Themes

Themes that may be addressed in coaching:

Self-image and identity

• Insecurity and low self-esteem
• A harsh inner critic
• Feelings of guilt and shame
• Comparing yourself to others
• Struggling to be your authentic self
• Lacking a clear sense of self

Relationships and attachment:

• Dependency on external validation
• Struggling to connect emotionally
• Painful patterns in (romantic) relationships
• Sensitivity to rejection and criticism
• Self-neglect
• Struggling to feel, express, or maintain boundaries

Emotion regulation:

• Emotional blocks
• Emotional overwhelm
• Difficulty feeling or expressing anger
• Self-sabotaging behavior
• Difficulty letting go
• Overthinking
• Anxiety-related difficulties

Direction and autonomy:

• Perfectionism
• A strong need for control
• Struggling to find life direction
• Feeling disconnected from your own needs and desires

Body and nervous system:

• Disconnection from the body
• Physical tension
• Chronic pain
• Chronic fatigue and emotional exhaustion
• Stress and burn-out
• Sleep difficulties

Trauma:

• Unresolved trauma
• Grief and loss

Individual coaching

The Intake
In a confidential setting, you can share your personal story. I listen without judgment and ask focused questions to help us explore together what truly matters to you.

During the intake session, we explore the wishes and/or challenges that are currently present in your life. Together, we define a clear and concrete goal, which serves as the guiding thread throughout the process. A coaching trajectory typically consists of around ten sessions. Depending on your process, I apply different methods at the appropriate moments. Throughout, we continuously explore together what best supports you.

Awareness of patterns and responses
The first step is always becoming aware of what is happening in the present moment. What thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are you experiencing? Which beliefs underlie them? This is where it becomes visible how old survival mechanisms still play a role. This awareness forms an important foundation for further change.

Working with the body, emotions, and the subconscious
After that, we focus on (re)connecting with your body and your emotions. Many people find that their nervous system has been under tension for a long time, for example due to trauma or prolonged stress. You learn to better recognize the signals of your body and respond to them in a way that supports you. By bringing attention to emotion regulation you learn to slow down and calm your nervous system. This creates more ease, resilience, and a greater sense of control in how you relate to emotions and situations.

Finally, we work layer by layer, gradually moving closer to the core. What matters most is that you feel safe and heard. That doesn’t mean it is always easy. Some insights can be painful, and it is human to want to avoid or deny that pain. Personal growth sometimes asks you to let go of old, familiar patterns and to allow the unknown to emerge.

Many clients say they understand it, but don’t truly feel it. To make that shift, experiential learning is essential. In a safe setting, we allow emotions and new, safe attachment experiences to be truly felt. From there, we can begin to transform negative beliefs at a deeper level. We work with the subconscious through visualization techniques and hypnotherapy.

Autonomy and strengthening your adult self
What many people don’t expect is that personal growth can also be a joyful experience. The process of self-development can be inspiring and bring a sense of pleasure and fulfillment. As you begin to identify less with your thoughts, emotions, and survival mechanisms, space opens up to relate to yourself with more gentleness, humor, and compassion. This brings perspective and a sense of ease.

What is beautiful about coaching is that it is rooted in your own autonomy and works with your healthy inner part. You are not a patient, but a client. With my guidance, you will further develop and strengthen this healthy part, your adult autonomous self. Because you arrive at the insights and experiences yourself, the change is deep and lasting.

I will regularly invite you to take notes, write reflections, or do exercises. How much you choose to invest in this is entirely up to you. At the same time, the more you engage with the process, the more space there is for growth and change.

As a professional coach and counselor, I adhere to the ethical code of conduct as defined by… NOBCO.

Couples therapy

Hechtingsgerichte relatietherapie, gebaseerd op EFT
Ik bied hechtingsgerichte relatietherapie voor stellen die vastlopen in patronen of juist op zoek zijn naar verdieping. Een relatie kan enorm vervullend zijn, maar ook pijnlijk en uitdagend. Juist omdat de partnerrelatie zo nauw verbonden is met je hechtingssysteem, kunnen oude patronen en kwetsuren gemakkelijk aan de oppervlakte komen. In de dynamiek met je partner ontmoet je vaak dezelfde overlevingsmechanismen die je vroeger hebt ontwikkeld.

