Publicaties

‘Alsof er twee engeltjes uit de hemel waren komen vallen’

Uithuisgeplaatste jongeren hebben vaak te maken met culturele en levensbeschouwelijke verschillen tussen hun gezin van herkomst en hun gezinshuis. Voor het welzijn van jongeren in gezinshuizen is het van belang, en ook één van de Rechten van het Kind, dat ze een eigen identiteit kunnen ontwikkelen en kennis kunnen maken met de cultuur en levensbeschouwing van hun gezin van herkomst. Uit eerder onderzoek blijkt dat een goede samenwerking tussen ouders en pleegouders bijdraagt aan een succesvolle plaatsing en de kans op breakdown vermindert. In dit kwalitatieve onderzoek laten we, op basis van diepte-interviews met jongeren, ouders en gezinshuisouders (n=64), eerst zien welke culturele en levensbeschouwelijke verschillen tussen gezinshuis en gezin van herkomst tot spanningen kunnen leiden en hoe gezinshuisouders deze hanteren. Naast de culturele en levensbeschouwelijke verschillen die tot spanningen kunnen leiden, beschrijven we ook drie manieren waarop gezinshuisouders hiermee omgaan, namelijk door: 1) de identiteit van het gezinshuis centraal te stellen, 2) ruimte te maken voor de identiteit van het gezin van herkomst door inleven en afstemmen, of 3) de identiteitsvorming van de jongere centraal te stellen. Dat laatste komt minder vaak voor, maar is juist belangrijk in de adolescentie. Tot slot pleiten we voor een triadisch-pedagogische benadering van pleeg- en gezinshuiszorg, waarin het kind niet losgezongen wordt van identiteit van het gezin van herkomst, het gezinshuis de eigen identiteit niet hoeft te verloochenen, maar uiteindelijk de culturele en levensbeschouwelijke identiteitsvorming van de jongere beoogd wordt.

Pleeg- en Gezinshuiszorg, Duurzame zorg, Diversiteit en Professionaliteit | 01-10-2023

‘Not under my roof’

Despite the foster child’s right to compatibility in worldview, culture, language, and ethnicity, in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, many out-of-home placed children live in *trans*-worldview foster care. Due to a shortage of foster parents, many children face worldview differences between their birth and foster families. This study includes both religious and secular worldviews, as well as personal and organised worldviews on existential questions. Previous research predominantly focused on ethnic and cultural identity, with limited attention given to religion and worldview. It is important for foster children to develop their identity by becoming familiar with their birth family’s worldview. Strong co-parenting relationships, that recognise the role of the birth parent, support the child’s identity and placement stability.This qualitative study investigates how foster parents perceive worldview differences in co-parenting relationships. It aims to distinguish characteristics of successful and problematic collaborations, based on foster parents’ experiences and attitudes.The analysis of 25 in-depth interviews indicates that co-parenting relationships can become complicated when birth parents are not well-informed during the matching process, prior to consenting to placement. In such cases, crucial worldview differences may remain unaddressed or may be beyond the birth parents’ imagination. Overcoming differences-within-worldviews can be as challenging as differences-between-worldviews. Strong worldview beliefs held by foster parents do not necessarily lead to tensions when foster parents maintain good co-parenting relationships and include the birth parents in the child’s life. However, when foster parents hold strong worldview beliefs and attempt to replace birth parents, tensions may arise.

Pleeg- en Gezinshuiszorg, Duurzame zorg | 01-05-2026

‘We can be a family again, but different than before’

Disclosures of sibling sexual behavior (SSB) usually affect all family members but there remains, however, a paucity in studies on therapeutical family interventions and how they can initiate changes in families. This study was designed to explore relational impacts of SSB disclosures, goals for therapy and interventions that helped a family initiate the recovery process after a SSB disclosure.A single case study design was used to analyze a family's long-term therapy process. Data on this N = 1 study comprised 18 interviews with involved therapists, five interviews with involved family members, therapy files, and notes on family sessions. Data was analyzed using a thematic approach.Relational traumas were experienced in broken relationships, relationships under pressure and damaged trust between family members. Therapy goals were to (1) recreate family's safety, (2) help the family process the SSB consequences and (3) restore trust and search for relationship healing. Appropriate interventions to target the goals included individual-centered psycho trauma treatment as well as interventions for the parents, the involved siblings, and the uninvolved siblings, followed by sessions between the involved siblings and with the whole family. Therapy outcomes were found in reduced individual trauma symptoms, a recreated sense of family safety, the start of relational trauma processing, and newfound forms of sibling/family relationships.This study provides a unique and comprehensive insight into a family's healing process after SSB disclosures from the perspectives of both professionals and family members. The effective interventions identified in this study may provide tools for therapists working with these families. This study may also offer greater insights into both the abusive and mutual types of SSB.

