for whom

Evy psychology practice helps with different (combinations of) problems. Sometimes people have a clearly delineated problem. More often, though, all kinds of things are interwoven and people alternate between, for example, sombre, fearful and sad moods. Evy can help you with one of the following experiences or a combination of them:

  • grief and mourning

Grief and mourning are experienced after the loss of a loved one due to death, divorce or another cause; for example, loss of health, a job or something else that was very important. Symptoms of mourning are despair, intense longing, missing, difficulty in accepting the loss, unwillingness or inability to contemplate reality, emotional numbness, and a feeling of meaninglessness. People can also find it difficult to carry on with day to day life because they view it as a betrayal of the one they have lost. The symptoms frequently diminish over the course of time. If they do not, or if you want to have a few conversations about it with an independent person, good methods are available to help people come to terms with the loss and to remove the obstacles which hinder the mourning process.

  • (work) stress, excess tension and burnout

Stress can show itself in the form of excessive tiredness, restlessness, headaches, lack of concentration, forgetfulness, despondency and irritability. Stress frequently occurs at work, but other situations can also cause stress. With long-term, excessive stress, people tire more quickly, are less able to deal with stress, and have less and less interest or enjoyment in things around them. In such cases, people can become over-stressed or suffer burnout, and lose the ability to do their work. Excessive stress can come on fast (in a couple of weeks or months) and can also go away again fairly quickly. Burnout builds up over a longer period. With burnout, people usually feel exhausted or “empty” and often have no enthusiasm for anything at all. It is a good idea, when stress symptoms manifest themselves, to take measures to prevent the problems from worsening.

  • worry

People who worry constantly think about things again and again, often going around in circles without finding a solution. They frequently feel restless, tense, tired and sometimes irritable. They may have trouble sleeping or concentrating, and suffer muscular tension. Sometimes, people think worrying helps them and prepares them for problems. In the short term, that appears to be true; in the long term, however, the symptoms persist or even get worse. Without treatment, worrying can persist for years, causing people considerable difficulties and impairing their functionality. There are good methods to reduce or stop worrying.

  • insecurity, perfectionism or a negative self-image

People can suffer from a constantly critical view of themselves. They think other people find them uninteresting, unattractive or unpleasant; they are sensitive to criticism, and do not hear compliments. Their insecurity is an obstacle to contact with others, and impairs their functionality and personal growth. Perfectionists mainly notice their faults; they are only happy if they don’t make any mistakes and worry about the consequences of their mistakes. Perfectionism and a negative self-image can be reduced by treatment – often of short duration – to produce a more realistic self-image: a self-image which gives a more confident and balanced view of one’s strengths and weaknesses.

  • specific anxiety

A specific anxiety is an intense fear of an animal (e.g. dogs, spiders), natural phenomena (e.g. thunder) or an object or situation (e.g. being in a lift, driving a car, flying or fear of heights). These anxieties or phobias often start at a young age. They disappear again spontaneously for most children, but for a considerable number of people the anxiety becomes more intense and chronic. People try to avoid the situation they fear. If that is not impossible, they experience intense fear, physical tension (increased heartbeat or fainting) and sometimes also feelings of horror. People experience the fear disproportionately and it disrupts their daily life. Because they avoid the situation as much as possible, the anxiety becomes manageable in the short term. In the long term, however, the anxiety remains and may even be reinforced. There are good, very short treatments with which people can conquer their anxiety.

  • relational problems

People differ and conflicts are inevitable in relationships. Conflicts in itself are not problematiek and can lead to improvements, but sometimes they seem to intensify and sometimes people do not know anymore to get out of it. In a treatment partners can learn to express their needs and to deal with conflicts in a more constructive way. A therapist can help partners to improve their communication styles and to get along in a more positive way. If it is necessary to separate, partners can be helped to do so in a constructive way.