Liesbeth van den Berg – van Esch
Specialty: pelvis and pelvic organs
Liesbeth van den Berg completed her training in physiotherapy in 1994 and started working with Dutch and German colleagues. She became curious about the functioning of the body as a whole, and studied acupuncture and then osteopathy at the IAO in Ghent. In 2016 she completed this with a Master of Science in Osteopathy, for which she conducted scientific research into the osteopathic impact of the treatment of the vagus nerve in depressive complaints. She wants to understand the connection between all anatomical structures, the physiology and the neurological control of processes in the body.
I love to help people with complex physical ailments. It is an enormous challenge to give people with chronic and complex complaints insight into the cause of their condition and the course thereof. From there we can work together to build optimal health.
Nadi Blokhuis
Specialty: cervical, neck and head
Nadi Blokhuis has worked as a physiotherapist for the past five years and graduated as an osteopath in 2020. She has her own practice in Amstelveen. She became involved with SWOO during her studies. Blokhuis likes to be found in her own practice, but as a SWOO editor she is also involved with the latest developments in her field.
What I prefer to do as an osteopath is close a file. It gives me a deep sense of satisfaction when someone leaves my practice free of complaints.
Joppe ten Brink
Expertise: babies, children, cranial osteopathy, science.
After his studies in physiotherapy and the manual therapy of “van der Bijl”, Joppe ten Brink graduated in 2002 as an osteopath at the IAO. He works in his own practice in Almere and since 2015 also as an osteopath in “De Kinderkliniek” in Almere. In this outpatient clinic he mainly sees babies and children with headache complaints. He has almost completed the master Evidence Based Practice in Healthcare at the University of Amsterdam. He was also a board member for 3 years and a member of the NOF training committee for 5 years. Over the past two years, he has been involved with SWOO, especially when it comes to the scientific foundation of the profession.
What I prefer to do is to understand why someone has complaints. If necessary, I will develop my own techniques to solve the problem.
Marlotte Lagendijk
Specialty: research
Marlotte Lagendijk graduated from the full-time osteopathy training at the IAO in Ghent and has been an osteopath DO and Master of Science since 2019. She has her own practice in The Hague and Goedereede. She wants to contribute to scientific research around osteopathy.
What I love most as an osteopath, is to share in the amazement of the patient when their movement limitation or complaint has changed after the treatment. To share the moment when they realize how body, complaint and strength work together.
Sander Kales
Specialty: director
Sander Kales worked as a physiotherapist for ten years and started his own practice as an osteopath in Amsterdam in 2001. He attended all kinds of refresher courses and completed an M.Sc. in pediatric osteopathy in 2014. In that year he also studied epidemiology at the University of Amsterdam for a year. He has extensive experience in teaching at all kinds of organizations in Europe. Kales has been director of SWOO since 2013 and board member of the NVO (the Dutch foundation for osteopaths) since 2014. In addition to ComeColl and the EFFO research working group, Kales also participates in a number of working groups from patient associations and professional organizations.
I get the most satisfaction from my profession when the patient starts to see connections between his complaints and what the body has been through. The motivation to work at SWOO stems from the fact that I would like to see the scientific methodology (testing what you think through observations) grow in osteopathy.
Joost Veldhuizen
Specialty: belly
Joost Veldhuizen obtained his Master of Science in 2020. During his studies, he noticed that he has a great affinity with scientific literature and that is why he has been working at SWOO since 2020. The total approach within osteopathy appeals to him the most. He likes to be in his practice during the day, but you can find him in the books and literature at night.
I like to think scientifically out-of-the-box. By reading the literature of other domains, I hope to gain an even better understanding of osteopathy and my role as a practitioner.