Duurzame zorg | 02-07-2024

‘When it comes to relational trauma, you need people at the table’

This study aims to contribute to the evaluation of online therapy during Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns, by exploring family therapists’ experiences of therapy for twelve Sibling Sexual Abuse (SSA) families in the Netherlands. Seven transcripts of interviews with highly specialised Dutch family therapists were analysed using thematic analysis (TA). Two main findings emerged from this study. First, the Dutch therapists reported no acute worries about their clients’ sexual safety during the pandemic lockdowns. Nonetheless, the switch to online therapy for the SSA families created concern regarding victim safety in speaking out freely at home. Second, while the sudden switch to online therapy enabled SSA therapists to stay connected with their SSA families, therapists experienced a decline in therapy quality and in their own well-being. In the therapists’ experience, it was almost impossible to conduct their most fundamental interventions online, such as intervening in family relationships.

Duurzame zorg | 24-03-2022

After all, they are still my parents. About exoneration and forgiveness.

The concept of exoneration is a crucial point of contextual therapy. To this day there is debate as to whether exoneration and forgiveness are synonymous, or whether there is a difference between the two concepts. In his presentation Dr. Jaap van der Meiden will discuss findings from recent collaborative international research on forgiveness of parents exploring similarities and differences between exoneration and forgiveness. This analysis will help clinicians guide those who are stuck in broken relationships along the path of exoneration and forgiveness into a process of recovery or even reconciliation between family members. This topic is especially timely in the era of increased family estrangement.

Duurzame zorg | 27-05-2023

Applying the Paradigm of Relational Ethics into Contextual Therapy. Analyzing the practice of Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy.

Ivan Boszormenyi Nagy introduced with his contextual therapy a challenging theory into the world of family therapy. It is rooted in a relational ethical perspective on human relations and shifts the focus of therapy from pathology to evoking reciprocal care and a genuine dialogue, based on the conviction that inter‐human relations are resources for individual growth and health. This article presents a research project on the practice of the founder himself, to describe how the principles of the contextual theory and therapy can be integrated into concrete therapeutic interventions. Using the Constant Comparison Method, the authors found six clusters of interventions representing methodical elements through which Ivan Boszormenyi‐Nagy applies the paradigm of his approach.

Duurzame zorg | 04-09-2017

Assessing and displaying suitability for adoptive parenthood: a conversation analysis of relationship questions and answers

In this study we examine how suitability for adoptive parenthood is assessedand displayed in interactions between social workers and prospective adoptiveparents. In particular, we have analyzed relationship questions that areput to couples with and without an observation from the social worker. Theanswers are featured as very precise, stressing the positive aspects of therelationship but avoiding sainthood, and accompanied with examples thatillustrate the stability of the relationship. We concluded that it is not only‘‘what’’ couples answer but also ‘‘how’’ they answer that is taken intoaccount in the assessment. That is why ‘‘being able to finish o¤ eachother’s sentences when giving an answer’’ and ‘‘having the ability to reflecton the relationship’’ is considered to be a protective factor for adoptiveparenthood.

Duurzame zorg | 30-03-2010

Assessing candidates for adoptive parenthood

Prospective adoptive parents who take part in a Dutch adoption assessment procedure are asked to writedown their life stories. In this article we examine how information from the life stories is deleted, selectedand transformed into a topic to talk about in an assessment interview and/or to write about in arecommendation record. We have shown in a detailed analysis how prospective adoptive parentsdemonstrate themselves to be “normal people” with “normal childhoods” and how life events are selectedfrom the life stories as a means to assess the coping qualities of the prospective adoptive parents. We couldconclude that social workers in the recommendation record: 1) turn statements made by the parents intofacts; 2) leave statements in the parents' own words, and that they 3) assess suspicions of possible risk factorsin the interview but omit them from the record. By using conversation analysis as a method we could gain aninsight into the dynamics of assessment, making visible exactly how social workers collect information aboutpeople's background to arrive at a decision about whether the candidates are suitable adoptive parents.

Duurzame zorg | 01-01-2009