Jolien Posthumus The Netherlands
Jolien Posthumus has a background in applied arts, art history, and trauma-sensitive mindfulness, and supports organisations in developing cultures of care through arts-based interventions.
More about Jolien:
Jolien Posthumus is a pioneering voice at the intersection of art and mental health. She drives systemic change by advocating for a future in which art is not an add-on, but at the heart of mental health strategy.
She is a trailblazer and consultant in Art & Mental Health. Jolien served as the first Program Manager Mental Health at the Museum of the Mind (EMYA Winner 2022), plays a key role in the Van Gogh Museum’s mental health initiative Open Up with Vincent, and served as an advisor and key contributor to the pioneering Dutch programme Museum on Prescription With a background in applied arts and as a trauma-informed mindfulness teacher within the Dutch General Mental Healthcare system, she founded Mindfulness in Museums (MiM), an international initiative that brings evidence-based mindfulness from mental healthcare into museums as public spaces for mental health. Through MiM, she develops mindfulness-based art interventions that foster resilience, a sense of belonging, and human flourishing — for ourselves, our communities, and the world around us.
Other speakers together with Jolien Posthumus during the panel session:
Tessa Kerre
Tessa Kerre is Head of the department Hematology and Full Professor at Ghent University Hospital, and a leading researcher in immunotherapy, stem-cell transplantation, and patient-centred care.
Nieke Koek
Nieke Koek is an interdisciplinary artist who works with the body as a source of knowledge in healthcare and research contexts, using art to deepen communication and insight in care.
Junior Akwety
Junior Akwety is a Belgian-Congolese multidisciplinary artist who works across music, theatre, and pedagogy, using collective creation as a space for care, memory, and community building.
Brenda Anyango
Brenda Anyango is an independent clinical psychologist, behavioural therapist, speaker, and space creator working under the name SemaNami—meaning “talk to me” in her mother tongue, Swahili.
@ The conference
On Friday morning Jolien Posthumus is the keynote speaker at the session “Culture & Care: Creating Common Ground for Change” and will moderate the subsequent panel with Tessa Kerre, Nieke Koek, Junior Akwety and Brenda Anyango.
