loved one’s condition, or simply want some support with international life, then please reach out. I offer counselling in English to adults, both online and in-person.
Qualifications
2013-2021: PhD in Psychology, KU Leuven, Belgium & Maastricht University, The Netherlands
2011-2012: MSc in Psychology, Maastricht University, The Netherlands
2008-2011: BSc in Psychology, Exeter University, United Kingdom
Further Training
2024: Existential well-being counseling: a person-centered experiential approach
2023: Essentials of Good Clinical Practice
2017: Summer School on Emotional Learning and Memory in Health and Psychopathology
2013-2018: Experimental Psychopathology Postgraduate School
Work Experience
2024-present: Counsellor and Research Consultant, Self-employed
2023-2024: Assistant Professor, Tilburg University
2023-2024: Life Science Research Professional, Stanford School of Medicine
2021-2023: Postdoctoral Researcher, Stanford School of Medicine
2018-2021: Research Associate, KU Leuven
2013-2018: PhD Fellowship, KU Leuven & Maastricht University
