Linde Van Mechelen

Linde Van Mechelen is an teaching assistant at the Department of Criminology, Criminal Law and Social Law at Ghent University. She obtained her Master’s degree in Criminological Sciences from Ghent University in 2021 and subsequently completed a Master’s degree in Sexology at KU Leuven. Her master’s theses focused on desistance among perpetrators of child sexual abuse and the impact of public access to court judgments on victims of sexual violence. She also completed an internship at the University Forensic Centre (UFC) at UZA Antwerp, gaining experience in the treatment of people struggling with problematic sexual thoughts, fantasies or behaviours.

Alongside her position at Ghent University, Linde works as a psychosocial counsellor at Stop it Now!, an anonymous helpline for people with questions or concerns about their sexual feelings or behaviour towards minors, where she is confronted with deontological questions on a daily basis. At Ghent University, she works as a practice assistant under the supervision of Prof. Antoinette Verhage and is involved in internship courses and the course Deontology and Integrity in the Criminological Field.