Stranger in a strange land? Professional psychotherapy in English.

Professional psychotherapy, couple counselling and coaching offered in a central Amsterdam location (Frederiksplein). Drs. Onno de Boer (MSc, CPsychol, AFBPsS) – psychologist, psychotherapist and couple/family therapist with 30 years experience. Trained to a high level in a range of therapeutic models, with full professional accreditation in both the Netherlands and England.

Psychotherapist Amsterdam

Having lived and worked abroad for 13 years, and having moved between countries twice, I have some understanding of what it means to be a foreigner. To be distanced from one’s country of origin, to have a connection to the society you find yourself in, but to never be properly part of it.

My training has been in a wide variety of techniques for individual and couple therapy. I work with the full range of issues you may wish to bring, including alternative lifestyles and trauma. Depending on what you bring to the sessions I am interested in exploring the relationship you have with yourself and the important others around you, and will be curious about familiar communication patterns and repetitive cycles. Once patterns emerge into awareness it also becomes possible to change.

People are not machines that can be fixed, and I rarely put myself in the position of an expert who will treat, label, diagnose, pathologize or mend you. To some degree I will use evidence based techniques, but I much prefer to work with people in exactly the same manner that I would like to be approached myself. Respectfully, as a person with his or her unique history, desires, ideals, confusion, and deeper layers that may be difficult to access.

“We are poetry and many-layered story rather than machine.”