Veronique van Miert

Veronique van Miert

Background

Veronique van Miert MSc became involved with Peer van der Helm’s living group climate research during the bachelor degree program in Educational Sciences (University of Amsterdam). Since that time, she has asked herself: how can we change the living group climate and what do staff need for this. For this reason, she carried out literature research into staff and the living group climate for her bachelor dissertation. She has continued with this in her research internship and master dissertation. During the internship, she set up the work climate research with Anna Dekker. After graduating Veronique worked for two years as a teacher for working groups at the University of Amsterdam for the Educational Sciences bachelor degree programme. In addition, she has become a researcher at the research group Residential Youth Care. Here, Veronique coordinates the research in correctional juvenile detention centres commissioned by the Custodial Institutions Agency (Dienst Justitiële Inrichtingen, or DJI) and various living group and work climate research projects with institutions in the field in our knowledge network. She also teaches research methodology for Social Sciences and supervises students in the final stages of their degree program. She continues to be involved in the issue of staff and the living group climate and seeks to find a solution in her doctoral research.

In her doctoral research, Veronique addresses effective team functioning and leadership in high-risk work environments in relation to the work climate research and living group climate research.

Research

In a high-risk work environment with difficult job characteristics, staff working in a team are strongly dependent on each other. The research being conducted by Veronique van Miert Msc addresses the processes of team leadership and the processes within the teams in this specific work environment. In addition, the research examines the connection between leadership and the team’s functioning with the living group climate. Insight into the transactional processes creates the opportunity to positively affect these and thus improve the wellbeing of staff and the quality of care.
The thesis will be defended at the VU University of Amsterdam (organisational psychology). Supervisor: Prof. Paul Jansen. Assistant supervisors: Brian Spisak, Peer van der Helm. Prof. Geert Jan Stams (University of Amsterdam) is also involved in the research because of his rich knowledge in the field of forensic remedial education.

Presentations

  • Contribution to the workshop at IAFMHS 2013.
  • Van der Helm, G.H.P., Beld, M.H.M., Van Tol, N., Van der Meer, T., Dekker, A.L., & Van Miert, V.S.L.  (2014) Dat zal ze leren. Does punishment help in practice. Annual congress of Association of Universities of Applied Science. Den Bosch: Congress centre Brabanthallen. 17 April 2014.
  • Van der Helm, G.H.P., Beld, M.H.M., Schaftenaar, P., De Swart, J.J.M., Dekker, A.L., & Van Miert, V.S.L. (2014). Psychopathology, learning and rehabilitation in a residential forensic climate: scientific research in progress. XIV Annual Conference of the International Association of Forensic Mental Health Services (IAFMHS). Trauma, violence and recovery: risk and resilience across the lifespan. June 19 th – 22th, 2014. Toronto Sheraton Centre.
  • Dekker, A.L., Van Miert, V.S.L., & Blekkink, B. (2012). Workshop Working on an open living group climate, it’s in your own hands! The congress living group climate in Secure Juvenile Institutions. Utrecht. 12 November 2012.
  • Forensic Care Festival in 2015:
    1. Working together on the living group climate in the correctional juvenile detention centres (Jaap Nagtegaal, Evelyn Heynen, Thijs de Jong, Ellen Eltink, Veronique van Miert)
    2. Work climate research as intervention at FPA Roosenburg (Peer van der Helm, Henrike van Kruistum, Veronique van Miert)