Our story

Yes We Can Youth Clinics was founded by Jan Willem Poot. Many years ago, Jan Willem had to deal with his own mental health issues and addiction problems. He was trapped in an increasingly negative-downward spiral, involving not only his own life, but also the lives of his family and all those around him.

Jan Willem Poot, founder and CEO of Yes We Can Youth Clinics
Jan Willem Poot, founder and CEO of Yes We Can Youth Clinics

Jan Willem: “At some point, you end up at the door of various organisations offering help, day-treatment programmes, clinics or treatment centres; I have seen many. I knew just what the psychologists wanted to hear and that was what I told them. I experienced enormous pain, fear and feelings of powerlessness. They did not succeed in helping me escape that situation and failed to win my trust. I believe that many young people will not be able to experience change in these types of settings and organisations. They need something else, something more, a different kind of healthcare professional who can get through to them.

On 16 November 2004, I arrived at a place where virtually no questions were asked. Someone just began telling me ‘his’ story instead of me needing to repeat my personal story yet another time. I listened for a full hour, completely absorbed in his story. There was so much I recognised. So many thoughts were similar to mine. I heard so many wrong decisions that were exactly the same… It was all so familiar! Finally, I felt it click! I got a warm feeling. This man really understood me. He could not be deceived by smooth talk. I trusted him; he could really help me. I decided to go for it! They taught me things that were really useful to me, confronted me with reality and provided me with a workable structure. The many sports activities, the thorough explanations, the individual sessions with my own counsellor and the group therapy sessions with people just like me, but from different backgrounds with different problems… I began to change. From that day onwards, I have never felt the need again to use, drink, manipulate or tell lies and today my life is just fantastic.”

Based on his own experiences and the best-practices of other clinics, Jan Willem started Yes We Can Youth Clinics together with a team of healthcare professionals. By now, he has worked with troubled youth and their families for more than a decade.

Our Approach

Yes We Can Youth Clinics treats teenagers and young adults with a 10-week treatment programme followed by a tailor-made aftercare programme. The treatment programme in the clinic consists of daily group sessions, multiple one-on-one sessions every week, psycho-education, various evidence-based therapies and challenging sports- and outdoor activities that contribute to the treatment programme’s goals. By doing this seven days a week from 7 in the morning to 10.30 at night, structure, hope and good prospects return – step by step.

Our Team

Over 300 driven (healthcare) professionals work at Yes We Can to get the lives of our fellows back on track. That team is a conscious combination of three disciplines: 1) the healthcare professionals such as psychiatrists, psychologists and medical staff ultimately responsible for the treatment and medical indications, 2) the experts by experience whose stories are not only instantly recognisable for the fellows but who also know exactly when to firmly but respectfully confront the fellow and 3) the youth coaches that encourage and support the fellows unconditionally, 24/7.

Our Promise

If you get the feeling that no one understands, no one really listens and nobody can help. When all else fails, right then, we are there for you. Many of us at Yes We Can were at the same point you are at right now. We’ve been there, seen it, experienced it. We felt just as frustrated, just as misunderstood. So, like no other, we understand what you are going through. We can relate. We also felt like we didn’t know what to do anymore, believed there was no way out. But, like the Phoenix, we rose from our ashes and so can you!

The more respect you’ll give yourself, the more respect you’ll get. The more you are able to control the direction of your life, the more of a success you will make of it, the happier you will be. In the end, it all starts with YOU!

With you accepting your problems. With your commitment.

Not to worry. We will be there for you, right by your side, listening and helping. Unconditionally. Put your trust in us, so you can find the courage and willpower to really change. At Yes We Can Youth Clinics we only have one major focus; that we are there for you! That we can help you get back on track. You are worthy of  warmth, love and you deserve that attention. You deserve a future in which great things can happen and you can make that happen!

A future without the lying, the manipulation, the fear, the pain. A future in which you know you have made the right decision.

Is all of this real? Yes, it is! Can we really help? Yes, We Can!

Would you like to know more?

If you have any questions about Yes We Can Youth Clinics, please don't hasitate and call us. Yes We Can Youth Clinics can be reached by phone from Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (GMT +1) via phone number: +31 (0)85 02 01 222. Of course you can also send us a message by filling in our contact form.

Contact