Blog

The Trauma Root of Social Work Is Out Today!

Posted on August 31, 2026August 31, 2026 by Florence

The moment has finally arrived!
My next book is now officially available.

A book written for social workers and policy makers in that domain, and relevant for anyone doing social…work… (in other words, working with people in any way).

It explores how our stress response system influences the way we experience the world and respond to it, and how our experiences affect our brain development.
It looks at how experiences that have not been processed and integrated and feelings that are suppressed still have a significant effect on our functioning, and how this can be visualised by the trauma wall model.
From there, it explores the consequences of this and how this affects both the people we try to support and the professionals offering support.
And it looks the significant impact and ripples that can be caused by ‘breaking down trauma walls’ through enabling people to feel heard, like they belong, that they are safe and that trust is possible.
Using trauma-proactive approaches and identifying and addressing root causes – instead of focusing on symptom management – are crucial there. The cherry on top is that this comes with a significant return on investment.

The book brings together and gratefully builds on the work of many experts from a variety of field.

I look forward to hearing what people think of the book.

You can order a copy here, and if you use the code 26AFLY3, you get 20% discount:
https://www.routledge.com/The-Trauma-Root-of-Social-Work-Beyond-the-Trauma-Wall/Koenderink/p/book/9781041127406

What the Drought Teaches Us About Resilience

Posted on August 16, 2026August 16, 2026 by Florence

When I am at home, I take a walk through the forest every day. On the very hot days usually at or just after dawn, when there is still some cool to enjoy.

At the moment, I’m not at home. I’m catsitting for a friend and taking my walks through the fields and agricultural land. I’m familiar around here, and usually while I don’t find these walks as nourishing as the ones through ‘my’ forest, I enjoy being out of the built-up areas.

Informal Book Launch

Posted on July 27, 2026August 13, 2026 by Florence

For English speakers in or near Belgium and those willing to travel further:

On 31 August 2026, my book ‘The Trauma Root of Social Work: Beyond the Trauma Wall’ will come out.

To celebrate this I want to hold an informal, outdoor book launch on Friday 4 September at 16.00 (CET) in the Sonian Forest (10-minute walk from Groenendaal train station, Hoeilaart, Belgium).

A relaxed gathering where you can look at the book – if you let me know in advance, you can also buy a signed copy – and we can enjoy beautiful surroundings, good conversations, and hopefully nice weather together.

Less than half an hour from the centre of Brussels by train. By car, only two minutes from the East Ring of Brussels, with parking at the train station. If we gather at the train station, we can walk to the spot in the photo below together.

I look forward to hearing from you if you are joining us.

You can now pre-order The Trauma Root of Social Work with a discount:

A Conversation About Aspects of Trauma and the Wall

Posted on June 16, 2026June 16, 2026 by Florence

In this conversation with Kevin R. Strauss, various aspects of trauma come up. As well as an explanation of what the Trauma Wall is and how it shows up, unprepared, so unpolished.

Enjoy the conversation

Raising Money to Continue the Work

Posted on May 8, 2026June 16, 2026 by Florence

A couple of weeks ago, I shared a post on LinkedIn ‘saying the quiet part out loud’, about the challenges of the past few years and my financial situation. You can find the post here: LinkedIn

Because of the enormous potential for achieving the positive change we are all longing for, I have dedicated myself for over a year and a half now – fulltime, unpaid – to the Beyond the Trauma Wall Initiative, raising awareness, writing books and researching, expanding my network, and looking for people and organisations interested in partnering with me.

I have decided to start a GoFundMe page, to see if I can raise some funds to be able to keep dedicating myself to this work.

Any contribution, as well as sharing the page, is greatly appreciated.

You can find the page here: GoFundMe

My Refusal to Play Along and Cause Stress

Posted on April 10, 2026April 12, 2026 by Florence

Those of us who work independently, who are freelancers, who have a mission (who need to pay our rent) need to get our name and message out there. To achieve that, we are dependent on the algorithms that decide what gets seen, what gets suppressed, and what gets enhanced. There is lots of advice out there, books, videos, coaches, training, all on how to play and manipulate the algorithms and how to bring them on our side. That seems great: learn to play the game and reap the results.

But what if the rules of the game are directly opposed to my mission?

Recognising the Trauma in Hate

Posted on March 13, 2026March 13, 2026 by Florence

I am seeing more and more marches, rallies, and demonstrations planned, in different countries this month, against hate, racism, and crumbling democracies. On the one hand, this is heartening. To see people stand up, stand together, and stand against injustice and aggression gives hope. It makes me, and many others, feel less alone. But then, there is the other hand. It also makes me feel somewhat uneasy. Not because I object to these acts of solidarity and principle, but out of worry about the shape they may take.

Different Aspects of the Beyond the Trauma Wall Initiative

Posted on March 2, 2026March 2, 2026 by Florence

Through many conversations and other interactions with people about the Beyond the Trauma Wall Initiative, a clearer sense of its practical aims is emerging. Writing my upcoming book, ‘The Trauma Root of Social Work: Beyond the Trauma Wall’ has also contributed to that. It is through having very different conversations with people from different sectors and backgrounds that the generally applicable through-lines gradually become more visible. I want to share them with you here.

Online Trauma Training?

Posted on February 13, 2026February 13, 2026 by Florence

Those of us who offer training and capacity building related to trauma-informed (or trauma-proactive) practice and approaches are under pressure to offer online and self-paced programmes. I want to share some reflections on this.

Explaining It to a Four-Year-Old

Posted on January 19, 2026January 19, 2026 by Florence

I believe that awareness of such things as the effects of the activation of the stress response and how to hold space could and should be taught in schools. Because of that and because I was asked this week how I break down very complicated things so that they are understandable without losing the true meaning, I thought I’d give an example of how I would explain dysregulation and coregulation to my four-year-old niece: