Not everyone experiences therapy in the same way, and that makes going to therapy for the first time a little intimidating to most people. What exactly does a therapeutic programme involve?

The answer to that question can’t be described on a page on the internet. It’s something that you experience, and that takes place between you and the therapist. There are, however, some things that can be said about therapy in general.

The word therapy stems from the Greek word therapeia, meaning ‘treatment’, ‘service’, ‘bodily care’, and ‘methods of improvement’. 

At sinteze, therapy is focused on the future, using your potential to be yourself. 

When looking for a therapist, you want to know whether your prospective therapist is qualified and what their qualification signifies. It is not necessary to have credentials in order to adopt the title of therapist.

For this reason, various (legal) methods are employed to clarify the different kinds of therapy for clients. On this page you will find more information regarding those differences.

Sinteze’s Giel Luichjes is a member of the professional association VIT. Giel obtained his qualification as a psychosynthesis therapist at Psychosynthese Studies Nederland. He specialised in integrative adolescent therapy, and completed his three-year psychotherapy programme at the Nederlandse Academie voor Psychotherapie, earning him his European Certificate of Psychotherapy, a qualification that is issued by the European Association for Psychotherapy. In London, Giel has additionally completed the certification programme ‘Gender and Sexual Minorities Therapy’, and has been trained as a supervisor at Re•Vision. He has also earned his qualification as a psychosynthesis trainer at Psychosynthese Studies Nederland in Amsterdam, and at the Psychosynthesis & Education Trust in London. From his interest in working with trauma, Giel has trained as a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner as well as a Master in the Neuroaffective Relational Model (NARM).

The waiting time for therapy is expected to be four to eight weeks, with the exception of clients of 18 years or younger, they can start more quickly.

Depending on the flexibility of your schedule, an initial meeting and an intake can generally be planned on short notice depending on your availability during office hours. The actual start of the therapy might take londer depending on how busy the practice is in that moment. Please send a short This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to the practice, explaining what makes you want to apply for therapy. We'll get back to you within a week, including giving you instructions on how to make the first appointment. Waiting times variy, so please write us and we will inform you on the current status.

In integrative psychosynthesis, supervision expresses more than just the literal meaning of ‘oversight’, or checking the work.

The professional has a relationship with the client and experiences their situation along with them, regardless of what that situation may be. How does the process of the client relate to that of the supervisee?

When you choose supervision by Sinteze, you choose to work using the integrative psychosynthesis model. Giel Luichjes has followed a training programme at Re•Vision in London in order to be able to offer this method. The model is grounded in psychosynthesis, and applies a Jungian ideology and an approach that stems from integrative therapy.

There are three payment options for consultation, one of which includes partial reimbursement by insurance companies.

We always determine what financial situation applies to you during the initial conversation, so that you have clarity regarding the costs.

Therapy is an investment in yourself. That is why it is important to remember that you can get a lot in return for starting therapy, and that you are choosing to invest resources, time and energy to that end. It is impossible to promise a specific result beforehand; the human psyche is far too complex for that. However, in almost all cases people do report that a therapy programme is a valuable experience that offers concrete help tackling the stumbling blocks that they experience in their lives.

Are you looking for a coach? Someone with whom to discuss work-related questions or situations in a professional setting, for instance?
We offer coaching programmes with Giel or Bas Luichjes. For more information, visit the act value website.

The difference(s)

Some clients ask us about the difference between therapy and coaching. Every coach or therapist has their own approach, which makes it impossible to give a general answer. What we can do is tell you a little about the philosophy applied by Sinteze (and act value). We often use the word coaching to refer to guidance regarding a specific situation or question. Guidance is intentionally limited because it takes place in a limited setting, for instance a workplace.
In that setting, we refrain from discussing potential relationship problems because those are not related to work. This is where the limits of coaching become apparent. Coaching may not be able you to effectively focus on one aspect of your life, or one role, and gain the insight to make choices differently.

Therapy explores every aspect of you as a person, not just one part. It offers a holistic view, with an approach that integrates everything that influences your functioning.

Giel Luichjes (MSc ECP) is an integrative (adolescent) therapist and supervisor at sinteze as well as the founder.

