Dimensie

We think we learn too little about sex and relationships in school or university! So we changed it…

Join us at this year's Symposium to learn more about Sex and Relationship Psychology!

A Symposium is a whole day of lectures and workshops on a certain topic. This year's topic is "Wrapping our Minds around Intimacy". On the 28th of March, from 14:00-23:00, speakers from different places have been invited to discuss with you about all different aspects of Sexuality and Intimacy. We will talk about sexual pleasure, types of relationships, pornography, bonding therapy and more! Apart from this, we will provide you with a free dinner, networking drinks, free coffee and tea for the whole day, and a goodie bag for each participant. 

The participation fee is €6 for Dimensie members.

You can sign up here!

Curious about our speakers?                                                                   

Mark Spiering 

What is intimate sex?

Dear all,

I am a psychologist working at the UvA(University of Amsterdam). My background is research, and for a long time I've been mainly teaching. Teaching is my favourite thing to do, for me it is connecting, learning, and experiencing a lot. My specialisation is sexology, this will be the focus of my presentation. The interdisciplinary character of sexology appeals to me the most and I follow all social changes with great interest. Thus, during the lecture I will think more about the concept of intimacy; in relation to sex, love, and attachment styles and different types of relationships. I will address sexual pleasure and gender differences, as well as how your sex- and love life are connected.

I’m looking forward to being there!

Maerten Prins 

Myths of Porn

My name is dr. Maerten Prins, I am a lecturer in Social and Cultural Psychology at the faculty of Social Sciences at the Radboud University Nijmegen and I graduated on youth cultures. I have experience with education at all levels of the Psychology program and in various types of education (lectures, interactive lectures, work groups, and individual guidance).

My speciality is the Psychology of Sexuality, in which I give a third-year free elective course. My talk will be on Pornography. I will discuss the myths that exist in mainstream porn, and the effects that watching porn might have. There are some positive effects and negative effects of porn use, in which we find unrealistic and artificial sex education.

Maya Schrier-Kerstan

Psychosexual development

I am Maya Schrier-Kerstan and I am a trainer and body-oriented therapist with the specialisation Sexuality and Intimacy. I grew up in East Germany and originally trained there as a physicist. To heal myself from all the stress and frustration in my life, I engaged in some courses like Sexual Grounding Therapy, so I have experienced how these methods work on my own body. 

Since 1990 I have been giving group and individual therapy in the Netherlands and abroad and since 2010 I have been affiliated as a trainer with the BodyMind Training Institute, Heart and Sexuality training department. My focus of the lecture will be psychosexual development, as little attention is given to it. The messages of our parents and educators about intimacy, gender identity, and sexuality influence our behaviour in intimate relationships up till today. Thus, it is important that we become conscious of that before we start to look for healthy ways to connect intimately. Our sexual energy is in essence our life energy. We are made out of sexual energy, it makes us develop and search for connection.

Mirella Brok

Love psychology

I was born, raised, and educated in the South of the Netherlands and Belgium, currently, I love working in Noord-Brabant. Every day I talk with couples about intimacy. As a love psychologist, I support people who feel lonely and disconnected in their relationships. Whether people are in love, want to fall in love, or are in love but think this is stupid: their love relationships have always fascinated me. So I decided to make my passion for love my profession. During my post-HBO training System Therapist, I was touched by the influence of family relationships. Since 2013 I have further specialised in contextual assistance. Together with people who feel disconnected in their relationships, I research how they can improve their relationships. During that research, I immerse myself in the other and make use of accurate professional knowledge, psychological methodologies, multi-sided partiality and humour.

On March the 28th I will host a workshop called: "Check, please?". It's about contextual balancing in relationships - based on the theory of Nagy. In this workshop, the students and I will try to figure out what's fair in giving and receiving in intimate relationships. And how this search for giving and receiving is helpful as a psychologist.

Jeannette Dijkstra

The effects of Child Sexual Abuse on Intimacy

My name is Jeannette Dijkstra, I am a trauma therapist and confidential counsellor. I live and work in Amsterdam. 

In my early work as a therapist, child sexual abuse became a recurring theme. The skills I learned during my general therapy education were not sufficient. Over the past 7 years, I have specialized in sexual trauma. My current method is strongly practice-based.

Sexual abuse in childhood has devastating effects on every aspect of life. Growing up with this damage requires exceptional strength and creativity. I approach my clients from this perspective. I do not treat them, I guide them through their unique processes. I do not work with protocols. I navigate my client through the specific hurdles that must be taken in their personal context.

During my workshop, you will get a view of the victim’s internal system after sexual abuse. Also, I will summarize the steps which need to be taken and how I work with psychodrama models. I will address how child sexual abuse affects intimacy and sexuality in the adult. I will also bring a model which allows you, as future therapists, to experience some of the chaos in the victim’s mind. Of course I am open to addressing any questions.

Marianna Kocsany 

Attachment in Adulthood - How to create secure attachment?

I am Marianna Kocsany and I studied Psychology on a master's degree at ELTE (Hungary) and I specialise in attachment and Couple Therapy (Gottman Institute). 

I have been working with couples and singles and helping them in creating and nurturing lasting relationships and healing attachments for more than 6 years in Amsterdam. I graduated as a psychologist more than 8 years ago and have been practising therapeutic work ever since. My therapy is a fusion of classic psychoanalysis, emotion-focused therapy, hypnotherapy, the Gottman method, and mindfulness. In my early years as a therapist, I have realised that most of my clients' problems are related to non-adaptive bonding patterns and limiting beliefs about themselves and their relationships. By rewriting these patterns and beliefs I can guide my clients to create the relationship that they are truly longing for, and help them in deepening their connection with their partners.

During my workshop, I will talk and interact with students about attachment in adulthood, relationships, and introducing the Gottman method into our daily love lives.

Iris Ruel

When marriage ends

Hi, I am Iris, 21 years old and a Buddy at Villa Pinedo. Which will also be the topic that I am going to talk about! Villa Pinedo is an online (Dutch) platform for children with divorced parents. When you want to talk to someone about your parents’ divorce, the threshold is often high to go to a teacher. However, at Villa Pinedo, a lot of volunteers are available as Buddy, with whom you can chat. How amazing!!

During the workshop, there will be more information about Villa Pinedo, but you will also be able to experience how it is to be a buddy!