Ship Psychology Counselor & Coach

When you are neurodivergent, your brains work a little differently from most others. ‘Neurodivergent’  or ND is a collective name for people who have (aspects of):

High sensitivity, ADHD, ASD (Autism), high IQ (giftedness), or a combination of these.

You process stimuli and information differently, what can lead to particular problems that many neurotypical people around you won’t recognise. Even when you yourself are fine with your own peculiarities, knowing that you are different can cause problems in its own right, like feeling lonely or constantly doubting yourself.

Being neurodivergent myself, I’m well aware of the obstacles you may encounter. And if your problem isn’t related to neurodivergence but you’re having trouble finding a counselor who understands your way of thinking, you are more than welcome to book a free call to see if I’m a better match. 

A little stress is part of life. Stress is the physical and mental feelings we experience when something is uncomfortable and we want to change it. When it has changed to our satisfaction, we relax again.

Unhealthy stress is the type that builds up over time without periods of relaxation in between. This is bucket the fills up and fills up, until the final droplet makes it run over (over-stressed) or topples the bucket so everything spills out and it can’t hold any more droplets (burn-out). A bit of a cliché, but it’s true. 

What fills your bucket to the brim is different for everyone. Work-related stress is often not the only factor. Contributing issues are often closer to home to, like the care for young children or a sick family member, health issues, financial struggles or relational problems, etc.  Even structural boredom due to understimulation can cause burn-out symptoms, also known as a bore-out. 

What you need in order to put your bucket upright and keep it from overflowing, varies from person to person as well. In stress & burn-out counseling, we focus on regaining your balance in a way and at a pace that works for you.  

Feeling anxious about all sorts of things without really knowing why can severely disrupt your life. You go out less and less, feel insecure and stressed, yet you also feel tired a lot and your concentration is out the window.  

Anxiety can lead to panic attacks, the physical symptoms of which literally feel like you’re dying. Anxiety can also cause depressive episodes, when that which makes you anxious is so hard to identify that you no longer register that stress as fear. Unnoticed, the anxiety persists and causes emotional and mental processes to shut down, which leaves the empty, hollow feeling that nothing matters, which is typical of depression.  

Do you want to break through this pattern of anxiety and regain a hold on your life? I’m here to help you do so! 

We all have periods that we feel a little down, but when that feeling of exhaustion and emptiness persists for weeks, months or even years, it’s not likely to clear up on its own without some outside help. 

Depression is more than feeling down. Daily tasks are draining, and some days it costs too much energy to even get out of bed. Most of the time, the depression is fed by anxiety, but due to the emotional shut-down of depression, that anxiety may not always be noticeable anymore. Just like other emotions like joy and excitement are numbed.

Do you want to break away from this numbness and feel better about yourself and your life? I can help you find your joy again! 

You have all sort of vague symptoms and issues: exhaustion, anxiety, hypersensitivity, always alert, concentration problems, persistent depressive moods, physical pain without clear cause, panic attacks, sometimes even suicidal ideation. You may have had various diagnoses, but it’s ‘not quite that’ and treatment for anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, depression or burn-out helps only a little, or not at all. You have tried so many things already, but nothing seems to make the difference.

Separately, these symptoms seem incoherent. However, exactly this combination fits perfectly for an often-overlooked condition that isn’t an official mental illness: C-PTSD, meaning “complex post-traumatic stress disorder”. C-PTSD is rooted in prolongued periods of feeling mentally and/or physically unsafe. Common causes are enduring verbal, sexual and/or physical violence at work or at home, but poverty, emotional abuse or neglect – intentional or unintentional – can also cause this. It doesn’t have to be a recent situation, either: someone who grew up in an unsafe home can experience severe C-PTSD symptoms well into their adult life.  

The Ship Psychology method was developed especially to improve the mental health and overall quality of life for people with C-PTSD. How far you want to go, is always up to you. At the very least, I will help you understand and chart your web of interlinking symptoms, and find out the small changes that can give you relief. 

Sometimes you just don’t a light at the end of the tunnel anymore. Taking the final step seems so alluring, because it feels that would solve all your problems. You may know that isn’t true, but the feeling is there and it’s real. Some days are easier, but other days darkness and despair are so strong that it is hard to even consider finding help… If anyone would want to help you, because it feels like they won’t… 

I do not offer acute crisis aid, but people sharing that they have a death wish doesn’t shock me. I’ve had one myself for over 20 years. From experience, I know that suicidal ideation doesn’t just pop out of nothing. There is always a reason. However, that may not be as obvious as you think, yet finding that is the first step to recovery. I’m here to help you hold on while the storm lasts, and find a way to calmer waters.  

If you do not suffer from suicidal ideation yourself, but have a loved one who struggles with this, or you have lost a loved one to suicide, please feel free to contact me for a chat and to ask the questions you seek an answer to.  

Remember: are you or your loved one in need of immediate help, please call your local emergency services!