English-speaking psychological services for children and families in and around The Hague.

Every family experiences its ups and downs, good days and bad. Every child learns and grows at his or her own pace and develops a unique personality and set of skills and talents. Yet there are times when a child’s development or behaviour seems outside the usual range of expectations for that age-group, or when parents struggle to understand their child’s reactions or behaviour.

Children and families in the international community may face additional challenges, coping with transitions and lacking some of the usual resources they may have had in their home countries, such as extended family supports.

It may be your child’s teacher or a special needs co-ordinator at school who has suggested that you consult with a child or educational psychologist to help understand struggles or challenges your child seems to be experiencing in the classroom, either with learning or with behaviour.

In my practice I see children aged 4 to 18 and offer a variety of services including psychological and psycho-educational assessments, consultations to parents and to schools, counselling and psychotherapy, and parent education and guidance. Some of the issues include school performance and achievement, learning difficulties, attention and concentration difficulties, coping with stress and with transitions, oppositional-defiant behaviour, social skills, self-esteem, anxiety, depression, grief, autistic spectrum disorders, divorce or separation.

The consultation process normally begins with a one-hour parent interview where we meet to discuss your worries and concerns, and I can gather relevant and important background information. Depending on the issues raised, we would then proceed to an assessment of your child, or directly to a form of intervention such as psychotherapy or parent guidance. In some situations the appropriate next step is a referral to another type of professional (speech-language therapist, psychiatrist, occupational therapist).

Katherine Fortier BA, MASc