Without any categories

"We are just two women who want to open a therapy house", says Julie Krämer, looking over at her current and future work colleague Marie Laurini. Although both women say that the last few months have been nerve-wracking and stressful, they cannot stop beaming all over their faces. They burst out laughing several times. There is no mistaking that they are more than just work colleagues. "We met at work", Krämer digs in. "I always dreamed of opening a psychological therapy house one day. Marie then told me while we were drinking a coffee that she would like to open a psychosocial house. We immediately agreed that we had to join forces to make our individual projects a reality."

Julie Krämer has been a psychiatric nurse for 19 years, worked in psychiatry at the Centre Hospitalier Emile Mayrisch (Chem) for 17 years and has now been a psychologist for two years. Marie Laurini is a psychologist specialising in psychotrauma, offers trauma therapies, among other things, and has founded an association that works for the integration of refugees. What Krämer and Laurini are planning does not yet exist in Luxembourg, they say. "In addition to psychological care for people who can afford it or can't afford it and the offer of stress prevention at work, we also want to take care of refugees", adds Laurini. "It is something quite new in the sense that we want to mix people from different walks of life in group sessions. Of course, we also offer one-to-one sessions, but the core of the project is meant to be group sessions." Various contact points exist, either for employees at risk of burnout or for people who have had to flee their home country to Luxembourg, she says. But there is no single institution where all these people are cared for under one roof. "Our idea is to bring the most diverse people together, not only to enable better integration, but also to show them that they are not alone."

Opening expected in 2023

Krämer adds: "We don't want to categorise. Anyone can get in touch with anyone – if they want to. We offer this possibility, but nobody should feel forced to do anything." She says she has had many conversations recently, including with the Ministry of Health. "They said, 'We have three big non-profit associations in Luxembourg, why do you want to be conventionalised by us now too?!' The answer is simple, because as Marie said, what we are trying to do just doesn't exist." Their therapy house is to be called JuMa House – made up of the names Julie and Marie – and welcome its first patients in February 2023. "We met with the community of Dudelange last week. After less than an hour, they offered us a building on the Ribeschpont." The municipality of Sanem has also shown interest, "but Dudelange is more interesting for us", explains Krämer. "Dudelange is culturally very strong and well connected in terms of public transport."