Esther Kühler, M.D.

psychiatrist

Esther Kühler received her medical education at the University of Leiden. Esther has always been fascinated by the complexity of the brain and initially trained to be a neuro-surgeon. A deepening interest in people’s behavior led her to a specialization in psychiatry. Esther was certified as a psychiatrist in 2008.

From 2008 – 2011 Esther served as lead psychiatrist at a mental health clinic in the Hague. She then established her private practice in 2011. Esther treats many expats in her practice and acts as an advisor to a number of multinational companies on issues dealing with mental health. She also has experience in the treatment of addiction and is a consulting physician at various hospitals. Esther has supervised the psychiatric training of numerous medical residents.

gertrude de waard, m.d.

psychiatrist

Gertrude de Waard was born and raised in the Netherlands, studied in Amsterdam and finished her training as a psychiatrist in 2007 at GGZinGeest. She mainly worked in clinical psychiatry, being  especially interested in the social and ethical aspects of mental problems and of the treatment involved. Gertrude has a holistic approach and will always try to see the problems presented in relation to the circumstances and background of the person in front of her. She has a broad experience with mood, anxiety and psychotic disorders and problems with addiction.

She herself lived as ‘an expat’ in Spain for 7 years and worked as a psychiatrist in a private clinic in Cadiz. During those years she traveled back and forth to the Netherlands working as a clinical psychiatrist and doing psychiatric expertise consultations. Spoken languages: English and Spanish.

Maria Aragues, m.d.

psychiatrist

Maria Aragues is a psychiatrist working for Kühler & Partners International Mental Health. She comes from Spain, but she is an expat herself since she moved to The Netherlands with her family seven years ago. Maria has broad experience in mental health problems based on her 20 years of experience as a clinician. She has particular experience in crisis, addiction, affective and psychotic disorders. She worked for 14 years in one of the main academic general hospitals in Madrid, being the coordinator of the emergency room for psychiatric disorders and in The Netherlands, she has worked in an addiction hospital and in another expat outpatient policlinic. 

Having both lived and worked internationally, Dr Aragues has a special personal understanding of the underlying challenges of living abroad. Spoken languages: English and Spanish.

Alain Nicolini, m.d.

psychiatrist

Alain Nicolini completed his training as a psychiatrist at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. He gained experience in pharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatment of anxiety and mood disorders, psychosis, personality disorders, addiction and sleep disorders. He also has experience in diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder and ADHD, as well as transcultural and geriatric psychiatry. In addition, he has been trained in psychoanalytic psychotherapy and schema-focused therapy.

Spoken languages: English, French and Italian.

Sandra ten bruggencate, M.Sc.

Psychotherapist / GZ-psychologist

Sandra studied Psychology at Leiden University in the Netherlands and the University of London/Maudsley Hospital. She has extensive clinical experience in general mental health for children, adolescents and adults, in Occupational Health and Medical Psychology. She has  worked in different settings in The Netherlands,  USA, United Kingdom and Middle East. Back in NL she enjoys working with internationals and expats, from young age to older.

As a Psychotherapist and GZ-psychologist, she uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Solution focused therapy,  EMDR and Schema-therapy. She values the understanding of individual problems from a developmental perspective including the recognition of individual strengths. In her therapies Sandra has an integrative and goal-oriented approach. She uses interventions in a flexible and pragmatic way in order to meet individual needs and preferences. She offers treatment in English.

eva montero rodriguez, m.sc.

GZ- Psychologist

Eva obtained her master’s in forensic psychology at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona. Her interest in offering clients a tailored treatment led her to study a second master’s degree in third generation therapies. She gives therapy from different psychological approaches, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), mentalization based therapy (MBT), and EMDR.

She has been always enthralled by the migration process and the challenges that people need to go through to adapt themselves to a new environment with their own personal circumstances, background, and culture. She was born and raised in Barcelona and has been herself  ‘an expat’ in Canada and now in the Netherlands. Spoken languages: English, Spanish, and Catalan.

Anna Costello, M.SC.

GZ- Psychologist

Anna has a Master’s degree in Psychology from Leiden University, specialising in Clinical & Health Psychology.  She works on an individual basis with a focus on Cognitive-Behavioural therapy (CBT), EMDR and Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT). 

She grew up in Ireland and England and has since lived and worked in France, Japan and more recently the Netherlands. She previously worked in international HR before training as a Psychologist. 

Anna offers treatment in English and French.

jorien van andel, m.sc.

Psychologist

Jorien obtained a master’s degree in Clinical and Developmental Psychology from Rijksuniversiteit Groningen in 2008, after which she started working as a psychologist with adults. She focuses on a wide range of complaints, including depression, anxiety, personality disorders and traumatic complaints. After additional training, she uses a combination of CBT, EMDR, STEPPS and Schema therapy in her therapies.

Jorien was born and raised in the Netherlands. In her adult years, she has lived and worked in the Netherlands, India and is currently based in Oman. Jorien sees patients for online therapy and is happy to see positive results and flexibility in tailor-made online treatments from overseas. Jorien offers treatment in English.

zita meijer, ph.d.

