Public Dialogue “The Trauma-Informed Society”

Tuesday, June 17, 2025, Inner City University Library 

What if we no longer see trauma as an individual failure, but as a societal signal? Approximately 80% of the Dutch population experiences a traumatic event during their lifetime. This can lead to various forms of psychological suffering: think of PTSD, but also psychosis, anxiety, or depression. In recent years, awareness has grown that trauma is not merely a psychological issue, but also a social, physical, and historical phenomenon.

Trauma does not arise solely from shocking events, but also from the prolonged absence of safety, recognition, and responsive relationships. Not everyone carries this burden equally: historical inequality, gender, racial structures, and colonial legacies still determine who is heard and who is not. Yet change is possible. In education, healthcare, and policy, there is growing recognition that real safety is not the absence of threat, but the presence of recognition, care, and reciprocity.

During this evening, we brought together stories from the Verhalenbank Psychiatrie, expert perspectives, and practical experiences. Together, we explored the question: how do we build a society that does not individualize trauma, but transforms it?

Speakers:

  • Dr. Glenn Helberg is a psychiatrist with expertise in child and adolescent psychiatry and transcultural psychiatry. Through his significant contributions to raising awareness of ongoing institutional racism, and the resulting pain, rejection, guilt, and shame, he has made an important impact on public debate in the Netherlands and beyond.
  • Marianne Kolkena is the founder of ACE Aware Nederland, an organization that aims to ensure all children have a safe childhood. By focusing on research and prevention of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), she works to reduce their long-term impact on adult mental well-being and health.
  • Juliette Mattijsen is a researcher in health justice and spoke about the political economy of mental well-being and working together toward change.