An English-speaking counsellor for women living in the Netherlands

I am an English-speaking counsellor offering person-centred counselling by secure video to women living anywhere in the Netherlands. 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 delivered from the UK. It is not Dutch healthcare, and I am not BIG-registered.

Finding an English-speaking therapist in the Netherlands

On 1 January 2025, 16.8% of people living in the Netherlands were born abroad, according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS). That is just over 3 million people.

You might use English every day at work and still find that the important things, like a letter from the gemeente or a call to the GP's assistant, arrive in Dutch. If you live in Amsterdam or The Hague, my pages for Amsterdam and The Hague look at those cities. This page covers the national picture, for anyone in Utrecht, Eindhoven, Groningen or a commuter town in between.

The Netherlands has a reputation for being easy for English speakers. That can make it harder to admit you feel lonely here. You don't have to have a good reason for finding it hard. If it helps to see it written down, the loneliness test is three private questions, and my free resources for living abroad collect checked self-help in one place.

How mental health care works in the Netherlands

The Dutch system runs through your GP, the huisarts. The government's own guidance says to start there, or with online support.

For mild problems, your GP may offer support through a practice mental health worker (often called a POH-GGZ). If the GP thinks your problems need more, they can refer you to basic mental health care for mild to moderate problems, or to specialist care for more serious and complex conditions. Health insurance covers all or part of this, depending on your policy.

The referral is the key. Mental health care paid for by your insurer usually depends on it, which is why the GP matters so much here.

Waiting lists in Dutch mental health care

The waits are a well-known problem. Providers and insurers have agreed a maximum acceptable wait, known as the Treeknorm: four weeks from registration to an intake, then ten weeks from intake to the start of treatment.

In July 2025, the Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa) reported that waiting times remained high and that this maximum was being exceeded for every diagnosis group. From 2026, providers must record the date of referral, which the NZa expects will give more reliable figures.

If you are still choosing who to approach, my guide on how to find a therapist abroad walks through the questions worth asking.

So you might be told you need help, and then wait. If that is where you are, it's okay to want someone to talk to in the meantime. Please keep your GP informed, though, and don't let counselling replace the specialist care you were referred for.

Protected titles, and why I am a counsellor

In the Netherlands, eleven healthcare professions have a protected title under the BIG Act, including gezondheidszorgpsycholoog (healthcare psychologist) and psychotherapeut. Only people registered in the BIG register may use them, and anyone can check the register.

I am not BIG-registered, and I don't use either title. 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.

Because I am outside the Dutch system, your basic health insurance won't reimburse my sessions. If you have international or supplementary cover, ask your insurer.

Online therapy in English in the Netherlands: how it works

If you were looking for an English therapist in the Netherlands, or for therapy for expats in the Netherlands that you can start without a referral, this is what to expect.

We meet by secure video for 50 minutes. You need a private space and a reasonable connection. The Netherlands is one hour ahead of the UK all year, so a 6pm session in the UK is 7pm for you. Evening sessions (UK time) are available, in English. If you'd like to know what happens in that first hour, read what to expect in your first counselling session.

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. See the fees page, or book a first session.

What counselling with me is like

My approach is person-centred counselling. I don't diagnose, set homework or tell you what to do. I offer close attention, honesty and acceptance, and I trust you to find your own direction.

You might want to talk about feeling stuck, about loneliness after a move, or about a family far away whose expectations still shape your days. You can bring it in whatever words you have, including the half-formed ones. If you're unsure, the online counselling check may help you decide.

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. For any of these, your GP is the right first contact in the Netherlands, because the huisarts is also the door to basic and specialist mental health care.

If something is happening at home that makes you feel unsafe, please don't wait for a counselling slot. My page on domestic abuse and women's safety lists free, checked support, and the crisis section below gives the national lines.

Crisis support in the Netherlands

If your life is in danger, call 112 now.

• 113 Zelfmoordpreventie, 113. Free, anonymous, and open 24 hours, by phone or chat. The website has an English section. It does not say whether phone counsellors speak English, so the chat may be easier if you prefer to write.
• Your GP. The government advises contacting your GP immediately in a mental health crisis. If needed, the GP will contact the local crisis team, which is available 24/7.

For more lines, including domestic violence support, see mental health helplines in the Netherlands. If you live in either city, the local pages list support services in Amsterdam and support services in The Hague, including the out-of-hours GP.

These details were checked on the official websites listed below on 19 October 2026.