"Our goal is to create a quality of empathic connection that allows everyone's needs to be met" - Marshall Rosenberg
Nonviolent Communication for (para)medical professionals
2-day accredited training for healthcare professionals
As a healthcare professional, (general) practitioner, or (para)medical specialist, how do I stay connected with myself, colleagues, and patients/clients while working in a challenging context? How do I handle conflicting interests in a constructive manner? How do I set boundaries and stand up for myself in a way that allows the other person to continue to hear me clearly?
The Nonviolent Communication philosophy and associated process model, developed by clinical psychologist Marshall Rosenberg, can be useful in various ways in your daily work as a medical professional. It stimulates:
- Self-connection: what do I need and what is important to me in contact with colleagues, partners, patients/clients, and family?
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Connection with colleagues, partners, patients/clients, and family: providing recognition, creating clarity
- Efficiency: good alignment saves time
- Clarity: what is the essence for the other(s) and what can you provide or not provide from your role?
- Prevention of (escalation of) conflicts by learning to look closely at underlying needs and values and communicating about them, even when things are tense, thus reaching creative solutions/strategies.
The training sessions require a prior education as a (para)medical professional; the study load consists of the training days themselves. You will receive a hand-out with information and exercises.
Throughout the year, Boris Nauta (Equanimity) and Elles Bindels (VBIB) organize this training for open enrollment in Dutch, but it is also available upon request within your organization in English.
In-Company Nonviolent communication for healthcare professionals (English or Dutch)
The training can be provided in Dutch as well as in English (or both) in organizations and to professional groups and partnerships throughout the Netherlands and abroad. Read more about the training content below. More information or questions? Please reach out to Elles Bindels, physician, trainer, and professional supervisor for (para)medical professionals via elles@vbib.nl or +31 (0)6 20397621.
Open enrollment Nonviolent communication for healthcare professionals (in Dutch)
This special two-day event for Dutch speakers takes place at the Fort bij Nigtevecht nature monument near Amsterdam. The training is open to healthcare providers who wish to learn and integrate Nonviolent communication into their work and life. You may have previously attended one or more training days with one of us and wish to refresh your knowledge and skills and share them with other colleagues. You are also welcome if this is your first introduction to Nonviolent communication.
The training is accredited by various professional associations for healthcare professionals. An overview can be found further down this page under Accreditations.
To sign-up to the 2-day open enrollment training for Dutch speakers please proceed to the Dutch website.
Content
During the training, we address themes that (para)medical professionals may find challenging. We explore these themes and practice applying the three core processes of Nonviolent Communication:- Self-empathy: what is being touched within you? What do you need?
- Empathic listening: what feelings and needs do you hear from the other person?
- Honest expression: being clear about your feelings and needs and making concrete requests.
For each of these processes, we use the four components of the Nonviolent Communication model: Observations, Feelings, Needs, and Requests. We also address pitfalls, communication styles that hinder connection, and how to translate these into communication that benefits the mutual relationship. We use examples from the participants’ own practices.
Accreditation
This training is accredited by:
- KNMG (Royal Dutch Medical Association), 12 ABAN points
- Nurse Specialists, 12 points
- KNOV–NVOG Clinical midwives 6 points and for Midwives 12.5 points
- Netherlands Association of Physician Assistants (NAPA), 12 points
- National Association POH-GGZ practice assistants, 12 points
- SKGV Spiritual Caregivers, 1.5 points
Training dates
The Open Enrollment training Nonviolent communication for (para)medical professionals will take place in 2026 on the dates below. The training days start at 9:30 AM and end at 4:30 PM.
- Fri Mar 27 & Sat Mar 28, 2026
- Thu June 4 and Fri June 5, 2026
- Thu Oct 8 and Fri Oct 9, 2026
Costs
The fee for medical specialists and general practitioners is €995 per person. For paramedics and residents, the fee is €695 per person. This includes lunch, the syllabus, and a practice handout.
If you register at the same time as a colleague, you will both receive a 15% discount on the registration fee. Medical specialists and general practitioners will then pay €846, and paramedics and residents €591 per person.
Equanimity complies with the CRKBO quality code for educational institutions offering short vocational training. Therefore, the training courses are exempt from VAT.Equanimity complies with the CRKBO quality code for educational institutions in short-term vocational education. The training courses are therefore exempt from VAT.
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