Concerns I treat

According to the Dutch Centre of Expertise for Mental Health, around 10% of the population has some form of anxiety disorder, while 19% experience one at some point in their lives. Symptoms may range from panic attacks to phobias and obsessive-compulsive disorders, often accompanied by physical complaints for which no direct medical cause is found.

In many cases, the outlook for treatment is favourable. Psychotherapy, with or without medication, can significantly reduce symptoms.

Often, there is an inner prohibition against knowing, speaking and feeling, and there are no words with which to tell. What remains is anxiety without a reason—or at least without a reason of which you are consciously aware.

Of all mental health conditions, depression may be one of the most burdensome, both for those who suffer from it and for those around them. It is not simply a passing low or a gloomy mood, but a persistent sense that everything is without meaning.

Depression may follow visibly disruptive events—dismissal, divorce or loss—but often there is also a less visible wound: a damaged sense of self, self-reproach, self-criticism or guilt.

Early recognition and treatment are therefore important. The outlook is generally more favourable when depression is recognised early.

A traumatic experience does not always disappear when the danger has passed. What was too overwhelming to process at the time may continue to affect feelings, thoughts, the body and relationships with others.

Trauma may appear as flashbacks or nightmares, but can also be present in less recognisable ways: as constant vigilance, shame, alienation, low mood or feeling at home nowhere, not even within yourself.

Psychotherapy creates room to find words, carefully, for what could not previously be felt or told. Not by forcing the past, but by exploring together how it makes itself known in life today.

Personality problems are difficulties in dealing with other people, work situations and intimate relationships. Usually, several symptoms have recurred to varying degrees for a long time, such as anxiety, panic attacks, depression or addiction.

Treatment is complex and long-term, and results may sometimes only become visible after two to four years. Even so, seeking treatment is worthwhile because it can ultimately bring major gains in quality of life, relationships and functioning.

Every lively, meaningful relationship has moments of conflict and crisis. Problems arise when moments of repair are no longer present and one or both partners withdraw emotionally or physically from the relationship.

The success of couples therapy depends greatly on each person’s willingness to invest emotionally in the relationship.

Navigating between longing and fear, love and resentment—and doing all this in the complex territory of sexuality—is a journey for which no one has been given a map.