Individual Therapy
Reconnect to yourself
At times when you are finding yourself low on energy, not as happy, living in a country you were not born in can become isolating and feel like you have no ground underneath your feet. You easily start feeling very lonely and disconnected. If you have moved countries, many times your relationship (and/or your family) becomes your “home”, and it can be all the more difficult if you are no longer sure about your relationship, are considering separation or separated, or are dealing with loss. At such times, counselling or therapy may help to support you to find your own strengths again, feel more grounded, and be able to reconnect with yourself and others around you again.
Even if it seems there are mainly issues in your relationship, it may help to come on your own to work through issues around separation and loss, if you are feeling overwhelmed because of parenting difficulties, or to understand more about your own role within a (present or past) relationship (e.g. in case of issues with anger, insecurity or difficulties with setting boundaries towards others).
My approach
I believe the greatest gift I can conceive of having from anyone is to be seen by them, heard by them, to be understood and touched by them. The greatest gift I can give is to see, hear, understand and to touch another person.
I try to fully see you and listen to you. My approach is systemic, which means that I pay attention to the whole of you: your body, your feelings, your thoughts and the people around you.
Over the years, I have come to realise that any talking therapy needs to work with the body and the feelings that you have not (yet) been able to express in words, especially when it comes to traumatic experiences, improving intimacy and issues of anxiety. By listening to you, as well as help you work through some of your physical responses with emotion-focussed work, mindfulness techniques or hypnotherapy, I assist you in reconnecting with yourself and your deeper needs. In the relationship, we work together on helping both of you to reconnect to yourself, so that you are able to express your deeper needs and you become able to listen to your partner again with compassion.
In addition to the various therapeutic techniques that I have gathered over the years, I also use my own personal experiences of being human, living in an intercultural relationship, having moved countries a number of times, searching for belonging and raising my two kids with three languages and cultures.
Areas of expertise
As an expat psychologist specialised in systemic psychotherapy, I most often work with individuals on issues such as feelings of loneliness, identity issues (third culture kids), self-esteem, improving your relationship(s), setting boundaries, working through separation and loss, (post-natal) depression, anxiety, and traumatic experiences. My individual counselling and therapeutic approach is short term, and aimed at helping you work through specific issues and improve your overall feeling of confidence and strength to be able to move forward in your own way. When appropriate, I also include systemic methods such as family constellations and mindfulness techniques to help you feel more grounded and present.
What we can work together on
- Relationship issues
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Identity issues
- Anger
- Working through separation and divorce
- Burnout
- Grief & loss
- Processing traumatic experiences
- Improving self-esteem