‘The beauty in working with people is that it’s always an exciting exploration. What I like about my job is that the clients who come to me for guidance genuinely want to evaluate their lives. This can be challenging, because there is often a part of you that you would rather not face. In such cases, we determine together which steps you are willing and able to take at that moment. It always works out, because the willingness to venture forth is what matters.’

Giel works with both adults and adolescents ranging from the ages of 12 to 23. What makes working with adolescents so special?

‘From puberty until adulthood (at whichever age that may be), there are so many things happening all at once, which can be incredibly intense. A roller coaster ride of highs and lows. I can still vividly remember going through that myself, often experiencing more lows than highs. It’s special to be able to witness this journey and development into an independent individual, and to see them venture out into the world with their own perspective.’

Sinteze uses an online calendar.This is convenient for you as a client, because it allows you to make and manage your appointment on your own. In week 2 online sessions are available only.

Making an appointment

How does it work? First, indicate what kind of appointment you would like to make in the calendar. E.g. ‘therapy session’ or ‘adolescent therapy’. Clicking will display a monthly calendar in which you can select a day by clicking on it.
You can then choose an available timeslot on that day. Days that are ‘disabled’ have no available spots. The same applies to the timeslots of the selected day.

When you click on next step ('volgende stap') a second time, you will be asked to fill in some information. Because this information is sent over the internet, you are required to agree to the terms of use. You will then be taken to an overview of the appointment details, which you can confirm. Once you have confirmed the details, a confirmation email will be sent to the address you have provided. You will receive a reminder by email two days prior to the date of your appointment.

Changing your appointment

If you have already made an appointment, you can change it online until 72 hours before it is due. Click on the link in your confirmation email. Alternatively, you can use the code that is provided in this email. To use the code, go to the calendar and choose ‘click here’ above the calendar frame. If you have lost your confirmation email, you can fill in your email address to receive a new email with the link. You can’t go wrong!

Late cancellation

We reserve time for your appointment. Please be on time (not too early; there is no waiting room) so that we can make full use of the hour. If you can't make it to your appointment, you can select an available slot up to 24 hours prior or after the original date and time, and book that session, let us know by email striaght away you'd like to cancell the original planned session. The cancellation fees are:

• Full fee if not notified before the start of the session.
• EUR 50,- (GBP 45.-) if notified before the session starts.

Where?

Address: Cruquiuskade 113, 1018 AM Amsterdam 

Telephone: 020 - 760 36 96 (monday - friday from 8.30h until 17.30h the secretary will answer the phone)

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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First appointment

To make a first appointment:

1. Please send an amail to the practice with a short explanation what makes you contacting us and what your expectations are. We will get back to you within a few business days.
2. Or: call the office and ask to be called back. We return your call within three business days.

Other appointments (existing clients)

Please use the online calendar to make and change appointments.

Waiting list

For actual information, please see this page.

Cost and reimbursement

Please look at this page.

Absence

In case of absence, you will be informed on this page. The practice will be closed during conferences and holidays. Longer absences will be shown on this page.

From December 25 until Januari 4th the practice will be closed.
In the week of Januari 6th through January 13th, sessions will be offered online only. To find out which sessions you can book, select and 'online'-agenda type in the online scheduler.

There will be some days Giel is training students and therefor some days will not be available in the online planner.

First aid in case of absence

Should you want to have a session during one of the periods of absence, please contact Jaap Buijs. Jaap is a psychosynthesis therapist and trainer and works both in Amsterdam and Volendam. To book a session, have a look at his website. Jaap is fluent in Eglish.

Not satisfied?

Since January 2017 a law has been installed to support complaints against malpractice of sinteze practitioners (the so called 'Wkkgz'). This law provides that in the event of a disagreement with the therapist or a complaint, you as a client will first receive the support of a complaints officer. If this support proved to be insufficient, you can contact the Disputes Body (see the website of the SCAG and the registration certificate). SCAG is a professional non-commercial dispute resolution body. Sinteze also subjects to the VIT complaints procedure, which, as required by Article 13 point 2 of the Wkkgz, has been established in accordance with the representative patient/client organisation, namely 'Zorgbelang Nederland'.

Disciplinary law is regulated by the RBCZ.