Dorothy Been

Anna Paulownastraat 60,
9725 JV Groningen
The Netherlands

Phone: +31-50-5266184
Email:d.been@home.nl

Dorti Been is a supervisor, learning therapist and educator in “Platform Systeemtherapie” Noord Nederland, a private training institute for Systemic Therapy. Together with two colleagues she owns a private practice “Rhizoom”.

Back in 1970’s she started working in a social work project as a street corner worker for young drug addicts, run away youngsters and young girls who become unwillingly pregnant, in collaboration with parents, police, child protection officers, and foster parents.

She finished her advanced studies in Social Work (Master in Social work), specializing in family therapy in 1975 while continued working in a multi stressed neighborhoods. She worked together with a community centre, nurses, police, solicitors and local politicians – the experience that motivated her to do a postdoctoral study for Family Therapy and Group Therapy.

In 1985, she joined GGZ (Geestelijke Gezondheid Zorg), a Mental Health Institute in Groningen as a psycho therapist ( Group- and family therapist) Beside her regular work as a family therapist and group therapist, she started the first women groups in the Institute. Having the opportunity as a therapist inside the organization to explore professional boundaries , and realizing the fact that it was for most women ( and man) in the Asylum Seeker Centre a too big a step to come to a Mental Health Institution, she started “Kitchen table gatherings” in an Asylum Seeker Centre, together with a colleague..

With some other systemic therapists, she started a private practice, Rhizoom, in 1995, based on ideas of social constructionism: a narrative and collaborative way of working. As a member of Platform, she organize(d/s) workshops in that domain to stay inspired and feeling sustained . And as a supervisor and teacher she hopes to sustain colleagues to find their primary way of working.

As the insurance companies are getting more and more influence in dictating the content of therapeutic work, she terminated (2009/2010) the contract with the Insurance Companies.

Dorti enjoys the variety of work: working with all kind of groups, multi-stressed families, using a reflecting team or not and, later, an outsider witness group. Being inspired by social-constructionism, she is curious to find new ways in how to go on, space or “cracks” in old dominate stories, ways of collaboration and dialogue in her work with clients, colleagues, people of insurance companies. It is always a big (not easy) challenge for her to stay in a respectful dialogical position.

Being in transition, she is looking for other ways of working, outside the regular way of payment in the Mental Health area.

She lives together with her husband Nico van der Molen in Groningen, The Netherlands.

Additional Information

EXPERIENCE:

  • 2001 – present: Platform Systeemtherapie Noord Nederland Training Institute for Family Therapy
    (acknowledged by NVRG, Dutch Association for Family Therapy)
  • 1999-present: Psychotherapist, family therapist, supervisor, coach in Private Practice Rhizoom.
  • 1988-present: Teacher and supervisor and learning therapist in Family therapy in different Institutes:
  • 2002-2010: Romania: Matra-project: Family therapy 2002- 2010
  • 1988-2010: PAOP Groningen, RINO Utrecht, RINO Amsterdam.
  • 1985-2007: psychotherapist/ family therapist/ group therapist and supervisor in a Mental Health Institute on different locations.
  • 1981-1985: Staff teacher at the College of Social Work and Cultural and Community Studies Groningen.
  • 1975-1981: Social Worker at an Institute for Social Work( department community development).
  • 1974-1975: Child Guidance Clinic Groningen
  • 1970-1975: Working as a Social Worker at the Municipal Department of Social Work Groningen.

PUBLICATIONS:

  • 1988 In Kontext ( 15)_ Zeitschrift der Deutschen Arbeitsgemeinschaft fur Familientherapie : “Feminismus und Familientherapie” in co authors with Roely Heuving and Jannie Kos.
  • 1994 In “Van ‘voorbeeldig’ naar Verbeelden”: Valkuilen van vanzelfsprekendheid bij het werken met echtparen. edited by Rino Noord Groningen.