Statement from the Executive Board

We have taken note of the recent media coverage concerning Yes We Can (Youth) Clinics. The specific examples presented were not shared with us in this form or at this level of detail beforehand. Naturally, the suffering we have seen affects us deeply. We are genuinely saddened that young people and their families have felt this way and that these experiences may still have an impact on their lives today.

We recognise that there are former fellows and others involved who experienced their treatment as painful or distressing. We take these experiences very seriously, and they deserve our full attention.

These experiences stand on their own and require careful reflection and appropriate follow-up, regardless of the outcomes experienced by others.

For this reason, in the period leading up to the publication of these reports, we repeatedly invited the journalists to visit us and speak with our clinical leadership, medical professionals, Executive Board and an independent professor who is conducting research into our treatment approach.

Mental healthcare for young people with complex conditions is intensive and outcomes can vary. This means that treatment, particularly in cases of complex mental health needs, will not have the same outcome for everyone, and that continuous reflection and improvement are essential.

Every experience matters

Yes We Can (Youth) Clinics is a specialist mental healthcare provider for young people with severe and often long-standing mental health conditions. Almost every young person who comes to us for treatment has previously received care that proved insufficient, resulting in complex and often long-term difficulties.

Since our foundation, more than 10,000 young people have completed treatment with us. Fellows rate their treatment on average at 8.4 out of 10, and independent research shows that a large proportion no longer require specialist mental healthcare after treatment, alongside a significant reduction in symptoms and improved functioning. These outcomes are not based on a single point in time, but have been consistently observed over many years through independent research and ongoing monitoring.

At the same time, we recognise that experiences can differ. If young people experienced their treatment as painful, too intensive or harmful, we take that very seriously. We warmly invite fellows who have had such experiences to contact us if they wish to do so. In addition, we are carefully reviewing these events internally in response to the recent media coverage.

About our treatment

Our treatment approach is based on evidence-based treatment methods and multidisciplinary working.

Interventions always take place within professional and medical-ethical frameworks, under the responsibility of psychiatrists and lead practitioners. Challenging interventions may form part of treatment, but they always require careful professional judgement, clear clinical boundaries and a safe therapeutic environment. Context may explain why an intervention is used, but it can never in itself justify that intervention.

The media coverage includes accounts of interventions that may not always have been carried out appropriately in practice. This underlines the importance of continuous professional development and careful implementation. At the same time, these interventions take place within a very large treatment practice: over the past 15 years, more than 600,000 group sessions have been delivered. Positive outcomes have been achieved for the vast majority of the young people who have received treatment with us. As a result, the public often sees the many positive stories and outcomes, for which we are grateful. At the same time, we recognise that this visibility may overshadow the experiences of young people and families whose experience was different, or leave them feeling that their experiences do not matter. It is important that these experiences receive proper attention. Where professional boundaries are crossed, far-reaching measures are taken.

Learning and improving

Precisely because we work with a vulnerable group of young people and provide intensive treatment, we believe it is essential to continue learning and improving.

Since taking office as the new Executive Board in October 2025, we have introduced targeted improvements to our organisation and treatment, based on feedback from fellows, parents and professionals, supported by data and research. These include:

• strengthening governance and clinical leadership, including a renewed Executive Board and clinical leadership structure;
• strengthening the role of lead practitioners and psychiatrists and introducing smaller multidisciplinary teams;
• refining our treatment culture and reviewing, and in some cases completely discontinuing, the use of specific confrontational interventions;
• strengthening social safety, reporting procedures and the follow-up of concerns, both internally and externally;
• expanding our existing monitoring, data-driven working methods and scientific research in collaboration with universities.

These changes have been introduced because we are committed to continually improving ourselves, including in response to critical feedback.

Finally

We remain committed to providing careful, safe and effective treatment for young people with complex mental health needs.

We will continue to listen to the experiences of fellows and their families, continue improving our care, and continue investing in research and professional development, with the aim of helping young people regain hope and build a better future.

Yours sincerely,

Johan Linssen
Oswald Bloemen
Sam Beenhakker
Kees Haverkamp

Executive Board
Yes We Can Healthcare Group