External Advisory Board

Asst. Prof. Çağdan Erdoğan (İstinye University)

Dr. Çağdan Erdoğan received her undergraduate degree in Political Science and International Relations from Boğaziçi University in 2012, her master’s degree in Social and Applied Psychology from the University of Kent in 2014, and her PhD in Social Psychology from Middle East Technical University (METU) in 2023. She completed her master's thesis titled "Effects of Cooperation among Different Groups on Out-Group Evaluation", and her doctoral dissertation titled "The Role of Moral Foundations in Excusing Verbal Aggression in Formal Relationships Involving Power Asymmetry". She has published articles and book chapters in the fields of social psychology and political science.

Asst. Prof. Emel Erdoğdu (Işık University)

Dr. Emel Erdoğdu earned her degree in Neuroscience from the Institute for Psychology and Cognition Research at Bremen University (Germany), where she also completed her undergraduate studies in Biology and her master’s degree in Neuroscience. During her undergraduate studies, she conducted her bachelor’s thesis on the mapping of receptive fields of neurons in the visual cortex of macaque monkeys within the Cognitive Neurophysiology working group at the Brain Research Institute of Bremen University.

As part of her master’s and doctoral studies, she participated in an exchange program at İstanbul University’s Istanbul Faculty of Medicine (Türkiye), working in the Departments of Physiology and Neurology. There, she completed both her master's and doctoral theses, focusing on patients with cognitive impairment due to Parkinson’s disease (PD). In her master's research, she investigated visuospatial perception abilities in PD patients at different stages of cognitive decline using event-related potentials (ERPs) recorded via EEG. For her doctoral research, she employed resting-state fMRI and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to identify a multimodal biomarker for the early detection of cognitive impairment in PD.

Dr. Erdoğdu continues to pursue research in the field of neurodegenerative diseases, with a particular focus on cognitive functions such as attention and perception. She currently leads research activities using eye-tracking methods in her newly established laboratory at Işık University (Türkiye), where she also serves as the head of the Psychology and Clinical Psychology Department. Her latest projects examine eye- tracking parameters related to perception and attention mechanisms in the context of perspective-taking training, prejudice, and aberrant eating behaviors.

Clinical Psychologist İpek Özaktaç

After graduating from the Private Italian High School in 2007, İpek Özaktaç received her bachelor's degree in Psychology from Istanbul Bilgi University in 2012. In 2015, she completed her Master's degree in Clinical Psychology at Okan University.

Between 2016 and 2022, she conducted psychotherapy sessions with adolescents and adults at Istinye University Medical Park Gaziosmanpaşa Hospital. From 2020 to 2024, she continued her clinical work at Rena Psychology.

As of April 2024, she provides therapy at Anlam Psychology, working with adolescents and adults on various issues such as trauma, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, grief and loss, and stress, using Schema Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and EMDR Therapy approaches.

She is a standard-level schema therapist certified by the International Society of Schema Therapy (ISST).

Clinical Psychologist Zeynep Sarıkaya 

Zeynep Sarıkaya received her undergraduate degree in Psychology with honors from Işık University, and earned the title of Clinical Psychologist upon completing her master’s degree at Queen Mary University of London. Throughout her academic journey, she worked as a research assistant at the university while also volunteering in various institutions such as psychiatric hospitals, kindergartens, special education and rehabilitation centers, psychological counseling centers, and non-governmental organizations.

She began her professional career in London as a clinical support worker in an acute psychiatric unit of an NHS hospital. After returning to Turkey, she worked as a school counselor in various educational settings, providing psychological support to children and adolescents. During this time, she also led a support program designed for gifted students and, under supervision, conducted individual psychotherapy sessions with young adults and adults.

In 2023, she contributed to the Turkish literature as part of the translation team for the book The Stress Reduction Workbook for Teens: Mindfulness Skills to Help You Deal with Stress, which was published by Psikonet Publishing.

Following the February 6 earthquakes in Turkey, she joined the Earthquake Psychosocial Solidarity Network Project (DEPSDA) under the Turkish Psychological Association’s Child-Adolescent Working Group. She participated in fieldwork in the Elbistan region, providing psychosocial support to children and adolescents affected by the disaster as a volunteer psychologist.

In her psychotherapy practice, she primarily adopts the Person-Centered Therapy approach while integrating Expressive Arts Therapy and Mindfulness-based techniques. Additionally, she works with children using the Experiential Play Therapy approach.

She is currently in the thesis phase of a 400-hour Art Therapy Practitioner Certification program under Istanbul Sanatla Yaşam. She is also pursuing a PhD in the Clinical Psychology (Child and Adolescent subfield) program at Işık University.

Zeynep is part of the pilot team of 20 psychologists in Turkey who were the first to receive the Nurture and Play© Mentalization-Based Parent-Child Interaction Intervention Practitioner Training, and continues to participate in supervision sessions.

Between 2023 and 2025, she served as a part-time lecturer in the undergraduate psychology department at MEF University, where she was responsible for teaching Clinical Interviewing and Introduction to Play Therapy.

Currently, she provides psychotherapy services in both English and Turkish—online and in-person—at DenSa Psychology, which she founded in the Kozyatağı district of Istanbul. She offers therapy to children, adolescents, and adults, along with parent counseling and divorce guidance. She has a special interest in perinatal mental health, providing psychological support to parents during pregnancy and postpartum periods. She also offers supervision and internship support to Clinical Psychology master’s students and graduates. In addition, she serves as a trainer at Ecopoiesis, delivering training on Art-Based Approaches in Child Therapy.

Cemre Sandal

After graduating from the Psychology Department of Boğaziçi University in 2012, Cemre Sandal completed her master's degree in Social/Organizational Psychology at Koç University. Following her graduation, she worked in the Human Resources department at HSBC Bank for two years. Since October 2017, she has continued her career at the Career & Internship Office of Sabancı University. As a Senior Career Development Specialist, she actively provides one-on-one career counseling to students and takes part in organizing career-related events. She has also completed the ICF & EMCC Accredited Business Coaching and Mentoring Certificate Program. Passionate about traveling, Cemre Sandal shares her travel experiences on her website called “gezginleylek.”