How has ARQ changed over the past decade?
Intervieuw with former therapist and teacher Jannetta Bos
Jannetta Bos was a therapist at ARQ Centrum'45 for almost twelve years. Especially for the care programmes ‘Refugees and asylum seekers with psychotrauma’ and ‘Traumatic grief’. She also taught via ARQ Academy. Besides being a psychotherapist and teacher, she is also a sexologist at NVVS, The Dutch Scientific Society for Sexology. In the past decade she has seen ARQ change considerably.
The work at ARQ Centrum’45 is tough, but there has always been a good working atmosphere, says Jannetta. “The good working atmosphere makes you more resilient to everything you hear. People do such terrible things to each other. Peer support is essential to the well-being of the care provider as well as to the therapeutic relationship. The patient needs to feel your humanity if he or she wants to dare to trust again.”
What has changed?
“We are now striving to shorten the duration of treatments, without compromising quality. Treatment is more intensive than before to help people through a process of traumatic grief or severe PTSD more quickly. For example, I remember a woman who had been through a lot, including sexual trauma. She had to give birth and that would probably trigger her trauma. Thanks to the intensive treatment, she was better prepared.
Addiction is no longer a contraindication for treatment at ARQ. Studies have shown that – in cooperation with addiction care – it is possible. People with PTSD often use alcohol and/or drugs to self-medicate.
The organizational growth of ARQ did not go unnoticed by Jannetta. “ARQ Academy initially ran with one person. Now it is a whole department with a wide range of courses in the field of psychotrauma. There are also English-language courses. All with professional support.”
"Patients are not interchangeable people here."
What has fortunately not changed
“The human dimension has remained, and that is wonderful. Even though the mental health services in the Netherlands are under great pressure, ARQ has remained a caring environment for patients. The involvement with the patients is also unchanged. They are not interchangeable people here. And there is still a tireless search for improvement in the treatments. ARQ is not afraid of innovation.”