Board Member & Psychiatrist Oswald Bloemen: “Everything of value is vulnerable – and that includes Yes We Can Clinics, our fellows and our staff.”

How can an organisation continue to learn and improve without losing sight of what already works well? For Yes We Can, that is far from an abstract question. The organisation treats young people with highly complex mental health and behavioural challenges – young people for whom there are often few suitable alternatives. They are a particularly vulnerable group, and that inevitably makes Yes We Can vulnerable too. Board Member and Psychiatrist Oswald Bloemen reflects on quality of care, continuous development, and what it takes to sustain this important work.

Since April 2026, Oswald has been a member of the Executive Board of the Yes We Can Healthcare Group. In his role, he is responsible for quality of care, research, education, leadership and the organisation's ongoing development. His motivation, however, did not begin in the boardroom. "I chose psychiatry during my clinical placements because I realised how challenging this field is—not only for the young people receiving care, but also for those of us providing it. There is still so much to discover, improve and better understand."

Oswald spent many years conducting scientific research into mental health conditions affecting young people, including psychosis and autism, before working as a Psychiatrist in acute mental healthcare. Most recently, he served as Clinical Director at GGz Centraal, one of the Netherlands' largest mental healthcare organisations. Alongside his executive responsibilities, Oswald has deliberately remained closely connected to clinical practice. "It's important for me to stay connected to the people we do this for and to understand the impact our decisions have on both fellows and colleagues." Although working with young people facing complex challenges means being confronted with difficult and often distressing stories every day, he says it never becomes routine. "The stories of our fellows and their families are deeply moving. They continue to inspire me and affect me every single time."

A Professional Healthcare Organisation

Oswald describes Yes We Can as a professional mental healthcare organisation where a highly complex group of young people receives treatment with warmth, expertise, courage and creativity. "The way we work with fellows, families, lived experience and clinical data is genuinely inspiring."

When speaking about the future of the Yes We Can Healthcare Group, one theme repeatedly returns: the importance of presenting a complete and balanced picture of the organisation to the outside world, enabling future fellows and their families to make informed decisions. "Over the past few years, much has been communicated about the role of lived experience, and rightly so. The contribution of experts by experience within our treatment approach is truly distinctive. It often has a positive impact on treatment outcomes, and my predecessors worked hard to establish its place and recognition within the wider mental healthcare sector."

At the same time, Oswald believes another equally important part of the story deserves greater visibility. "Yes We Can is a mental healthcare organisation where around 120 healthcare professionals work intensively alongside 15 experts by experience. I don't think that has always been fully reflected in the public perception of who we are." For Oswald, it is precisely this combination of professional expertise and lived experience that gives young people the greatest possible chance of successful treatment. They are not opposing approaches, but complementary strengths within one multidisciplinary treatment model.

A Changing Patient Population Requires Continuous Development

When Yes We Can first opened its doors, the majority of fellows were boys struggling with substance misuse and externalising behaviour. Today, the organisation supports a far broader and more complex group of young people, many of whom present with co-occurring conditions such as trauma, autism and eating disorders. This changing client group requires the organisation to continue evolving in order to provide the most appropriate care.

"The needs of young people are changing, which means we have to keep developing too. We continually assess whether our treatment programme meets what fellows need from us. At the same time, we carefully consider which young people are best suited to our treatment programme and which would benefit more from care provided by another mental healthcare organisation."

One example of this ongoing development is the establishment of specialist teams focusing on trauma and eating disorders. EMDR has been available within the residential programme for many years, and more recently the organisation introduced an intensive short-term outpatient trauma treatment programme.

"In recent years, we have welcomed an increasing number of young people whose challenges are rooted in trauma and related conditions. That is why we have deliberately adapted and further developed our treatment approach to meet those needs."

Learning from Critical Feedback

Over the past period, Yes We Can has received critical attention in the media. The organisation takes these concerns seriously by acknowledging mistakes where appropriate, maintaining contact with those involved, cooperating with inspections, and conducting both internal and independent external investigations. Given the complexity and sensitivity of the issues involved, these processes require great care, regardless of whether concerns arise through the media or through the organisation's own reporting channels.

For Psychiatrist Oswald Bloemen, this is an essential part of delivering professional healthcare: "It is important to receive critical feedback when things have not gone as they should. You listen, acknowledge what went wrong and do your utmost to ensure the right support is still provided. At the same time, we examine what can be improved, preserve what already works well, and continue to develop. At Yes We Can, we are constantly searching for what works best for these young people — individually, within the group, and for the people around them."

Carrying the Responsibility Together

Many of the young people admitted to Yes We Can have already experienced a long and difficult journey through mental healthcare. Their problems are often severe and complex, and frequently involve significant risks. Supporting this group places considerable demands on both the organisation and the people who work within it. "We are equipped to provide this care professionally and responsibly, but it also makes us vulnerable. Ultimately, this is something we have to carry together."

Over the past few months, Oswald has therefore devoted considerable attention to supporting colleagues within the organisation. "Our staff need resilience to work with such a complex client group while at the same time continuing to improve, innovate and adapt. External criticism — whether justified or not — makes this work even more demanding." For Oswald, the essence of the discussion can ultimately be captured in a single thought. "Everything of value is vulnerable — and that includes Yes We Can Clinics, our fellows and our staff."

That is precisely why he believes it is so important to remain self-critical while also taking great care to preserve what works well. He hopes the same thoughtful and balanced approach will also be reflected in the public debate. "We care for young people with exceptionally complex challenges, and for the vast majority we achieve truly remarkable outcomes. There is always room to learn, and we are doing so at pace. At the same time, there are very few places where young people with these kinds of problems can receive the specialist care they need."

According to Oswald, this responsibility extends beyond Yes We Can alone. "We need to consider how we carry this responsibility together — not only within our organisation, but also as a society and alongside the media."