PSYCHOLOGIST

Zita has a background in social psychology, obtaining her master’s from the Free University (VU) Amsterdam and her Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, United States, specializing in cultural psychology. Zita has lived in the United States as well as in Japan, where she spent three years doing cultural comparative research. Zita has been affiliated with the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) in Amsterdam, where she taught Intercultural communication, Effects of a long-term stay abroad and Introduction to Japanese Language & Culture.

In addition to her academic studies and research, Zita was trained in The Work of Byron Katie and Acceptance Commitment Therapy, both third generation cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) approaches. She is trained to do EMDR trauma-treatment and has further expanded her psychotherapeutic palette with a schema-focused therapy approach. Zita speaks both English and Japanese. 

felipe hoyos, M.SC.

psychologist

Felipe has a bachelor in clinical psychology from the University Paris-Sorbonne-Cité and a master’s in clinical psychology from Leiden University. He is passionate about learning and has followed extensive training and supervision in schema therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, EMDR and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). He also draws from other different evidence-based approaches such as psychodynamic and dialectic-behavioral therapy (DBT).

Felipe was born and raised in Chile in an international environment and has lived and worked in the United States, France and the Netherlands. He has many years of experience working as a certified yoga teacher, which has given him precious insight on the complexities of the human mind. Having lived and worked in several countries, Felipe is familiar with the challenges and cultural issues that come with setting home in a foreign land. Felipe offers therapy in English, French and Spanish.

fan wang, PH.D.

psychologist

Fan was born and raised in China. After finishing her Bachelor in Clinical Medicine (Medical Psychology) in China, she pursued her dream to study abroad in 2009. Fan obtained her first Master in Cognitive Neuroscience at University of Amsterdam and continued with a PhD degree studying the decision making capacity in patients with eating disorders at University of Hong Kong. Her strong passion in deepening the understanding of the human mind led her to another Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology at Leiden University.

Fan adopts a personalized therapy approach and applies evidence-based treatment methods such as cognitive behavioral therapy, schema therapy and mindfulness based cognitive therapy. She has a strong desire of promoting the awareness of mental health in the Asian expat community. Fan offers treatment in Chinese and English.

drs. stephanie Baumgarten-Kustner

psychologist

Stephanie studied at the University of Oregon, London University and University of Leiden where she obtained her doctorandus in Clinical Psychology. She has worked with children/adolescents in clinical day-treatment as well as out-patient both in the USA and here in the Netherlands as well as in the Dutch special educational system.

In addition to clinical work, she also lectures undergraduate and graduate psychology students – with a focus on developmental psychology and psychopathology -- as well as mentoring psychology interns and thesis supervision. 

Stephanie offers sessions for children, adolescents and young adults in English.

Vernandi Dyzel, M.SC.

Psychologist

Vernandi was born and raised in South Africa. She completed her Master of Arts Clinical Psychology degree and training as a Clinical Psychologist in Johannesburg South Africa. As a psychologist in South Africa, she had the opportunity to work with a diverse group of people, which gave her more insight into the importance of understanding the role that culture, past experiences, relationships, and life circumstances play in mental health difficulties. Before moving to the Netherlands she lived in Malta for a brief period, during which she volunteered as a therapist at a non-Profit refugee organization.

Due to her training and experience, Vernandi works from an integrative and collaborative approach to ensure that the client’s individual needs are met using evidence-based interventions. At the core of all her interventions, she believes that empathy, authenticity, and non-judgment should be the foundation of the therapeutic relationship. That being said, she has a special interest in Person-Centred Therapy, Brief Psycho-Dynamic Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, Expressive Arts Therapy, and Narrative Therapy. She has experience in short- and long-term therapy for adults, adolescents, and children. She offers treatment in Afrikaans and English.

Birgit Olsen, M.Sc.

Psychologist

Birgit was born and raised in the Netherlands. She obtained a Master´s degree in Clinical Psychology from Leiden University in 2013, and completed additional training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, EMDR and Solution-Focused Therapy. She has experience providing both short- and long-term treatment for a wide variety of mental health problems, including anxiety, depression, trauma and low self-esteem. Birgit has lived abroad herself, studying Gender Studies at the Central European University in Hungary, and volunteering in the Philippines.

She offers treatment in English.

Insa Ruchay, M.SC.

Psychologist

Insa has a background in clinical psychology, obtaining her master’s degree from Leiden University and an advanced master’s degree in psychotherapy from the University Bern, Switzerland. She trained at the German Association of Behavior Therapy Institute in Bonn, Germany, through which she received her license to practice. In addition, Insa is trained to do EMDR trauma-treatment and schema-focused therapy.

Insa has experience providing treatment for a wide variety of mental health problems, both in an outpatient and inpatient setting. She has treated patients and couples on an individual basis as well as in groups.

Being an expat herself and having lived, studied, and worked in several countries, Insa has experienced the excitements and challenges that life as an expat entails. She offers treatment and diagnostics in English and German.

paola cordon slowing, m.sc.

