Els developed her nursing skills in an educational programme within GGZ inGeest, from which she graduated in 1993. She went on to acquire a university master degree in 2006. In 2011 she obtained her PhD on "Prevention of Depression and Anxiety in Residential Homes for the Elderly". She has developed a special interest in e-mental-health. At this moment, her main research focus lies in the European MasterMind project (http://mastermind-project.eu.) dedicated to the implementation of iCBT for depression.