lias Kourkoutas – University of Crete, Greece

Elias Kourkoutas, PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Liège, is a Full Professor specializing in Child and Adolescent Disorders and Special Educational Needs in the Department of Primary Education at the University of Crete. He received his clinical training and professional qualification as a Clinical Psychologist at the Clinical Section of Brussels–Paris Diderot VIII University.

Professor Kourkoutas currently serves as Head of the Laboratory of Psychology and has been Head of the postgraduate program in Special Education since 2016, overseeing its coordination and academic development. He also coordinated the Clinical Division of the Greek Psychological Society from 2018 to 2025.

At the international level, he is the elected President of the International Society for Interpersonal Acceptance–Rejection, reflecting his significant contribution to research on interpersonal relationships, psychosocial development, and child emotional and behavioral disorders.

He has been invited as a visiting professor at several European universities and maintains active international academic collaborations. His scholarly work includes the authorship and editorship of numerous academic books (more than 14 in English, French, and Greek), as well as the publication of over 100 peer-reviewed articles in international journals, written in English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, and Greek.

His most recent book, as senior editor, Promoting Social-Emotional Well-Being in Children and Adolescents: Innovative Interventions in Individual, Family, and School Contexts, is being published by Springer in 2026.

His research focuses on child and adolescent psychopathology and mental health, emotional and behavioral disorders, school violence and bullying, antisocial behavior, school counseling, school-based interventions and inclusive practices, family psychopathology, family–school partnerships, and clinical, psychoeducational, and counseling interventions for vulnerable populations.