Kathelijne van Dongen is a systemic family therapist and has been working for over 27 years in adolescent and specialty psychiatry, forensic psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry. She has worked in various roles such as practitioner and manager in the mental health sector. Since 2002 she has been working at the University of Leiden, where in recent years she has been conducting individual and group therapies using the Connecting Authority® and Nonviolent Resistance methods. She has trained mental health professionals in and adapted the training for use in child and adolescent psychiatric units. She has developed a parent training specifically for parents of adolescents with self-harming and suicidal behavior based on principles of Connecting Authority & Nonviolent Resistance and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy.

Parents nominated her for the prestigious Jan Mokkenstorm prize in the field of suicide prevention and the training won the first prize. With a grant from ZonMW, new research has started at Leiden’s University Medical Centre on this training in collaboration with Haim Omer, Eliane Wiebenga en Hans Bom. Kathelijne has a practice for relationship and family therapy. And is the founder of training and expertise agency in NVR and Connecting Authority.

She has set up vigilant care in neighbourhoods in several municipalities in the Netherlands based on ideas and values of non-violent resistance and connecting authority.

Kathelijne is intervisor and trainer among such as the National Association Family Confidential Persons and the SSR. The SSR is the training institute of the judiciary and public prosecutor.  She trains various disciplines such as prosecutors and court lawyers. Kathelijne is also active in the social domain. She has done projects in neighborhoods with young offenders and NVR / Connecting Authority in several Neigbourhoods