about me

I am of Dutch origin and am bi-lingual in English and Dutch. I speak French moderately well.

After working for 35 years in the UK as an accredited Psychosynthesis psychotherapist, supervisor and trainer, I took a break from work in order to move to Provence and create a new life in France. Then unexpectedly this break became an extended one due to illness and the need to engage with a deep healing process towards renewed vitality and health. Now, back to good health, I am pleased to be working again and to offer both my long experience of psychotherapy and my life experience as an older person, to individuals and couples who seek counselling.

about my work

I offer an empathic, imaginative and professional approach that is based on respect for each person’s particular journey towards healing and growth. In my approach we start with what is true for us in this moment and then open ourselves to an increasingly deep authenticity of feeling and insight and to grounding ourselves in our body and breath.

I consider the therapeutic relationship of central importance and seek to create a warm and emphatic relationship in which you will feel safe to open up and explore the many dimensions of yourself. At times we can learn about your relationships with others by gently exploring what happens between us, and at other times the therapy may provide you with the support you need to experiment with new avenues in life.

People often come to therapy because they experience tension and conflict between different aspects of their personal self. They feel divided in themselves and may suffer self-doubt, anxiety or anger as a result. Synthesis therapy aims to support you in creating a more harmonious relationship between these different selves so that ultimately each can contribute in its own way to the well-being and purpose of the whole of you.

I believe that we are always more than our problems and that we have many inner resources to draw on that help us to face the challenges of life. And while we all have inner divisions and conflicts, these can be brought into a more creative relationship with each other when we re-establish contact with our deepest self. Likewise, we may experience division and conflict with the world around us and even with nature itself, but with empathic support and a connection to our shared ground of being, we learn to face these challenges with greater clarity and courage.

professional experience

Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy and Counselling

Psychosynthesis supervisor and trainer

Founder-Director of Synthesis, a Psychosynthesis Counsellor Training

Gestalt Therapy

Family Constellations

Dreamwork

In addition to my psychotherapeutic background I have had a long experience of Buddhism and Sufism and am a senior teacher of the Sufi Way ( see sufiway.org ).  I therefore can include mindfulness, meditation and spiritual counselling in my work for those who are interested to work in this way.