International Psychologist Veskioja

Welcome

I am Birgit Veskioja, an English, Estonian-speaking psychologist based in Maastricht focusing on helping the international community with psychological and personal problems. I am a registered psychologist in the Netherlands and a member of The Dutch Association of Psychologists (NIP) working with individuals and families.

Living abroad can sometimes be quite stressful and can bring up different life questions:

How to find my place in this new society?
Do I want to raise my children here?
Do I want to move back to my home country?

It is not always easy to discuss these topics with someone who has not experienced the same feelings. From one international to another, I offer professional psychological counseling that allows you to find a common ground and a balance to this problem. My services are focused on working with international people in a transparent, personal, easily accessible and safe place.

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Why come to a psychologist?

Living in a society which changes very fast and which demands a lot from the people, can sometimes make us feel that we can’t find a balance between our personal and professional lives. We can feel we are stuck and we don’t know what to do next. People can face a lot of different problems in their life and a psychologist can support them on their way. Living abroad can bring extra stress and sometimes you can feel lonely in a new country and unable to find solutions to your problems.

The most common problems I work with:

Relationship problems
Entering a new phase in your life
Adjustment disorders
Stress and burnout
Depression and fatigue
Body image and self-esteem
Sleeping problems
Anxiety
Cultural adjustment difficulties
Mood regulation
Facing new challenges
For families I offer parenting counseling and art therapy workshops.

About

I am an ambitious person, eager to keep learning and to develop myself both in and out of the work field. Empathy is one of my strong traits and helps me greatly in being able to help people in. I have always valued helping others and I am not afraid of challenges. In my spare time, I like to read, walk and go to cultural events like the theatre, art galleries and musical events. My biggest passion is drawing paintings.

In 2012 I graduated from Tallinn University with a master’s in psychology, specializing in counseling psychology. I completed a minor specialization in art therapy studies. In addition, I developed myself in the Netherlands at the University of Maastricht, participating in the Erasmus exchange program.

I have completed a life coaching intensive course, which is based on solution based short therapy, and basic training in cognitive behavioral therapy. After completing a course in motivational interviewing and mindfulness, I started to use both methods in my work in 2014. In 2018 I have completed basic training in ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy). Now I use cognitive behavioral therapy, ACT, art therapy as well as mindfulness and motivational interviewing methods.

Working experience:

For four years I worked with youngsters who have special needs and later as a psychologist at Astangu Vocational Rehabilitation Center in Tallinn. I provided children, youngsters, and adults with behavioral support. My main tasks were doing rehabilitation assessments and plans, counseling clients and their networks and also carrying out neuropsychological assessments.

Additionally, I worked in a private clinic in Tallinn, where I was mainly involved in counseling youngsters and adults with mental health problems which were influencing them in their environment and interrelations. In the Netherlands, I did internships at Adelante Zorggroep and at Mondriaan Children & Youth. Adelante gave me a good overview of how rehabilitation work is organized in the Netherlands. At Mondriaan, I worked with youngsters, from the Netherlands and from Middle East countries, who had psychiatric and behavioral problems and many of whom also had attachment disorders.

Counseling

Counselling is a short-term therapy which starts with an intake session where we determine the problem you want to focus on. Depending on that, the sessions are then fully tailored to your needs. In these sessions, we will plan treatment and I will help you accomplish your goals. We will target these objectives during the second session where we will clearly communicate actionable steps. Once you choose your goals, we will focus on training you to reach them. I am here to support you on this journey and encourage you to take responsibility for the therapy.

During all session, different psychological methods are used to ensure positive results. To start off, we will ensure a therapeutical connection and contact so that our energies are balanced. Every problem is unique and there is not only one solution. We will start with weekly sessions and then move to make appointments every two weeks or once a month depending on needs and progress.

Services

Art therapy

Art therapy is a form of expressive therapy that uses the creative process of making art to improve a person’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

Cognitive behavioral therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a talking therapy that can help you manage your problems by changing the way you think and behave.

ACT – Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

ACT stands for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, a new form of Behavioral Therapy. Within ACT clients learn to stop the senseless fight with unpleasant thoughts, emotions and physical sensations. This enables clients to focus their attention on the things that they really find important in life (values).

Psychological counseling

Psychological counseling uses theoretical concepts with the latest scientific breakthroughs in the behavioral health field in a practical, useful manner within a therapeutic or educational setting.

Parenting counseling

Parenting counseling is a type of psychotherapy that helps parents cope with child-related challenges and difficulties.

Mental health support group

The goal of a support group is to help you cope. You join a support group when you realize that your usual coping skills are not enough to help you through a current difficulty in your life and that you need more support than your friends and family can provide.

Additional information

It is also possible to have a online counselling session. Sometimes it can be preferred to have a counselling session in a more comfortable environment, and what is more suitable then the comfort of your own home. For more information about online sessions please contact me.

I am registered as a psychologist with the Dutch Institute of Psychologists (Nederlands Instituut van Psychologen, NIP).

Some international health insurances offer coverage for NIP psychologists. I recommend contacting your insurance company about coverage for my services.

Sometimes insurance companies require a referral letter from your doctor, which you need to arrange, and/or a treatment plan, which I can provide you with.

Payments are done immediately after each counselling session by cash payment or by card payment. Invoices are sent within 1 week after the counselling session via email. You can contact your health insurance company to arrange reimbursement, if it covers psychological support.

Information about cancelling appointments

You may cancel your appointment, but I would appreciate it if you would inform me at least 24 hours in advance, so that we can make other arrangements.

