About Maaike

With a combination of empathy and decisiveness, Maaike guides parties and teams in complex conflicts to reach understanding through constructive dialogue and agreement on sustainable solutions.

Maaike is an experienced MfN-registered mediator and certified employment and government mediator, with a background in international relations. She specializes in employment and collaboration mediations and also supports teams and organizations in strengthening their mutual cooperation. With a large number of completed mediations and extensive experience in dialogue and trust-building in (post-)conflict areas, as well as governance experience, she brings deep insight into human behavior and dynamics.

With an empathetic yet goal-oriented approach, Maaike creates a safe environment in which there is space for dialogue, understanding, and the restoration of trust. She helps parties break through stalled communication and work together toward sustainable solutions. Through her systemic perspective, she is able to make underlying patterns visible and get collaboration back on track even in complex and sensitive situations.

Maaike in her own words

Conflicts are part of life; we all have our own truth, shaped by different perspectives, views, wishes, thoughts, and concerns. Sometimes these differing experiences lead to tension in organizations, in the division of tasks and roles, in collaboration, or in relationships.

By making the different interests open for discussion, clarifying them, and mapping them out, it often turns out that much more is possible than initially thought. Sometimes it becomes clear that the situation, when viewed from the other person’s perspective, is also understandable. From there, it is possible to search for a solution to what is going on.

A good conversation about what needs to be discussed can resolve what needs to be resolved. This creates space for recovery, for growth, and for refocusing on the future.