Psychiatric patients are not defined by their mental illness, and have strengths as well as weaknesses. For Hettie Aardema, nurse specialist at GGZ Drenthe, it is of utmost importance for society to recognize this. Her PhD research focuses on healthcare that promotes recovery.

'I spent many years working in a locked ward of a mental healthcare institution (GGZ), first as a nurse and then as a team manager. As a mental health nurse, I was treatment coordinator in various capacities, such as within the rehabilitation department, on the developmental disabilities care programme and in long-term care.'

'I’m now the head practitioner for general mental healthcare, and I also work as an educator for VS GGZ within GGZ Drenthe. I’ve always had an affinity with people who suffer from severe psychiatric disorders. Psychiatric patients are not defined by their illness. They are individuals, with strengths as well as weaknesses. I think it’s really important that society recognizes this. Most importantly, the patients themselves must realize this, and see life as meaningful.'

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Drs. Hettie Aardema

Working within the context of the professional field

'Thanks to the various positions I now hold, I am truly able to contribute to the quality of the care that people with a psychiatric disorder receive. This year, I began studying for a PhD which focuses on measuring recovery within Specialist Mental Healthcare, specifically on instruments for measuring recovery. I want to achieve the same thing via my studies as I do in practice: contributing to quality of care. It’s really great to be working in a context where research results directly improve the quality of care. Simultaneously, it can also be challenging, because the practical field is hard to navigate and constantly changing.'