Psychology Clinic Vitallis

When to Consult a Psychologist?

You can go to a psychologist if you are looking for answers to problems in the field of thinking, feeling and doing.

If you think you have difficulties with: controlling emotions, feeling anxious, behavioral problems, social problems, eating problems, sleeping problems, mood swings, feeling stressed or in a transition period and that this content begins to affect your daily life and is stopping you from taking it of the things you want and/or need to do, consider talking to a psychologist. It will help you find answers and solutions.

Many people consider seeking a psychologist only in very serious situations, but it is not necessary to be in a serious condition to seek professional help.

For Whom?

Adults

We offer therapy and psychological support to adults in a warm and discreet environment. Based on our personal knowledge and experience, we create a personalized process for everyone. We always adapt our professional orientation to your desires, needs and pace, so we offer personal guidance with full attention to your process so that you can shape life again. You can start psychotherapy with us without the intervention of a doctor, although it is good that he/she is aware of your care at our clinic.

Teenagers (16y+) and young people

Have you ever felt like you were the only one walking around with the things that bother you? Does it seem like no one cares or doesn’t understand what you feel or ignore the situations you have to deal with? This can be anything, for example, you are/were bullied, someone died or your parents are divorcing, you don’t fit into a group, etc. It could also be that you are very angry or very shy. There are many reasons why you feel this way and for you things may not go as planned.

It is good to talk about it with a professional so that you don’t have all these questions in your head anymore. We can help you, you don’t have to do this alone.

Couples

The knowledge that each member of the couple has about themselves and the other is very important. Sometimes it happens that the partners are not in harmony in terms of interests, needs, desires, future plans, goals, values, attitudes and sexual preferences. This can happen because there is a difficulty in making themselves known, or due to a change in the person himself, which means that the other is not yet in tune with that change.

Couple therapy helps the couple communicate who they are and what they want, which is often enough to prevent a relationship from breaking up.

Duration of sessions and of the treatment

Each session lasts 45 minutes. Usually the frequency is weekly, in some cases it can be done biweekly.

Timelines can vary for everyone, and usually that timeline depends on your process and journey as the therapist is there to help facilitate that inner work. Typical time frames can be anywhere from 4 to 12 months depending on the types of issues you are dealing with.

The important thing to remember is that therapy is less about the hours devoted to it and more about the meaning of those hours of inner work. The therapist will work out a treatment plan with the patient and help them to set goals over a specific period of time according to their needs.

During the first meeting, we aim to get to know the patient, their needs and answer possible questions, as well as let them know the professional’s way of working and if there is an interest in continuing the care, the other sessions can already be scheduled.

What means Psychological treatment?

Psychological care

Psychological treatment is a collaboration that you have with your psychologist. It is an effective talk treatment method for mental disorders. Of course, talking is a big part of this so that the problem you have can be further explored and investigated.

Practical exercises can also be part of the therapy you receive, as well as training in behavioral changes to resolve the problem.

First, the psychologist will want to get to know and understand you as well as possible, so that certain behavior and thinking patterns can be explained more easily. A plan is then made for an appropriate treatment, also known as therapy.

You will get to know yourself well through therapy and you will regain control of your own life.

Psychosocial assistance

The term “psychosocial” refers to the dynamic relationship between the psychological and social dimensions of a person. The psychological dimension encompasses the internal, emotional and thought processes, feelings and reactions, and the social dimension encompasses relationships, family and community network, social values ​​and cultural practices.

The hallmark of psychosocial therapy is client-oriented, teaching the client to be open to the here-and-now, without ignoring experiences at earlier stages of life. The requester and his request for help are central and placed in a meaningful context.

The self-healing and problem-solving ability of the person seeking help is activated. Psychosocial support is preventive when it reduces the risk of developing mental health problems and is curative when it helps individuals overcome and deal with psychosocial problems that may have arisen from shocks and crises.

These two aspects of psychosocial support help build resilience in the face of new crises or other challenging life circumstances.

Theoretical Approaches

For treatment, use can be made of a series of methods, appropriate to the complaint and/or the request for help.

Cognitive behavioral therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a combination of behavioral therapy and talk therapy. One of the founders of this therapy, the American psychiatrist Aaron T. Beck, developed a theory and a treatment approach that focuses on the client’s cognitions: his thoughts, fantasies, memories and his conceptions of events.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the most applied forms of treatment in the Netherlands. It is a short-term, structured form of therapy that focuses on the present and the future. The client’s story matters. Together with the therapist you should discover how the ‘wrong’ thinking habit came about.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Acceptance and commitment therapy is a third wave cognitive-behavioural therapy that uses acceptance and mindfulness strategies together with commitment and behaviour strategies to increase psychological flexibility. ACT is particularly effective in helping people live in the present moment in a conscious way and being able to make choices and decisions on what the situation affords, changing or persisting in behaviour in the service of their values.

In ACT therapy, the therapist helps the patient to accept what cannot be changed and to initiate (usually small, sometimes large) sustainable changes in daily life. The therapist in partnership with the patient seeks the values that guide the counseling process and along the way, a multitude of creative therapeutic interventions can be applied. This makes ACT an active therapy where immediate results can be experienced. By repeating the new behaviors, the patient will embrace a new life with new perspectives.

The patient will be asked to do homework tasks between sessions and also will work towards taking effective action in order to create a rich and meaningful life.

The ACT consists of six different processes/skills, often represented in the hexaflex ACT:

These ACT skills combine to increase psychological flexibility. ACT uses many metaphors and exercises; in this way, the various ACT skills are developed in an experiential way.

Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy

Is a cognitive behavioural approach that integrates the practice of mindfulness meditation with the more traditional methods utilised by cognitive therapy.

