Hello, I am Noni

A Greek psychologist in Rotterdam

why roots therapy

‘Living abroad and away from your own Roots and what you consider to be your own social network can be for some people a very hard bridge to cross over. Especially in combination with other factors such as going through a divorce or break up, facing an illness of a family member, or just being undecisive and scared of what the future brings. Roots Therapy offers support and guidance through therapy or consultation with respect to the client’s needs and priorities. Most of us have been, at least once in their lives, in a phase where everything seems to be uncertain and we felt incapable of dealing with struggles that are part of our human nature or changes that we feel we do not wish to make. Speaking in your own language and being able to be heard and understood is a very important component for the client to feel that he/she can create a bond and relate to the therapist, in order to find their own path to their inner peace and feeling of fulfilment. Roots therapy offers therapy and consultation in Greek, English and Dutch.’

The psychologist

Academic background
Theoni Karanikolou van Hoogenhuijze is a clinical psychologist who obtained her university degree in Psychology from Panteion University of Athens. Subsequently graduated from Leiden University in The Netherlands with the degree Master of Science in Clinal Psychology, where she became familiar with the therapeutic approach of Cognitive and Behavioural therapy amongst other subjects such as Eating disorders, Life Coaching and the Psychodynamic approach. Later on, Theoni became a certified MILS coach and through the years has participated in numerous seminars and courses with the subjects of trauma therapy, grief and complex grief.
The psychologist has been receiving supervision and has been part of intervision groups with fellow therapists for numerous years, in order to ensure the best results for her clients.

Theoni has worked in two of the biggest children’s hospitals of Athens observing and offering support to children with fatal diseases and their families, as well as screening and assessing mental disorders.

Greek Psychologists’ Network in The Netherlands
Entering the expat community in 2012 and facing the challenges of re-rooting herself, Theoni got together with a group of colleagues and in 2014 the Greek Psychologists Network in The Netherlands was founded. Through this network they provide support to the continuously increasing Greek community in The Netherlands. Organizing psycho-educational seminars with topics such as ‘How to deal with change’, ’Anger’, ‘Fears’, as well as offering counselling and therapy services, are the ways through which the network wishes to enhance self-awareness and self-development to the Greek community. The network supports recreational activities and events of the community, such as the consistency of a book club, visits to museums or concerts to enhance socializing and self-development.

Style
I believe in the resources that each person has inside them. I believe that every person who is alive has the right to feel pain, fear, joy and anger and not to be ashamed for that. In a society that creates the notion that everyone needs to be perfect and act perfect continuously, I encourage my clients to embrace their imperfections and love themselves for who they are.
Through an equal therapeutic relationship with my clients, where trust and respect are the foundation, I wish to provide a safe environment and together to explore the needs and therapeutic goals of my clients.
During the first sessions with my clients we collect the history, discuss the therapeutic goals that the person might have, and if both therapist and client, we agree that we want to work together, we proceed further with a schema of sessions. My clients and fellow therapists describe me as interactive, empathic, friendly and professional. Using a combination of tools from different approaches in order to create the best approach for my clients, I am mainly interested in the Psychodynamic approach where the unconscious or the ‘non spoken’ needs of my clients are kept. The cognitive and behavioural approach offers a great variety of techniques aiming to discover the connection between cognitions-emotions-behaviour. I am also very interested in schema therapy which is an integrative approach embodying theories and techniques from previously existed approaches such as the cognitive and behavioural approach, the psychodynamic approach, the attachment theory and gestalt theory. The EMDR approach has been a milestone to my development as a therapist and offers a great framework for dealing with trauma’s in the early years.

‘Living abroad and away from your own Roots and what you consider to be your own social network can be for some people a very hard bridge to cross over. Especially in combination with other factors such as going through a divorce or break up, facing an illness of a family member, or just being undecisive and scared of what the future brings. Roots Therapy offers support and guidance through therapy or consultation with respect to the client’s needs and priorities. Most of us have been, at least once in their lives, in a phase where everything seems to be uncertain and we felt incapable of dealing with struggles that are part of our human nature or changes that we feel we do not wish to make. Speaking in your own language and being able to be heard and understood is a very important component for the client to feel that he/she can create a bond and relate to the therapist, in order to find their own path to their inner peace and feeling of fulfilment. Roots therapy offers therapy and consultation in Greek, English and Dutch.’

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Individual Therapy

Individual therapy be seen as an option for you in many different phases in your life.

  • For some reason that you can not identify, you feel lost, not knowing what steps to take to break through and get back on track.
  • You might face challenges with a big decision you have to make, and you need some guidance and support in order to ensure that you made the right decision for yourself.
  • You have experienced certain events in the past that keep coming up and bother you.
  • You experience stress and tiredness; you are overtired or burn-out.
  • You experience panic attacks.
  • You experience somatic symptoms that do not seem to have a physical cause.
  • You feel sad, depressed or unsatisfied with your life the way it is.
  • You have sleeping problems or problems with food or eating.
    You are going through a mourning phase due to the loss of a beloved person.
  • You feel overworked by a demanding lifestyle of taking care of others (sick child, relatives or suffering from chronic disease yourself).
  • You have experienced traumatic experiences such as sexual/verbal/physical abuse.

Coaching

  • Professional matters, such as change jobs, career.
  • Preparation to make an important decision in your life.
  • Time management.
    Effective communication with others (professional and personal life).
  • Self-development and growth.
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Online therapy

Online therapy is offered as an option in case the client:

  • leaves far away from the therapist’s practise and frequent sessions with physical presence are not possible.
  • if the client needs to travel frequently abroad due to occupational or family engagements.
  • If the client has been in therapy for a long time and moves to another country/city and wishes to continue therapy.

At this point it is important to be noted that online therapy is not appropriate for everyone and it is an option only when both parties, therapist-client, conclude that this is the last resource they have available. Physical presence is essential for the therapeutic relationship and the non-verbal and body language are important elements that we wish to observe and include to our work with our client.

MILS

What is the MILS:

  • MILS (Multiple Intelligence Learning Strategies) is a software developed by Drs Marjolein van Bodegom, which assesses the learning profile of a person. We are all unique and so is our brain. For some of us just looking at a picture (visual) can be enough for the information to be processed and ‘stay’ with us. Some others have the ability to process larger amount of information and faster through text (text processing), or through sharing information with others (learning together), or by hearing a tutor talk (acoustic), as well as while doing some physical movement (kinesthetic). Lastly, we also know that some people have difficulties memorizing information, when it is given to them piece-by-piece instead of the whole picture or the meaning behind the information given to them (context).
    Finding out your own learning style can enhance your self-esteem and your schooling performance or your working performance.

What is the process?

  • MILS can be done by children of the age of 9 and above and by adults of all ages.
  • The MILS actual test time can be estimated between 10-15 minutes; however, time is not relevant for this test. Each individual can take as much time as he/she needs. The total consultation time is estimated to last at about 1,5 hours.
  • After the completion of the test, the client receives the results and an explanation of these results. For example, what does it mean if I have a high score in text processing?
  • The psychologist will then write a report with all your results, followed by an explanation with advice and tips on how to maximize your natural strengths in information processing and memorizing.

How can I benefit from MILS?

  • MILS can be beneficial for children who are struggling with their homework, concentration and their performance in tests and other school material.
  • Children and parents have become aware of the strong and weak points of the learning profile of a child and therefore have more control and the right guidance to improve it.
  • Nowadays children are often diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), which in some cases is not accurate. With MILS we wish to distinguish a child who has need for movement in order to learn and a child with eliminated attention span.
  • There is often friction between parents and children, when their child needs to do their homework. Why is that? By undertaking the test as a family, we can discover the learning profile of each one involved in the learning process, and therefore understand where the friction comes from. For example, the mother who might have a high score in text processing, might get frustrated and upset when her son refuses to sit at his desk and memorize a text by heart. This kind of miscommunication which leads to frustration, can be avoided by gaining awareness and understanding on each other’s learning profile and preferences.
  • As an adult you can also benefit from MILS in case you are in the schooling system yourself, as a tutor, teacher or as an adult student who needs to be able to more efficiently process new information.
    MILS has been implemented in many schools in The Netherlands where the whole classroom was tested including the teaching staff. The aim for this is to modify and present the learning material in the best way possible for the students.
    MILS can be done in English and Dutch. Greek speaking children and adults with a basic knowledge in English can do it as well. In that case the explanation of the results and the report can be given in Greek.
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FAQ

