European Parliament Brussels 25

Designing Trust Infrastructure for Emerging Mental Health Systems

How strategic narrative architecture shaped national care policy in the Netherlands — and unlocked cross-European collaboration

SYSTEMIC CHALLENGE

As Europe explored new models for trauma recovery, one question became central:

How do you introduce next-generation care into public systems — when regulation, emotion, and public trust move at different speeds?

 

European Parliament Brussels 25

In the Netherlands, this took the form of a State Commission — a multidisciplinary body tasked with evaluating the feasibility, ethics, and public perception of integrating novel mental health treatments into regulated care.

The challenge was systemic:

  • Science was moving fast

  • Policy was catching up

  • Public understanding was fragmented

At stake wasn’t just implementation — but public trust, narrative alignment, and the emotional safety of those most affected.

MY ROLE

I was invited to join the Commission in a dual capacity:
◉ Clinical Psychologist (trauma & care design)
◉ Strategic Communications Lead (narrative systems & stakeholder alignment)

WHAT I BUILT

🤝 Human-Centered Research Design

  • Created participant surveys to embed psychological safety into structure and tone

  • Increased data reliability and reduced drop-off by reframing cold/formal language into trauma-aware email outreach

🤝 Narrative Architecture for a Multi-Sector Audience

  • Co-authored the Commission’s flagship paper — used in shaping national recommendations

  • Facilitated alignment between clinicians, scientists, legal experts, and government reps through shared messaging frameworks

🤝 Stakeholder Messaging Strategy

  • Developed a high-trust language framework to be used across:

    ∘ Policy documents
    ∘ Public engagement
    ∘ Intra-Commission comms

  • Introduced tools to prevent narrative drift and misinterpretation in emotionally sensitive contexts

As a psychologist, I approached every interaction not only through a strategic lens, but through clinical insight — attuned to tone, emotional readiness, and the risks of re-traumatization in policy discourse.

BEYOND THE COMMISSION

This work didn’t end at publication — it opened doors and deepened trust:

IMPACT

✔️ National Policy Recommendation

My paper co-authorship supported the Commission’s formal recommendation to integrate novel trauma treatments into regulated clinical care.

✔️ Cross-European Platform Invitation

Based on this work, I was invited as a strategic communications advisor to a new European platform on care innovation — focused on ethical implementation across national contexts.

✔️ Brussels Roundtable Contribution

Selected to join an EU-level roundtable on post-conflict trauma care in Ukraine — translating care innovation into policy-relevant narratives for high-level mental health strategy.

ICPR 2024

STRATEGIC VALUE

◉ Designed a trauma-aware national survey from scratch, embedding psychological safety into its structure, tone, and sequencing — resulting in high participant engagement and robust, context-sensitive data.

◉ Enabled cross-sector decision-making by aligning legal, clinical, and policy voices through shared language and messaging systems.

◉ Reduced reputational risk in a sensitive public health domain by introducing tone frameworks that balanced transparency with emotional responsibility.

◉ Co-authored an expert position paper outlining clinical and regulatory considerations for implementing novel mental health treatments in European mental healthcare.

◉ Advised on narrative systems at the EU level, contributing to a high-level roundtable on mental health strategy for displaced populations.

◉ Invited as a cross-national strategic advisor, helping build communication infrastructure across European platforms exploring innovative mental health care.

◉ Supported trust-building within Ukrainian clinical networks, designing communication pathways that respect both cultural nuance and clinical integrity.

EXPERTISE IN ACTION

✔️ Strategic Communications for Complex Systems
Designing high-trust messaging strategies that align cross-sector teams in regulated, research-driven, or emotionally sensitive environments.

✔️ Clinically-Informed Narrative Strategy
Bringing the insight of a practicing clinical psychologist to the design of communications — with attunement to trauma, readiness, and emotional risk.

✔️ Trauma-Aware Research Architecture
Developing surveys and participant engagement tools rooted in psychological safety, clinical ethics, and real-world usability.

Brussels Novel mental Health Treatments Roundtable

✔️ Risk-Conscious Messaging in Sensitive Domains
Creating communications that reduce misunderstanding, build institutional credibility, and enable ethical progress in innovation and care.

✔️ Narrative Systems for Public Understanding
Translating emerging mental health models into clear, accessible narratives that resonate with diverse audiences — from funders to frontline teams.

✔️ Cross-Cultural Facilitation in Mental Health Innovation
Supporting global and multilingual teams through tone-aware storytelling and culturally adaptive engagement.

REFLECTION

This isn’t a case study with a clean ending — and that’s exactly the point.

In complex systems — especially those involving trauma, innovation, and public accountability — progress isn’t marked by finality.
It’s measured by alignment, traction, and trust that holds under pressure.

My role in this work wasn’t to promote a treatment or push an agenda.
It was to hold space for clarity where there was noise, to design communications that respected emotional complexity, and to help institutions move forward without leaving people behind.

This project reflects the kind of contribution I specialize in:

  • When the topic is sensitive

  • The environment is high-stakes

  • And the work requires both clinical insight and strategic discipline

It’s still in motion — as most meaningful work is.
And I remain committed to shaping systems where ethics, language, and trust evolve together.

WHAT’S HAPPENED SINCE

Following the Commission work, I continued supporting high-level efforts at the intersection of trauma care, systems change, and ethical communications — including two completed engagements:

✔️ MAPS Europe Educational Program (Completed)

I participated as both a Ukrainian clinical psychologist and communications strategist in MAPS’ International Therapist Education Program, designed for Ukrainian mental health professionals.

In addition to completing the training, I contributed to the program’s storytelling strategy and ethical narrative alignment, helping reshape how the work is framed across cultural and clinical contexts.

A deeper case study on this project is forthcoming — exploring how narrative design, cultural ethics, and clinical preparation came together in a uniquely high-stakes context.

✔️ Prague Castle Conference on Novel Mental Health Treatments (Completed)

In June 2025, I was invited to contribute to a high-level European summit on next-generation trauma care — convening voices from NATO, Parliament, clinical research, civil society, and veteran communities.

“I found myself bridging security with psychotherapy, legislative language with lived experience — veterans with visionaries. The day felt like a system undergoing neuroplasticity — forming cross-sectoral memory, new pathways, and some quiet hope.”

The conversations sparked during this summit continue to inform my work — particularly in how we design communications that support not only policy, but the emotional and structural conditions that make lasting mental health reform possible.

STILL IN MOTION

This isn’t a case study with a clean ending — because the work it describes was never just tactical.

It’s about shaping the narratives that shape systems — building the language, tone, and trust needed for ethical change to take root.

My role wasn’t to communicate about progress, but to design the conditions that make it possible.
That work is still in motion — and so am I.

 

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