GZ-psycholoog
My name is Litje and I have been working for Empower since December 2023. Although I was born and raised in the Netherlands, my roots are in China and I feel connected to both Dutch and Chinese culture. I have traveled extensively for work and study and have lived in the UK, Australia, Sweden, and India. I have always had a passion for traveling and have always been curious about other perspectives, ways of life, and cultures.
I have worked extensively in an outpatient setting, treating clients with complex PTSD, anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, self-image issues, emotion regulation issues, disrupted grief, and/or an increased risk of developing a first psychosis (ultra high risk). The target groups often consisted of adults of Dutch descent, but also adults with a refugee or migrant background.
Although I have treated a few clients with a Chinese/Asian background in my career, I know that there is still a large group of people from that culture who find it very difficult to seek help for mental health problems. Factors that can hinder this include shame, high pressure to perform, and feelings of loyalty. It can be particularly difficult to seek treatment from a therapist with the same background. Nevertheless, if this resonates with you, I would like to invite you to seek treatment with me, because you have the right to psychological help. We can together break the taboo. In addition, I can easily empathize with you regarding the implicit norms and values that prevail in Asian culture and the struggles that this can entail. I do not judge you in this regard and instead want to stand by your side.
My affinity lies with psychodiagnostics, grief therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and schema therapy.
I believe it is important to listen to your story and work with you to understand how everything is connected. In doing so, I want to make room for your feelings, which are often buried. I want to help you connect with others without losing your autonomy. In treatment, this starts with building a relationship of trust.