"It has been my life focus and passion to work as a grief and loss counselor. It's always an extraordinary and so valuable to be allowed to guide others through difficult times: often the most vulnerable time of their lives. To see them slowly regain their footing and carve out a new meaning en enjoyment in life remains a blessing. And the experience of observing this process again and again is always incredibly inspiring. It never ceases to fill me with amazement and I have the greatest respect for the resilience and strength of my clients and their ability to pick up their life again, often under terrible circumstances. It is truly awe inspiring."
Who I am
As a mother, partner and grandmother, I have had several intensive experiences of loss in my personal life and I have been an informal caregiver to loved ones and relatives with dementia for a long time.
Through my broad studies, coupled with thorough work experience in this field, I am currently a self-employed grief and loss counselor for the Stichting Nabestaanden Zorg (the Dutch Survivors Care Foundation) and I supervise a monthly grief support group in the municipality of Haarlemmermeer.
In addition, I work in my own practice with clients who have opted for personal one-on-one guidance.
I originally come from a nursing background, where loss of health, death and assisting the dying also played a major part. Working through loss then became a personal interest of mine. I specialized myself for grief counseling through the Grief and Loss Counseling Course at the Academie voor Geesteswetenschappen (Academy of Humanities) in Utrecht. I also completed a post-graduate course on dealing with loss and grief in Nijmegen at Land van Rouw.
During my time as a student of these courses, I worked as a volunteer at the Markant Foundation in Amsterdam: here I supported and guided the informal caregivers of people with dementia and the terminally ill.
In addition, I have been able to guide fellow sufferer grief groups for this same foundation.
I've also worked as a volunteer for a very long time at a daycare facility for cancer patients, where I made guidance available through the creation of several support groups, especially for the relatives of cancer patients. There I also worked directly with cancer patients and their loved ones via a monthly support group, themed around related subjects. This volunteering work has given me the opportunity to gain ample experience in my profession as a Grief and Loss Counselor and I look forward to the privilege of being your counselor.