Als je merkt dat gesprekken steeds vastlopen, emoties escaleren of juist worden onderdrukt, of dat jullie het gevoel hebben elkaar kwijt te raken, kan relatietherapie veel helderheid en rust brengen.

Veel stellen zoeken hulp wanneer ze merken dat ze:

• steeds vastlopen in dezelfde patronen of ruzies
• meer afstand of stilte ervaren dan verbinding
• elkaar emotioneel niet meer bereiken
• langs elkaar heen leven in plaats van samen
• blijven hangen in pijn, teleurstelling of gekwetstheid
• verschillen ervaren in behoefte aan nabijheid of ruimte
• spanning voelen rond intimiteit, seksualiteit of levensfasen
• verlangen naar meer veiligheid, openheid en verbondenheid

Wat er onder de oppervlakte gebeurt
Partners raken vaak elkaars meest gevoelige plekken. Dat is volkomen logisch, want dat is precies hoe hechting werkt. Wanneer je getriggerd raakt, schakelt je zenuwstelsel over op oude overlevingsmechanismen: aanvallen, terugtrekken, bevriezen of pleasen. Deze mechanismen kunnen zich op allerlei manieren uiten. Als beide partners in hun overlevingssysteem schieten, ontstaat er een patroon waarin je elkaar nog moeilijk kunt bereiken.

Onder deze reacties liggen emoties, behoeften en angsten die vaak niet worden herkend of uitgesproken. In EFT vatten we dit samen in één centrale hechtingsvraag: “Are you there for me?”

Hoe relatietherapie helpt
In mijn relatietherapie werk ik vanuit hechting, regulatie en interventies gebaseerd op EFT (Emotionally Focused Therapy). Bij EFT werken we met de onderliggende emoties en hechtingsbehoeften die schuilgaan onder jullie gedragspatroon. We brengen samen in kaart hoe jullie op elkaar reageren en welke verlangens, behoeftes en angsten daaraan ten grondslag liggen. Van daaruit werken we toe naar een relatie waarin veilige hechting, respectvolle communicatie en het erkennen van zowel je eigen behoeften als die van je partner centraal staan.

We vertragen, onderzoeken en creëren een veilige ruimte waarin beide partners gehoord, gezien en gereguleerd kunnen zijn. Vanuit die veiligheid ontstaat ruimte voor nieuwe, positieve ervaringen met elkaar.

Ik maak hierbij naast EFT gebruik van Transactionele Analyse, Geweldloze Communicatie en lichaamsgerichte regulatie-oefeningen, zodat jullie zowel begrijpen als voelen wat er gebeurt.

Wanneer relatietherapie?
Veel stellen zoeken pas hulp wanneer de relatie al verstrikt en pijnlijk geworden is. Toch geldt vaak: hoe eerder je samen kijkt naar wat er speelt, hoe lichter en veiliger de weg vooruit wordt.

Relatietherapie kan ook heel waardevol zijn voor stellen die al gezonde relatiepatronen hebben, maar graag willen verdiepen of bewuster willen leren communiceren.

Ik werk met stellen uit Geldrop, Eindhoven, de omliggende regio en heel Nederland via online sessies. Ik spreek vloeiend Engels, dus ook internationale stellen zijn van harte welkom.

Wanneer relatietherapie (nog) niet passend is
In sommige situaties is relatietherapie op dit moment niet de meest helpende of veilige vorm van begeleiding. Dat kan bijvoorbeeld het geval zijn wanneer er sprake is van een actieve affaire die nog niet is beëindigd, of wanneer één van beide partners eerst individuele ondersteuning nodig heeft, bijvoorbeeld bij ernstige verslavingsproblematiek of psychische klachten. Dit stemmen we in een intakegesprek zorgvuldig af.

