English-speaking counselling for women in The Hague

I'm an English-speaking counsellor offering online counselling to women living in The Hague, by secure video from the UK. It's person-centred, which means you set the pace and the subject. Sessions are £45, you book them yourself, and no huisarts referral is needed. I'm a trainee counsellor and BACP student member, working under supervision, and this is private counselling rather than Dutch healthcare.

What expat life in The Hague can feel like

The Hague isn't international in the same way Amsterdam is. A large part of its foreign community is here because of the work of courts, tribunals, embassies, agencies and NGOs.

The numbers are big. A 2025 study by the research bureau Decisio, published by the city, counted 520 international organisations in The Hague region, linked to about 45,000 jobs. Inside the city itself, the sector accounts for around 29,700 jobs, roughly 11% of all employment.

Behind those jobs are households. The Hague International Centre, which registers new arrivals who come as knowledge workers, recorded 3,328 newcomers in 2020: 1,841 knowledge workers, 732 partners and 755 children, from 115 nationalities. The same memo noted that more than 100,000 residents of The Hague hold a foreign nationality, and that a national survey of internationals pointed to a need for more attention to their mental health.

That shapes what life here can be like. Postings can be fixed-term. Colleagues rotate out. A friend you made last autumn may be in Nairobi or Geneva by summer. For some families this is the third or fourth country, and the children have learned to say goodbye early. I write about the strain of repeated moves on the page about life transitions.

Finding an English-speaking therapist in The Hague

If you're registered in the Dutch system, care starts with a huisarts, a GP. Your GP can help with lighter problems or refer you on, and a referral is what Dutch basic insurance needs before it will pay for psychological treatment. The provider also needs a contract with your insurer, and IamExpat points out that many private psychologists don't have one.

Waiting is the hard part. According to Radar and MIND's reading of the Dutch care authority's figures, published in February 2026, the average wait to start mental health treatment in 2025 was 24 weeks. Getting even an intake took around 14 weeks on average.

If you or your partner work for an international organisation, your health cover may not be ordinary Dutch basic insurance, and the rules about who you can see may differ. It's worth reading your plan carefully before assuming anything is or isn't covered. My guide on how to find a therapist abroad lists the questions worth asking any practitioner, local or online.

A word on titles. In the Netherlands, psychotherapeut and gezondheidszorgpsycholoog are protected, and only people listed in the BIG register may use them. I'm a counsellor. I'm not on that register, I don't call myself either of those things, and I'm not offering Dutch treatment.

The trailing spouse in The Hague: when you're the partner who followed

Picture a version of this. You were a lawyer, a teacher or a nurse at home. Your partner was offered a post at one of the organisations here, and it was the right decision for the family. Two years on, you run the household admin in three languages, you know every parent at the international school by first name, and you can't quite remember what you used to be good at.

Not everyone feels this way, and some partners love the life. But if you do feel it, you're not being ungrateful. You're grieving something real.

Some things partners in The Hague might bring to counselling:

• Feeling that your days are organised around someone else's contract.
• Building friendships while knowing everyone, including you, may leave.
• The strange status of being "the spouse" at diplomatic or work events.
• Raising children far from grandparents, and doing the emotional work of every move.
• Questions about who you are once the next posting decision comes round.

I write more about this on the page about being an accompanying partner. If the bigger theme is not quite belonging anywhere, identity and belonging may be closer. If loneliness is the part you notice most, the private loneliness test takes a minute, and my free resources for living abroad gather checked self-help in one place.

How online counselling in English works from The Hague

The Hague is one hour ahead of the UK all year, since both countries move their clocks on the same dates. A morning session at 9am UK time starts at 10am for you, and evening sessions (UK time) are available too. Sessions are in English.

We meet by secure video for 50 minutes. If you live in a house with staff, children at home or thin walls, it's worth thinking about where you'll be private. Some people take sessions from the car.

The fee is £45 per session, charged in pounds. A limited number of low-cost places are available for students, trainees and people on a low income. You'll find the cancellation policy and payment details on the fees page, and you can book a session whenever you're ready. If you have a question first, email hello@michellefernando.com. I reply within 48 hours.

If your household moves on, the sessions can usually come with you, which can be one steady thing in a changing year.

The first session is simply a chance to meet. You don't need to arrive with a summary of your life or a list of problems. Some people start with the move itself. Others start with something that seems unrelated, and find their way back to it. Both are fine, and if after a session or two you feel I'm not the right fit, you can stop. There's more on what to expect in your first counselling session.

About me, honestly

I'm Michelle Fernando. I'm a trainee person-centred counsellor, a BACP student member, and I'm studying for an MSc in Counselling and Psychotherapy at Keele University. I see clients as a placement counsellor in Shrewsbury and I work under regular clinical supervision.

My particular interest is how culture and context shape what we feel allowed to want. That includes family duty, migration, and the sense of being between places. It's why I focus on women living abroad, though I don't turn men away. You can read more on the about page.

I work from the UK. I'm not part of Dutch health care, I can't diagnose or prescribe, and my sessions aren't reimbursed by Dutch insurers. Because I'm still training, my fee is lower than a qualified counsellor's.

When I'm not the right person

Please don't wait for an online session if you're in danger. Call 112. If you're having thoughts of suicide, contact 113 Zelfmoordpreventie, free and open day and night by phone or chat. The phone line only works from inside the Netherlands, so use the chat if you're travelling.

I also don't work with psychosis, eating disorders, addiction, specialist trauma treatment, couples or children. For those, your huisarts or your organisation's health service is the place to start. My page of support services in The Hague lists local crisis, mental health and women's support services with their hours, and helplines across the Netherlands covers the national lines.

For other cities and the national picture, see English-speaking counselling in the Netherlands, or read more about online therapy for expats.