People with psychological complaints who are helped by others who previously struggled with mental problems. That is the basic idea of Huis van Herstel.
The free walk-in center has three branches in the Netherlands, one of which is now also in Elsloo.
Need
The House of Recovery in Elsloo is an initiative of Dunja Mucha. Because she herself also had serious psychological problems, she went through many processes. “I especially noticed that the support stops after the therapy,” Mucha says. “Then you need fellow sufferers to talk to.” And that happens at the House of Recovery.
Depression
During a weekly session, which is divided into a round of questions, meditation and a creative closing piece, such as painting plates, the fellow sufferers are together. For Romy Sent, one of the participants, that contact means a lot. She has been ill for six years with chronic pain. She also has anxiety and depression. She has already gone through many aid programs. In Elsloo she wants to take new steps in her recovery.
Recognizable
“In individual sessions there is less recognizability. Here the people know what you are talking about and you can safely say that you feel shit. You can also laugh now and then and that is also nice”, Sent concludes.