Hello and Welcome,
I’m Esther van der Sande, trauma therapist, trainer, and consultant.
For over twenty years, I’ve been walking alongside individuals, teams, and organizations on their path toward healing, awareness, and growth. My work is guided by one simple truth: we all thrive in environments where compassion, understanding, and safety are present.
I’m also the author of the Dutch book Trauma-Sensitieve Samenleving (A Trauma-Sensitive Society), a reflection of my deep wish to help create a world where empathy and inclusivity shape how we live and work together.
Before dedicating myself fully to this field, I spent a decade as an executive in a global organization. It was there I witnessed how trauma, stress, and disconnection can silently impact people — and how awareness and care can completely transform workplaces and lives.
That experience became the foundation of my mission: to bring trauma-sensitive practice into everyday life — for individuals, professionals, and organizations alike.
Today, I offer training, therapy, and consultancy rooted in safety, respect, and connection.
Whether I’m supporting a CEO navigating burnout, a community finding its resilience, or a team learning to communicate with more care, my focus is always the same: creating spaces where people feel seen, valued, and supported to grow.
Because healing and learning aren’t just personal journeys… they shape the culture we build together.
“A trauma-sensitive society is one built on compassion, understanding, and connection.”
As the author of the Dutch book “Een Trauma-Sensitieve Samenleving”, I invite you to explore a vision for a more inclusive and harmonious world. In my book, I share insights and tools to foster healing and deeper relationships in our society.
Training & Consulting
Employee engagement has always been front of mind for many companies, however the importance of well-being has been brought into sharp focus in recent years.
Not only because of the pandemic, but also from the growing awareness that mental health issues affect everyone, they’re carried into the workplace and impact performance across the board. The good thing, however, is when they’re addressed at an organizational level everyone benefits, from the CEO all the way down.
For me, the desire, and the need for this kind of change has been a long time coming. That’s why I took action and launched Beside Consulting – to help expedite the process and make a positive impact in people’s lives.
Through my work, I’ve had the privilege of supporting individuals and organizations in their journey towards meaningful change. This includes training organizations to become trauma-sensitive, equipping them with the skills to create safe, supportive environments for employees and clients alike. I’m committed to continuing this important work for years to come.
Esther
A cultural change consultancy focussed on building sustainable and inclusive work environments that foster safety, connection and cultural sensitivity. Beside has a unique methodology that combines lived corporate experience, with evidence-based techniques drawn from the world of psychology, and decades of helping people move through difficult times in their lives.
Some of our services include:
- Psychological safety and connection awareness training
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) consulting
- Trauma-sensitive organization training
- Online, in-person and in-company support
“Embracing an inclusive world is not just about individual actions; it’s about coming together as a collective to create a cultural change. Through respect and love, we can build a society where everyone feels valued, heard and empowered. Let us celebrate our differences, embrace our shared humanity, and work towards a future that uplifts and unites us all.”
Trauma-Informed Care Training and Movement
My organisation, Trauma-Sensitive Yoga, was established in Australia and is now headquartered in the Netherlands, providing training that acknowledges the profound impact trauma has on many people’s lives.
Many treatment approaches neglect the impact trauma has on the body.
Our approach has been empirically validated to increase the potential for healing and recovery.
Testimonials
I had the pleasure of attending a training on informed psychological practices led by Esther van der Sande, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Esther is an exceptional trainer who brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the table. Throughout the training, she was engaging, insightful, and approachable, and she created a comfortable and welcoming environment that facilitated meaningful learning and growth.
What impressed me most about Esther’ training was her ability to make complex psychological concepts accessible and applicable to real-world situations. She presented a variety of scenarios that allowed us to practice applying the skills and techniques we were learning, and she provided thoughtful feedback and guidance throughout the process.
Esther’s passion for her work was infectious, and it was clear that she genuinely cares about her clients and the impact she has on their lives. Her commitment to ethical and culturally sensitive practice was evident throughout the training, and she provided numerous examples of how to navigate complex ethical dilemmas and cultural differences in a respectful and effective manner.
Overall, I feel incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from Esther van der Sande, and I would highly recommend her training to anyone interested in the field of psychology, change and consulting. Her knowledge, expertise, and passion are truly inspiring, and I feel much more equipped to apply the skills and techniques I learned in my own organization.
I took part in the foundation course for Trauma Sensitive Yoga online. For me, this experience was one of the best I had ever in a course for healing and trauma, as it combined in a perfect way the knowledge and the personal experience through exercises. I do believe Esther is one of the most empathetic, highly experienced teacher in trauma, one can have and I consider myself lucky to have found her and done her course. She created a safe place for us, and a community environment although we were from different places of the world and online, She managed to plant a seed of a new perspective, a new way of thinking about how we approach people with trauma and ourselves, She broadened our capacity of understanding and our empathetic way of seeing things. She opened for us our interoceptions to listen, feel, and be in the moment. As a person working in the health care system and a humanitarian organization, I truly believe that more people from this field, nurses, doctors, social workers, employees in institutes, and humanitarian organizations should do this course as they can understand and feel more about how the trauma work and help more their patients and themselves. Thank you Esther for the life-changing lessons you gave us.
I am incredibly glad I attended this training. It has made very clear to me the emphases of what TCTSY is about and has given me concrete tools to work with in my practice. I also find the fact that it is applicable in daily life (even though you would not be coaching people) a real added value. It is in my eyes a philosophy of life, more than a stand-alone way of yoga.
News
Trauma-Informed Work in Organizations
Trauma-Informed Work in Organizations: Small Moments, Big Difference By: Esther [...]
Psychological Resilience and Collective Well-Being
Building collective resilience through trauma-sensitive care creates a shared culture of well-being where employees thrive and challenges are overcome together.
The Healing Power of Trauma-Sensitive Movement
Discover the healing power of trauma-sensitive yoga, helping individuals reconnect with their bodies and find safety on their journey to recovery.