Roos van Amstel
Psychologist
I’m a psychologist with a holistic approach, integrating evidence-based methods with embodied, experiential learning. This combination allows me to shape each therapeutic process around your unique needs and preferences.
I specialise in:
About me
Throughout my life, I’ve been struck by how the systems we live and work in, from education to corporate culture to mental health care, often fail to meet our deeper human needs for connection, safety, and meaning. This realization led me to co-found De Bildung Academie, a movement aimed at transforming education from within. There, I witnessed the power of shared ideals, open dialogue, and experiential learning.
Over time, though, I discovered that real change doesn’t start with changing systems, it starts with changing ourselves. I came to believe that a healthier world begins with how we relate: to our own inner lives, to each other, and to the environments we shape together. That insight gradually shifted my focus back towards working with people directly, first as a coach and trainer in the field of personal development and leadership, and eventually as a psychologist.
Still, as I completed my psychology bachelors degree ten years ago, I felt that something vital was missing from the mainstream psychological model. The dominant cognitive-behavioral lens seemed too narrow to fully capture the richness of human experience. I began seeking out approaches that spoke to this complexity, training in systemic and body-oriented methods, especially around attachment. These perspectives offered a more holistic view of human beings, one that integrates body, mind and emotion.
At the same time, I felt the tension between these practices and the academic world. Why was there so little space for embodied approaches in psychological research? Wanting to bridge that divide, I conducted qualitative research into how body-oriented practices are used in therapy, work I’m currently preparing for publication.
Alongside all of this, I’ve continuously invested in my own growth through supervision, body-oriented therapy, and deep personal reflection. I’ve learned to trust my intuition and work with, rather than against, my sensitivity. Clients often describe me as someone who brings clarity without judgment, and who shows up as a real, engaged human being. That’s exactly the kind of presence I strive to offer in my practice today.
I believe that real change begins when we reconnect, with our bodies, with others, and with the deeper stories we carry. Whether we work cognitively or through the body, I offer a space where you’re taken seriously and never reduced to a diagnosis. My mission is to support you in becoming more at home in yourself and more free in your relationships, through honest presence, careful attunement, and warm curiosity.
I speak:
Location:
Approach
My approach to therapy is eclectic and integrative, combining evidence-based psychological tools with experiential and body-oriented methods. Depending on your needs, our work may be cognitively structured, emotionally expressive, or somatically grounded, or a combination of all three. I draw from cognitive behavioral therapy, systemic therapy and body-oriented work, always guided by the principle that real change involves the whole person.
I work from a holistic understanding that thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations are deeply interconnected. Sometimes our stories live not in words, but in the body, in posture, tension, or breath. By tuning into your nervous system, I support co-regulation and help you uncover the unconscious patterns that shape your experience. My presence is open and honest, and I use my own body and intuition as instruments to attune to what’s needed.
I believe therapy should feel safe but never stagnant, a space where you’re met with both compassion and challenge. I continuously reflect on how to best support you, bringing in my experience, curiosity and humanity. You can expect to be taken seriously, without being pathologized. We’ll work together to reconnect you with your inner resources, clarify what really matters to you, and help you move towards sustainable growth.
Experience
PSYCHOLOGIST & LEADERSHIP TRAINER The Interaction Practice (owner) 2019 - present FREELANCE PSYCHOLOGIST Huis voor Bewustzijn ('House for Consciousness') 2024 - present TEACHER University of Amsterdam 2023 - 2024: creating and teaching the interdisciplinary Personal Leadership module for Honours students. TEACHER AND COUNSELOR I Am College 2019: creating and teaching the course Personal Leadership in entrepreneurship and the one-on-one guidance of students in their personal development. SPREAKER AND COACH De Bildung Academie 2017 - 2019: coaching students during the intensive educational program and offering lectures and workshops on Bildung, Rhetorics and Deep Democracy. FOUNDER De Bildung Academie 2015 - 2017: designing innovative, personal and competency-oriented education and developing appropriate assessment methods. RESIDENCE ASSISTANT University of Amsterdam 2014- 2016: guiding international students as a confidential counselor.
Education
BIODYNAMIC THERAPY - A BODY ORIENTED APPROACH Dutch Institute for Biodynamic Therapy THE VAGUS NERVE IN THERAPY Dutch Institute for Biodynamic Therapy EMDR TRAINING Educas 200H YOGA TEACHER TRAINING Bali Yoga School MASTERS IN CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY University of Amsterdam SECURE BASE COACHING School for Transition DEEP DEMOCRACY LEVEL 1 House of Deep Democracy BSC SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY - CUM LAUDE, HONOURSPROGRAM
Services
Intro Call
Individual Session
Individual Session
Couples Session
Insurances
