Dr. Argyroula Kalaitzaki (BA, MSc, Ph.D., CPsychol)

I am an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology, Department of Social Work at the Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU), the head of the Laboratory of Interdisciplinary Approaches for the Enhancement of Quality of Life (Quality of Life Lab; QoL), and the head of the postgraduate program “Interdisciplinary Management of Chronic Diseases, Disability, and Ageing”. I am also an affiliated researcher at the “AgriFood and Life Sciences Institute”, deputy head of the Research Ethics Committee, and member of the Ethics Committee and the Training and Lifelong Learning Center at HMU. I was the head of the Department of Social Work at the Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU) from February 2022 to February 2024. I received a ΒΑ in Psychology (1992), an M.Sc. (1996), and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology (2000) from the University of Crete, Greece, and a second Ph.D. (2005) from the University of Sunderland, U.K. I have also been appointed the European Diploma in Psychological Therapies (European Institute of Psychotherapy). I have many peer-reviewed papers and chapters in books (nearly 100), presentations at national and international conferences (more than 160), co-authored a book in English, and co-edited three books and chapters in books. I have participated in many national and international research projects, with or without funding, and have 24 years of educational experience in higher education. My scholarly interests mainly include three interrelated applied clinical areas: (a) interpersonal relationships (couples, families, social networks, etc.), (b) older people, dementia, and Alzheimer's disease, and (c) traumatic experiences. Also, some of my work is on chronic illnesses and Health Literacy, and I have done more work on miscellaneous other topics. My work in these areas is informed by my training as a Clinical Psychologist in psychopathology and psychotherapy and, more recently, by my interest in Positive Psychology.