Lizzie Collie
Counsellor
I specialise in:
About me
I recently moved from the U.S. to the Netherlands and am transitioning my practice to Amsterdam. I've practiced collectively, for 6 years, with children, adolescents, and adults in a variety of settings. Currently, I work with adults only as I begin my practice; I'm open to working with children and adolescents again at a later time.
My journey as a therapist was not linear, as I took time away from the industry due to burnout, anxiety, and overall self-doubt. After working in high-stress environments, like community clinics and inpatient/residential hospitals, I no longer felt passionate towards the field. With that uncertainty, I stopped practicing and transitioned into the retail health and wellness space, working for brands like lululemon.
However, during COVID, I felt called back to counselling in an effort to support those who struggled throughout the pandemic. I worked in a school, primarily with students age 10-14 years old, in that time frame. And during those 3 years, I also started working in private practice with adults in an effort to reach as many people as possible. Due to my family's move to the Netherlands, I couldn't return for another school year but am able to maintain my private practice clients, thankfully. I hope my time here in Amsterdam allows me to begin working with expats and internationals locally in an effort to keep growing my practice and supporting more people around the world.
I speak:
Location:
Approach
I am trained to use techniques from ACT, CBT, DBT, IFT, Mindfulness, and Solution Focused Therapy. I have a more person-centered and holistic approach to my sessions and heavily focus on building rapport with my clients to establish trust before we dive deeper. My clients and I focus on emotional regulation, skill building, and self-advocacy as ways to support them working towards their goals.
I believe that therapy is about working with clients at their own pace with compassion. We practice skills in session so that client's first time incorporating reality checking, emotional regulation, etc. is in a safe space where clients feel they can be brave. That bravery then stays with them in the real world, where they're able to grow confidently in themselves in an effort to achieve their goals.
Many of my clients have been with me for over a year. And of course, I have clients who work with me for less than a year due to moving, goals achieved, finances, or other life transitions. I always attempt to close our time together reflecting on growth, achievement, and reminding them that they now know to trust themselves. That trust allows them to settle back into who they are and remember they can manage what lies ahead; they have skills to take care of themselves and people around them. I'm grateful to have an opportunity to be part of someone's healing process.
