Buddy program for persons with a severe mental illness: Mindwise interview with Lisette van der Meer and Justin L. Abu Hoof

Recently Dr. Lisette van der Meer and Justin L. Abu Hoof were interviewed by Mindwise Groningen about the buddy program at Lentis Psychiatric Institute in Zuidlaren. Dr. Lisette van der Meer developed the buddy program, together with psychology student Justin L. Abu Hoof, to increase connectedness between people with a serious mental illness (like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder) and society. By coupling psychology students to patients or service users (a less stigmatising term for people who ‘use the psychiatric services provided by the psychiatric care facility’), they hope to stimulate a reconnection with society for service users while at the same time create a learning opportunity beyond the textbooks for students. You can read more about the project in the Mindwise interview by Yvonne Groen Here.