Psychologist

Paola is a Guatemalan psychologist, passionate about enhancing well-being and understanding human behavior. She studied her BS. Clinical Psychology in Guatemala and an MSc. Health Psychology at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. She has ample experience in helping adults deal with ongoing or past crises, such as divorce, mourning, abuse, chronical illness, and work related stress. As well as collective crises, such as natural disasters, social upheavals, and the pandemic. Working mostly on trauma, post-traumatic stress, anxiety disorders, and depression. Her interventions are based on cognitive-behavioral therapy, but she also draws from different therapeutic frameworks to ensure that the treatments are tailored to each patient’s needs.

In addition to being a therapist, she enjoys doing research on health interventions and supervising thesis and psychology interns in Guatemala and Chile. She offers treatment in English and Spanish.

Tessa Inglis, m.sc.

Psychologist

Tessa was born in London and grew up in 4 different countries. She gained a special appreciation for cultural diversity through being raised in international communities. She is familiar with the element of adventure yet also the challenges that often come with being an expat.

Tessa attained her master’s degree in Clinical Psychology at Leiden University. She completed her internship here at Kühler & Partners and has gained experience providing psychotherapeutic support using evidence-based interventions and carrying out psychodiagnostics assessments. Tessa offers treatment and diagnostics in English.

elena stojimirovic, m.sc.

Psychologist

Elena was born and raised in the United States in an immigrant family. During her high school years, she moved back to her parent’s home country of Serbia before coming to the Netherlands for her studies. She is therefore familiar with both the adventure and challenges that come with cross-cultural experiences.

Elena obtained her Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Utrecht University, and is completing her training in Rational Emotive & Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (RE&CBT). In addition to RE&CBT, she incorporates elements from other therapeutic modalities in order to best tailor to an individual’s needs and goals. She has a client-oriented and evidence-based approach to help clients develop customized plans to improve their quality of life while also understanding multicultural needs.

She offers treatment in English and Serbo-Croatian.

Selin arslanlar, m.sc.

Psychologist

Selin, a Turkish psychologist with a diverse background, began her journey in Istanbul, Turkey, earning her Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Koc University. In 2018, she pursued her Master's degree in Clinical Psychology at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. Since then, she has become a dedicated psychologist in the Netherlands, focusing on various complaints, including depression, anxiety, personality disorders, trauma, and acculturation stress.

Selin's personal experience as a part of an immigrant family and an expat has shaped her compassionate approach to acculturation challenges. She primarily employs cognitive-behavioral therapy but adapts various therapeutic methods to meet each patient's unique needs. Her multicultural background enables her to navigate cultural nuances effectively.

Selin provides therapy in English and Turkish. 

teryl banseelal, m.sc.

Psychologist

Teryl was born and raised in South Africa. He completed his Master’s in Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience specialising in Neuropsychology at Maastricht University. He is a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist in training (VGCt®).

He provides treatment using cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), mentalisation based therapy (MBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) and schema therapy.

He finds it important to create a safe, empathic and accepting therapeutic space, using evidence-based interventions to provide the most suitable treatment in helping clients reduced psychological complaints and improve their mental wellbeing. Teryl offers treatment and diagnostics in English.

Amy Barnett, m.sc.

Psychologist

Amy was born and raised in London, where she completed her Bachelor degree in Psychology. She went on to complete a masters (MSc) in Development, Disorders and Clinical Psychology practices at the University of York. Following this, she has worked for over 5 years in different clinical settings within adult mental health care, within teams in the UK National Health Service and private clinics. Later, Amy completed another masters (MSc) as a Clinical Associate in Psychology at the University College London (UCL). She has experience working with a broad range of difficulties, including anxiety, depression, mood regulation difficulties, trauma, behavioural difficulties, and support with neurodivergence. Since moving to the Netherlands, she has experience providing mental health treatment for trauma, depression and anxiety in a specialist transgender and non-binary people service. 

In her treatment, Amy has an integrative, compassionate and trauma-informed approach with modalities such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), alongside mentalisation and mindfulness-based practices.

She has a firm belief in individualised and inclusive person-centred care, focusing on the strengths of the individual, to help alleviate psychological distress and improve wellbeing.

Amy offers treatment in English.

hannah kurtz, m.sc.

Psychologist

Hannah studied psychology and trained as a psychological psychotherapist for adults, children and adolescents in Germany. Her many years of professional experience include working in outpatient psychotherapy practices with individual and group settings as well as in psychiatric and psychosomatic clinics.

Her aim is to guide you through your therapeutic process in a transparent and goal-oriented manner. With an appreciative attitude, you will be supported in overcoming your challenges in a resource- and solution-oriented way, whether in a mental crisis, professional difficulties or emotional stress such as sadness, emptiness, fears or compulsions.
In addition to her focus on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, she integrates mindfulness-based, imaginative and emotion-focused approaches, supported by modern methods such as Schema Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT). She offers treatment in German and English.