Benieuwd wat relatietherapie voor jullie kan betekenen?
In een vrijblijvend online oriëntatiegesprek onderzoeken we jullie situatie, wat er onder de oppervlakte speelt en wat jullie graag anders zouden willen. Ik denk graag met jullie mee. Samen kijken we of mijn werkwijze past bij wat jullie nodig hebben. Klik hieronder om een kennismakingsgesprek te plannen.

Hypnotherapy

The way you experience yourself and the world around you shapes the way your world looks and feels..

What is hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy is a powerful and scientifically supported method, and is considered the most evidence-based form of alternative medicine. It uses hypnosis to induce a state of deep relaxation and heightened focus. In this state, it's possible to access the subconscious mind – the place where the roots of our emotions, habits, and beliefs are stored.

Hypnosis is a state of awareness, somewhere between waking and sleeping, that most people naturally experience on a regular basis. It is best described as a trance or a state of focused attention. You might compare it to daydreaming. For example, the kind of concentration you have when driving a car: sometimes you realize you’ve missed entire stretches of the highway and have already arrived at your destination. In this state, you are more receptive to learning, transformation, and healing.

How can hypnotherapy help you?
Hypnotherapy can support you in dealing with stress and anxiety, help you sleep better, or let go of old habits like smoking or emotional eating. It can also strengthen your self-confidence, support you in processing grief or trauma, and guide you in developing new, healthy patterns. Even with physical issues such as chronic pain or Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), hypnotherapy can bring relief – as these conditions often have a strong psychological component.

How does hypnosis work?
Our daily functioning is largely driven by the subconscious mind. It has an almost unlimited capacity and is responsible for our emotions, automatic reactions, and deeply ingrained habits. From birth – and even before – it stores all information in a neutral way, much like a hard drive. Behavioral patterns are then developed based on this stored data.

Our conscious mind, on the other hand, focuses on the here and now. It’s responsible for logical thinking, problem-solving, and willpower — but its capacity is limited: we can consciously process only about 7 to 9 things at a time. Since around 95% of our behaviors and reactions are automatically driven by the subconscious, willpower alone is often not enough to change deeply rooted patterns. You’ve probably noticed that already!

An essential part of the conscious mind is the critical factor. It functions like a firewall, comparing new information to what is already stored in the subconscious. Information that doesn’t match is usually rejected. While this protects us from unnecessary change, it can also get in the way when we want to adopt new patterns.

Hypnosis reduces the activity of the critical faculty, allowing positive suggestions to be accepted directly by the subconscious – as long as they align with your values and will. This makes it possible to break through deeply ingrained habits and beliefs, and to develop new, positive patterns. Because the subconscious works quickly and efficiently, hypnotherapy often leads to surprisingly fast and lasting results.

Are you curious to experience this powerful method for yourself? Or would you simply like to learn more? I look forward to exploring together what hypnotherapy could mean for you.

Methods

In my work, I combine conversational techniques with body-based and experiential approaches, including:

Awareness & communication

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Transactional Analysis (TA)
• Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)
• Nonviolent (compassionate) communication

Regulation & body-based work

• Breathing
• Somatic work
• Polyvagal Theory
• Yin
• Reiki

Inner work, attachment, and relationships

• Inner Voice Dialogue
• Inner child work
• Systemic Work
• Hypnotherapy
• ERV (Unilateral Relationship Improvement)
• EFT (Emotionally Focused Therapy)

→ Read more about my approach within individual coaching

→ Read more about my approach within couples therapy

A selection of methods I work with

Imagine your emotions as pots on the stove. When the heat gets too high, they can start to boil over – and that’s when you risk losing control. Emotion regulation techniques from the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) help you stay in charge of your emotions, thoughts, and behavior – even in difficult moments. By consciously slowing down, you begin to see that you don’t have to fall into automatic reactions. You have a choice in how you respond.

The method Transactional Analysis is a powerful and accessible method for analyzing human interactions. It offers insight into the communication patterns we tend to use and makes it easier to see where misunderstandings or conflicts arise. TA helps you make conscious choices in how you communicate – which is not only enlightening, but also surprisingly fun to explore!