The word mindfulness has been defined as ‘being in the present moment with intention’ or ‘the state of being conscious or aware of something’. Mindfulness has become increasingly part of western therapies as a desirable skill to cultivate in order to facilitate mental well-being. As a therapeutic technique mindfulness attempts to bring about a mental state that is achieved by focusing one’s awareness in the present moment while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts and bodily sensations.

Mindfulness can be an incredibly valuable skill to cultivate even for even for individuals without a specific suffering, but might wish to increase their psychological resilience and lead a more meaningful and fulfilling life.

EMDR

EMDR Therapy, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a new psychotherapeutic approach that unlocks painful memories through bilateral brain stimulation. EMDR Therapy was discovered by the American scientist Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s and was approved by the WHO (World Health Organization) to treat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), such as assaults, rapes, and catastrophes. Currently, scientific studies and clinical experience show positive results for other disorders such as anxiety, chronic pain, grief, chemical dependency, depression, bipolar disorder, and psychosomatic illnesses. EMDR aims to identify the trauma, understand how it is affecting the individual’s life, and help them move past it. This occurs because it stimulates the brain to process disturbing memories, “recycling” the images, emotions, bodily sensations, and negative beliefs associated with them. In other words, it is a reprocessing therapy. The past stays in the past, and the memory no longer triggers the distress it once did. Free from what imprisoned them in the past, the client gains the strength and positivity needed to move forward.

How does EMDR Therapy work?

Basically, EMDR helps the brain “digest” disturbing memories through bilateral stimuli that can be visual, tactile, or auditory. For example, observing a bar where a light point moves, or the therapist’s fingers moving side to side, listening to bilateral sounds through headphones, or receiving alternating taps on the hands or knees. These stimuli promote communication between the right and left brain hemispheres. This is similar to what happens when we dream. In REM sleep, the stage of sleep where dreams occur, the eyes move side to side. It is during dreaming that the brain processes events and emotions of the day, leading to understanding and recording of information. However, when disturbing events are associated with very intense emotions, the brain may not always effectively process them, and the event images, associated with emotions, thoughts, and bodily sensations, become frozen in memory networks in the right hemisphere of the brain. In EMDR therapy, the therapist applies bilateral stimuli, guiding the client to recall a traumatic experience and helping their brain reprocess the trauma, leaving it in the past.

Treatment for Autisme

There is no treatment or medication to cure autism. However, with the right support, such as cognitive behavioral therapy for autism, many people with autism can go to school, work, and maintain relationships with others. Autism treatment helps reduce its symptoms. The treatment for autism often consists of a combination of:

Information about Autism (Psychoeducation)

The diagnosis of autism can bring relief. Finally, an explanation for the behavior and feelings. Once that is clear, it is good to know more about it. We provide explanations about autism to the individual with autism, helping them gain more insight into their own behavior and understanding why others react in a certain way. Family members also gain more insight into this disorder through education. We do this for both youth and adults.

Skills Training

People with autism can learn skills to handle social situations differently, learn about assertiveness, practice planning and organizing, and learn to manage emotions. Sometimes this takes place in groups, but it can also be individual.

Group Treatment

In groups, there are conversations with other people with autism, but we also offer group discussions between parents or partners of someone with autism. Skills training and psychoeducation are often offered in group form as well.

Individual Treatment

We offer individual cognitive behavioral therapy to influence the way of thinking and interpreting. Additionally, there is a wide range of individual treatments, such as EMDR, parent guidance, play therapy, or schema therapy.

Treatment of Other (Psychological) Problems

People with autism often have other disorders and problems in the area of personality development. People with autism and issues such as personality problems, self-image problems, and depression can receive treatment for these.

Immigration and Mental Health

The immigration process brings with it several aspects that have not always been presented to us beforehand.

It’s a restart, often planned and awaited, other times a not very welcome surprise. Enthousiam, anxieties, discoveries, fears, departures, goodbyes, new beginnings, sorrow, distance, adaptation and learning are aspects that are or have been part of the life of all immigrants around the world. Many changes in a long or short time can leave us disoriented, sad, depressed and lost.

Psychosocial Therapy works as a crucial tool during this process and helps to resolve various issues that permeate the daily lives of immigrants and those around them.

Diagnostics

At the Vitallis Psychology Clinic, we can help you with the following diagnoses:

Depression Trauma ADHD Autism Anxiety/panic

We can also assist you with the following psychosocial themas:

Burn-out Self-image issues Grief Divorce Couples therapy Socio-cultural and integration difficulties

Exclusion Criteria

When can’t you receive treatment with us?

• Crisis-prone clients
• Acute suicidality
• Psychosis
• Clients with eating disorders (as the primary issue)
• Clients with a long-standing psychiatric history
• Clients with addiction problems
• Clients with mild intellectual disabilities
• Clients with severe aggression or criminal behavior
• Clients with personality disorders
• Clients with a psychotic disorder
• Clients with an IQ below 80
• Clients with severe mood disorders, such as bipolar disorder
• Clients who require 24/7 supervision
• Clients under the age of 16
• Clients who cannot sufficiently communicate in Portuguese, Dutch, or English.

Couples therapy

In relationship therapy, you can find answers to four important questions: How can I regain the feeling? Is arguing normal? How much freedom should you give each other? Can I still trust my partner?

If you both decide to work on your relationship but feel that you cannot do it alone, relationship therapy can be a good option. You will talk together with a relationship therapist – someone who has made listening their profession.

How long does relationship therapy take?

That depends on how persistent the problems are and how much effort you are willing to put in. It is often difficult to stay motivated if you do not get answers quickly. For example, to the question: why is it no longer working between us? How did this happen?

Relationship therapy provides a safe space for partners to communicate openly and honestly about feelings, needs, and concerns. Guided by a professional and certified relationship therapist, couples can learn to understand each other better and communicate more effectively.