#beyondthetraumawall

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

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

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.

But How Will We Pay for It?

Posted on November 11, 2025November 8, 2025 by Florence

The reform I propose, both in child protection and in wider social services, comes with a high return on investment in the long-term. (You can get a sneak peek at what I write about that in the book ‘The Trauma Root of Social Work: Beyond the Trauma Wall’ here: https://florencekoenderink.substack.com/p/return-on-investment-of-breaking) However, like all reform, in the short-term, investment is required for capacity building and service development. This will reliably raise an outcry of ‘it is impossible’, ‘where would we find the money?’ etc. This is understandable under the current attitude to the economy that seems to see people as a drain, which the economy needs to be protected from, and corporations and ultra-rich individuals as benefactors that must be protected and supported.

Challenging this attitude is a kind of radical reform in its own right. It is one that makes a lot of sense and creates a lot of financial room in national budgets due to its high return on investment that starts the moment action is taken based on the reversal of this belief. It is a hard sell, though, to propose taxing big business and the rich. Even though they currently, although they are in higher tax brackets, tend – in practice – to pay a tax rate considerably lower than those in the lowest tax bracket.

Who Am I to…?

Posted on November 5, 2025November 6, 2025 by Florence

A few weeks back, I was talking to someone about Beyond the Trauma Wall and the book I am writing for it. They asked the very reasonable question ‘who are we to tell others…?’ This stuck with me and got me thinking. In a wonderful way, it helped me clarify my resolve for what I am doing.

The Ability to Offer Support with Trauma

Posted on August 20, 2025August 20, 2025 by Florence

When someone has experienced trauma, or an event so overwhelming that it has the potential to become trauma if it is not processed, they are in need of support. To be able to process either current traumatic stress or past trauma, we need to feel safe and supported at a deep level. To experience this safety, we need to feel connected with other people, to not feel alone and helpless. However, it is not a simple thing to support someone with trauma, and not everyone is able to do so.