Where is your office located?
Roots Therapy is situated at Statenweg 142A, 3039 JN Rotterdam. 
It is in the very central area of Blijdorp and it takes approximately 10 minutes walking from the Central station of Rotterdam.

Do you cooperate with health insurance companies?
Roots Therapy is a private practise and cooperates with health insurances whose clients are holders of the ‘aanvulende pakket’. The number of sessions covered depends on the annual policy of each health insurance. In case the client has a basic package, he/she covers the costs individually.

How long do sessions last?
One session typically lasts 60 minutes.

How long do I need to complete my therapy?
Therapy can be short (5-10 sessions) or longer (20 sessions or more), depending on the therapeutic plan that has been agreed between the therapist and client. This plan is done based on the initial complaint of the client and the subsequent evaluations that we wish to do frequently through the process, in order to make sure that we are still on the ‘same page’ and that we have achieved the goal of the client. That means that therapy can either be extended or terminated earlier than planned, always as a result of an agreement between both parties (therapist-client).

How much does a session cost?
Roots Therapy sets the consultation rates in agreement with the client, considering the financial situation of the client. Unemployed clients and students are considered with extra care.
An individual MILS testing session, including the explanation of the results and the following report is set at 120 euros.

Does what we talk about in therapy remain confidential?
The material of the sessions is strictly confidential. Complying with the code of ethics of NIP (Nederlands Intituut van Psychologen), the psychologist has the obligation to keep the anonymity and the confidentiality of the material during the professional relationship and after the termination of it. The psychologist is entitled to the right to override the confidentiality, if she has valid reasons and only if this is the last resource, to prevent the person from being a threat to themselves or to others. In order to ensure high quality of services, the psychologist is entitled to use anonymously the material, for supervision purposes.

What if I need to cancel?
Cancelling or moving a session to another date is always possible through e-mail or telephone. Cancelling or moving a session to another date 24 hours prior to the agreed date is without charge. Cancelling within the 24 hours period or not showing up, the client will be charged the full rate of the session.
Moving sessions is possible, taking into consideration the availability of the practise.

What’s next? How do I make an appointment?
Filling in the contact form, sending and e-mail or simply calling are the ways through which the client can meet Roots Therapy. The psychologist will get in touch with you as soon as possible. An intake meeting is planned (free of charge), where the client meets the therapist and they mutually decide whether they wish to proceed further. In that case during first few sessions the initial complaint is discussed, and the treatment plan is made. The psychologist explains the techniques and tools that will be used. In case the psychologist concludes that she is not equipped to take over the client, she will discuss with the client the possibility to refer him/her to fellow colleague who can facilitate the request of the client.

What can I do from my side in order to maximize the results of my therapy/coaching?
Coming to therapy can be seen as an act of courage for some people, who struggle in a particular phase of their lives and so it is perceived from Roots Therapy. Being open minded, consistent and showing the necessary responsibility towards the process and the goals are the foundation of a good start. The psychologist is there to ensure that the client will receive the professional attention and care he/she needs to maximize the results of the therapy/coaching.

Useful links:
suicide prevention: https://www.113.nl/
substance abuse: https://www.na-holland.nl/
alcohol abuse: https://www.aa-nederland.nl/
sexual violence: https://www.verbreekdestilte.nl/
domestic violence: https://www.veiligthuishollandsmidden.nl/

 

THE ACT OF REVEALING ONESELF FULLY TO ANOTHER AND STILL BEING ACCEPTED MAY BE THE MAJOR VEHICLE OF THERAPEUTIC HELP.

 – IRVIN D. YALOM – 

Let’s Start a Conversation

Roots Therapy
Statenweg 142A
3039 JN Rotterdam

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