An English-speaking counsellor for women living in Belgium

If you are looking for an English-speaking counsellor in Belgium, I offer person-centred counselling by secure video for women living anywhere in the country. I am a trainee counsellor based in the UK, a BACP student member, and I work under regular clinical supervision. Sessions cost £45, charged in pounds. This is counselling from the UK. It is not Belgian healthcare, and your mutuality won't reimburse it.

Finding an English-speaking therapist in Belgium

On 1 January 2026, 1,635,132 of Belgium's 11,867,634 residents were not Belgian nationals, according to Statbel. That is roughly one person in seven.

Belgium asks a lot of newcomers. Depending on where you live, daily life runs in Dutch, French or German, and official letters may arrive in a language you are still learning. If you live in Brussels, my Brussels page looks at the city itself. This page is about the national system, for anyone in Antwerp, Ghent, Leuven, Liège or elsewhere.

You might have arrived for a posting that was meant to last two years and is now in its sixth. Or you might be the partner who came along and is still working out what your own life here looks like. Both can be lonely in ways that are hard to explain to people back home. If you are comparing local and online options, my guide on how to find a therapist abroad sets out the questions worth asking.

Is psychological care reimbursed in Belgium?

Belgium has a reimbursed route for first-line psychological care, organised through 32 local mental health networks under an agreement with INAMI-RIZIV, the national health insurance institute.

The care is provided by clinical psychologists and clinical orthopedagogues who are affiliated with one of these networks. According to INAMI, you don't need a prescription for first-line psychological support. For first-line treatment, the psychologist carries out a functional assessment at your first session, and your GP can be involved if you agree.

There are limits. For adults, INAMI describes up to 8 individual sessions of support in a 12-month period, or on average 8 and at most 20 sessions of treatment. The care is aimed mainly at mild to moderate problems. Each psychologist also has an agreement for a limited number of hours, which means reimbursed places can run out.

INAMI's search tool sends you to the network for your area, where you can see participating psychologists. You may also use a network outside your area if you can't find the right specialism locally. Whether you find someone who works in English depends on who is available.

Protected titles: why I call myself a counsellor

Clinical psychology is a regulated health profession in Belgium. A clinical psychologist needs an accreditation from the Community and a visa from the federal health service. The federal health service also states that psychotherapy may only be practised by people who already hold a qualifying professional title.

I don't hold those titles, and I don't use them. I am a trainee person-centred counsellor, studying for an MSc in Counselling and Psychotherapy at Keele University, and a student member of the BACP. I see clients online from the UK under regular clinical supervision. My fee is lower than a qualified practitioner's because I am still in training.

So your mutuality won't reimburse my sessions. If you have international health insurance through an employer or institution, ask the insurer directly. For the wider picture, see can a UK counsellor see clients abroad?

Online therapy in English in Belgium: how it works

If you have been looking for an English therapist in Belgium, or for therapy for expats in Belgium in a language you don't have to translate yourself into, here is the practical side.

We meet by secure video for 50 minutes. You need a private room and a stable connection. Belgium is one hour ahead of the UK all year, so a 6pm UK session is 7pm for you.

The fee is £45 per session, charged in pounds, and your bank may add a conversion fee. I keep a few low-cost places for students, trainees and people on low income. I ask for 48 hours' notice to cancel. The fees page has the details, and you can book a first session whenever you are ready.

What we might talk about in counselling

There is no list you need to fit. Some women come with questions about identity and belonging, about being between cultures, or about a family whose expectations travel with them. Others want to talk about the posting that keeps being extended, or about loneliness after a move. You can read more on identity and belonging or about my approach.

If you would like to start on your own, the three-question loneliness test is free and private, and my list of free mental health resources for expats and migrants has checked material in English.

I work in a person-centred way. I won't diagnose you or tell you what to do. I'll listen, try to understand how things are for you, and trust that you know more about your life than I do.

When online counselling isn't the right support

I don't provide crisis care, and I don't work with active suicidal intent, psychosis, eating disorders, addiction treatment, specialist trauma treatment, couples or children. If any of these apply, please speak to your GP or use the numbers below.

Your GP can also point you to the mental health network for your area, where first-line psychological care is reimbursed and no prescription is needed for support. If you live in the capital, my page of verified mental health and women's support services in Brussels lists local emergency and support services in more detail.

Crisis support in Belgium

If you are in danger now, call 112.

• Community Help Service Helpline, 02 616 26 26 (CHS also lists 02 648 40 14 for the same 24/7 helpline). An English-language helpline answered by trained volunteers. You don't need to be fluent in English. CHS does not charge for the call, though your provider may add a small connection fee.
• Zelfmoordlijn, 1813. Free, anonymous, 24 hours. In Dutch. Chat every day from 17:00 to midnight, and from 12:00 on Wednesdays.
• Centre de Prévention du Suicide, 0800 32 123. Free, 24 hours, for French-speaking Belgium.

These numbers were checked on the official websites listed below on 19 October 2026. The full list is on my page of mental health helplines in Belgium.