Crisis situations

International Psychologist Veskioja does not offer crisis counselling or emergency services. If you feel you are in crisis, call your doctor or emergency line in your area, or visit the nearest hospital.

Testimonials

"We got to know Birgit as an experienced, hardworking, ambitious and intelligent psychologist. Birgit is a fighter and that shows in how fast she learned the Dutch language. With her mentality she will be an asset to every employer / client!"

Jean-Paul Essers Former Chairman of the Board of Directors Adelante Zorggroep

"Working with Birgit has been very pleasant. She is a person who always meets her deadlines. During her work, the cooperation and the communication with customers and their networks (teachers, relatives, other professionals) are Birgit’s strongest quality. During work, Birgit is a calm and focused person who makes well-considered decisions. Birgit always analyses her own work and is constantly setting new goals to it."

Kadri Mölder Former Head of the pedagogical-psychological rehabilitation department Astangu Vocational Rehabilitation Center - Tallinn

"Talking to Birgit really helps when work stress is overwhelming me. She is a good listener and speaks English well. She goes out of her way to create a comfortable experience for her clients. I would recommend her as a therapist."

Melinda

"After having tried other therapists here in Maastricht without much success, my sessions with Birgit have helped me greatly so far. I feel comfortable and relaxed talking about any issue that I'm having and I appreciate the personalized effort she puts in for me. It is also very reassuring to be able to speak English without worrying that I won't be understood properly, which is one of the problems when searching for an English-speaking psychologist in Maastricht."

"Ms. Veskioja is really easy to talk to and makes me feel comfortable. She is very intelligent and knows her way around a problem that I might have, makes me understand my problems thoroughly and from there it's easier to find a solution. I feel very relaxed when I talk to her and always looking forward to our next meeting every time. Highly recommendable!"

E. B.

"Due to a series of circumstances that accumulated over time, I ended up in a difficult mental and emotional position. Birgit helped me see through my negative thoughts, and gave me a few tools to cope better with these feelings. It is surprising how little we normally know about how our brain processes events, and how this impacts our life, in a negative way. Birgit has the experience and empathy to listen to you, understand what is wrong, and suggest changes in your thinking patterns to make a long-lasting difference. I can definitely recommend it to other expats."

D.

"My daughter was struggling with the school system that was totally new for all of us and I was lacking of ideas of how to support her. I had thoughts of travelling back to our home country for the sessions with some psychologist but fortunately Birgit advertised her services in one of the FB groups. I must say I am very glad I decided to give her a try.
Birgit is a very nice and friendly person with the professional attitude. My daughter started to feel comfortable with her very quickly. Birgit is a good listener but I appreciate her proactive approach even more. She really tries to understand where the problem lies and suggests several solutions to try out. I would definitely recommend her services. You will be in good hands with Birgit"

“Quickly identifies problems, gives practical advice you can apply right away, which makes for a fast progress.”

“International Psychologist Veskioja has helped me a lot regarding sleeping problems and anxiety issues. I would recommend her on the base of the fact that she is very patient, and it is very easy to talk to her without feeling judged or embarrassed. Moreover, the cognitive behavioral therapy I am using with her teaches me a lot about how to listen and talk more to myself, and the way Birgit applies it is effective in a way that it tackles the circle of certain behavior, thoughts and feelings accurately.”

“Birgit is really easy to talk to and very quickly made me comfortable in talking about my problems. Once I got to talking about my problems she was extremely helpful in helping me identify how to address them. She also was very helpful in expanding the tool set I had to confront my problems and assisting me in finding ways to integrate these tools in my daily life. ”

A. K.

"I sought counselling for depression and anxiety from Ms. Veskioja, and after 5 sessions I feel she has given me the healthy coping strategies I need. I have been sceptical of therapy in the past, and appreciated the practical, implementable solutions that she offered. I found her easy to talk to, and would highly recommend her counselling services."

George

"Having been facing the pressures of the Maastricht student life as an international student for over a year, I had gotten burnt out and depressed to the point where I completed no work at all. Working with Birgit was great as she helped me immensely to get back on track. I especially liked that Birgit recommended and used tons of additional mental health applications, which could be used anytime.

I would wholeheartedly reccommend going to a session with Birgit, if you're feeling depressed or burnt out!"

M. M.

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Press

June 7, 2018

Stronger together

Performance anxiety, loneliness or a sense of being overwhelmed are all perfectly normal if you take on the challenge of studying abroad. But when these emotions prevent you from functioning as you would like, it might be time to look for a little help.

Read more

May 4, 2018

Birgit Veskioja – a practice for internationals

Anyone starting their own business faces a lot of hurdles. And it’s even more difficult if you come from another country and you don’t know all the rules, conditions and facilities. That’s what Birgit Veskioja found out as she was setting up her own practice in psychology, which recently opened its doors in Maastricht. With the help of resources like the Business Contact Point (BCP), the StartersCentrum Limburg, and the Holland Expat Centre South (HECS), she found her way. ‘I was surprised that there was so much information available.’

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April 16, 2018

Breaking Maas

Mental problems such as depression and burnout are common phenomena among university students. Do not be afraid to reach out for help! Here is an informative video with an international psychologist who raises awarness about the mental problems in Maastricht.

See video

June 3, 2017

Life in Maastricht

My name is Birgit Veskioja. I am an English, Estonian-speaking psychologist based in Maastricht. I want to help the international community in the Maastricht region with their psychological and personal problems. I work with individuals but also with families. I am a registered psychologist in Netherlands and a member of The Dutch Association of Psychologists (NIP).

Read more