About us

The Second Thought was founded by Anita Gosschalk Liemburg, Erica Meijerman and Adelijn van Huis with a shared ambition: To contribute to a society in which different perspectives can meet, curiosity has room to flourish and understanding can grow.

What connects us is not one particular field or way of working, but the way we look and ask questions. We continually ask ourselves: what is happening here? What perspectives are present? What might we be missing? And what emerges when we take a little more time to explore these questions together?

Our work brings together our knowledge of VTS, our experience with inquiry-based conversations, and our varied professional backgrounds and practices.

Our knowledge of VTS

For us, VTS is both a method and a way of being that helps people look closely, make meaning and explore different perspectives. The method is grounded in research and draws on insights from fields including education, psychology, philosophy and art theory.

We are trained as VTS facilitators and trainers.

We have built our knowledge and experience through study, training, international projects. But above all, we have learned by doing: experiencing VTS ourselves, facilitating conversations and training others. By practising, reflecting and exploring experiences together, we have learned what can happen in a VTS conversation and what it takes to facilitate one with care and attention. That learning process continues.

Our experience with inquiry-based dialogue

For many years, we have worked with a wide range of people and settings: from children, students and museum visitors to professionals, leaders and people with different support needs, including people living with dementia and people with hearing impairments.

We use VTS for a wide range of purposes: from deepening knowledge of a collection and working with exam material to exploring questions around citizenship, media literacy, personal development and collaboration. We have facilitated conversations about sensitive social issues, such as ethnic profiling, diversity and inclusion, and the role of images in stereotyping.

These varied experiences have taught us that a VTS conversation is always connected to the people involved, the reason for the conversation and its context. That is why we always start by asking what a particular situation requires and how VTS can contribute.

Our different fields and professional practices

Our backgrounds include art history, history, visual art, philosophy and ethics, alongside expertise in coaching, visual coaching, peer reflection and participatory research.

Over the years, we have created and led programmes, delivered training, taught, conducted research and facilitated groups – work that spans organisational development, social issues and human connection.

Our own growth is an ongoing process. We keep exploring new knowledge and perspectives, gaining new experiences and reflecting on our own practice – developing not only our work, but our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.