On November 3rd, the Lab ‘Social Relations and Attachment’-Bartiméus from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam hosted their German colleagues from the Evangelisches Krankenhaus Königin Elisabeth Herzberge (KEH). The KEH delegates were therapists and caregivers from Berlin who work in the field of care for individuals with intellectual disabilities. The visitors were invited to participate in workshops organized by the members of Bartiméus and Ons Tweede Huis -two care facilities-, where they were offered training in novel therapy methods. During the workshops, various techniques were discussed, such as mentalizing and mentalization based treatment, mindfulness, ‘Flink training’ and compassion training for people with intellectual disabilities. The delegates from Berlin were then invited to join a psychomotor therapy session. The workshops ended with a demonstration of a game called ‘You and I’, the aim of which was to improve stress-coping abilities.
The following day, the German visitors and their Dutch colleagues exchanged their knowledge and experience during the hybrid symposium organized by Fortior and hosted at Bartiméus in Doorn. The symposium discussed treatment of psychological and behavioral problems by means of application of creative art therapies and attachment therapy. These forms of treatment have been proven to stimulate the emotional and social well-being in people with psychological problems, as well as in people with severe to moderate intellectual disabilities. The symposium was followed by presentations, during which the speakers introduced the audience to the practical implications of music therapy, Integrative Therapy for Attachment and Behavior (ITAB) as well as art- and drama-based therapy. The presentations were enriched by appealing visuals, investing case studies and fantastic drama workshops.
The visit ended with a real Dutch dinner – pancakes!
