Professionals that work with organisations that focus on victims and offenders are indispensable in making sure that people who were involved in a crime or traumatic event are informed about restorative mediation. Read below about the experiences of professionals that refer their clients to Perspectief Herstelbemiddeling.
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“Trauma therapy was no longer needed after a meeting with the perpetrator”When psychologist (POH-GGZ) Jacqueline Pulles heard about restorative mediation, she immediately thought: maybe this is something for Belinda. Belinda came to her with anxiety issues that, after a robbery 25 years ago, never went away. Jacqueline proposed restorative mediation.
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Evert, recovery consultant: “To me, it’s a door that’s ajar.”Evert Kampert has been a recovery consultant for almost three years. By now, he's registered dozens of convicts for restorative mediation. "It's about finding an entrance."
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Theunis, spiritual caregiver: “Talk about it with each other”Theunis Veenstra has been a preacher in the Veenhuizen prison complex for five years. He first heard about restorative mediation when he was a village preacher. “I realized that you can have a very nice role in that, as a spiritual caregiver.”
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Gladys (Victim Support): "It's not about me, it's about the victim"Gladys Nelstein works for Victim Support Netherlands: “Most times I ask them: ‘Would you want to know why they did this to you?’”
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Katja (Victim Support): “I wish for many more victims and offenders to have this conversation”Katja Nijland worked as a case manager at Victim Support Netherlands for years. “During the mediation meetings, every time, I saw two people who were trying to recover.”
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Linda, youth care worker: “Hearing the victims’ stories, that touched me.”As a youth care worker at William Schrikker, Linda van de Beek guides young people who have been sentenced to youth probation. She now helps a boy who talked to the victims of the robbery he committed a year earlier.
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Eric, prison staff member: “If you don’t talk about it, you’re not going to solve it.”"It's very rewarding work." Eric Hansen is a reintegration staff member in the Dordrecht prison. "In the end, it's about human-to-huamn contact."
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Lizet, probation worker: “Because of restorative mediation, the contact has been restored.”Lizet de Greef has been working as a probation worker (supervisor) at Novadic Kentron for over three years. “As a probation service you give back to society in this way.”
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Stefan, police officer: “Because of mediation, the people involved can move on.”Stefan van Dijk is a family police officer. “They can give the incident a certain place in their minds, and that’s the main gain.”