FAQ

Therapy is a process during which you and a therapist take a joint look at questions, problems and/or complaints that you might be facing. It involves looking at the source of complaints and /or problems and what allows them to persist.

Ways in which you yourself can work towards reducing the problems and complaints will be sought. In addition, a plan will be drawn up in which focal points of the therapy will be outlined and described, aimed at the reduction of complaints and problems. An attempt will be made to make the therapy period as short as possible. If therapy is required for a longer period of time there will be evaluations at regular intervals. If necessary the treatment plan will be modified. If need be, collaboration with other professionals from related fields will take place.

See also: Therapy

EMDR is a method that was originally used to help people to recover rapidly from the unpleasant effects of traumatic experiences. This method is currently applied more broadly: in the case of fear, phobias, in cases of long term exposure to traumatic experiences (such as abuse, assault and neglect). These experiences often cause great insecurity issues, a low self-esteem and negative and sometimes destructive behaviour and thoughts. EMDR therapy is has been scientifically proven to be an efficient and quick method for working with these kinds of problems.

See also: EMDR en Therapy

Certainly. You are welcome to come with your partner, or family member or friend. If you come with your partner we will first have a joint session, followed by two individual sessions. The psychologist will subsequently give her perspective on and opinion about the most suitable trajectory. Once agreement has been reached with the couple the therapy can begin.

During your therapy you may bring a friend or family member with you at all times. Sometimes the therapist even requests you to do so. This is always discussed with you and only pursued if you, the client , believes that it will be beneficial to your process. This usually only takes place one time.

Scientific research shows that therapy depends on a good report and a relationship of trust between the therapist and client. If you do not feel that you have come to the right place, then do not proceed with the therapy and keep looking!
In addition, therapy works because certain methods and techniques are effective in dealing with certain complaints or symptoms. It is also important that the client sets goals and aspires to achieve them by adopting an active attitude with regard to his own process. If this poses a problem the client will be helped to develop this and to overcome any obstacles.
Therapy also works if you are prepared to be honest with yourself and look into your own mirror, even though this may be hard at times. Here too, the therapist will assist, support and reassure you.

The length of the therapy depends on the problems and questions presented. It is not always the case that problems that have been around for a long time require more time to be dealt with. Therapy can be short, which means 5 to 10 sessions. It can also take longer or be spread over a longer period of time. In that case the frequency of appointments will be lower, for instance once every 4 to 6 weeks. It all mainly depends on the initial questions, the joint plan drawn up by the client and the therapist and the interim evaluations which determine whether we are on the right path and how we should proceed.

From the 1st of April 2016 all practices are obliged to publish their waiting time on their websites. As this is not a clear-cut situation it is difficult to indicate the exact time in days or weeks. Various factors play a part in determining this: the nature of the complaint, the nature of the treatment (some take longer than others).

At this time the waiting time is more than 4 weeks and Moving Balance has closed the waiting list for now. Waiting time:
For all new clients regardless of diagnosis.
Intake: > 5 months
Start of treatment: > 6 months
You are welcome to contact the practice for a more exact estimate.

You can, however, contact the practice for information about collaborating practices that work in a similar way and that may be able to offer a space sooner. You can also look at www.samenwerkendepsychologenleiden.nl for affiliated psychologists with their independently established practices.

If the waiting times at the affiliated practices are too long for you, you can always contact the care provider or ask your health insurance company to mediate on your behalf for a place on the waiting list. Your health insurance company can support you, ensuring that you are given an intake within 4 weeks of the first contact that you had with your care provider and that you start your treatment within 10 weeks of the intake. These are the maximum acceptable waiting times agreed up on by care providers and health insurance companies (treeknormen).

When you are considering therapy you usually either do research on the internet (view and compare websites) or you consult you GP. Sometimes someone is recommended to you. You apply by email or by telephone. Initial contact is by telephone. You are requested to briefly present your questions and some practical issues are discussed (e.g. insurance, etc.). Following this an appointment is scheduled. Moving Balance attempts to take your availability during the week into consideration.

During the first appointment (intake) a decision is taken (mutually) as to whether there are suitable grounds for proceeding with the therapy: does the client feel that there is sufficient trust towards the therapist ( is there a click?) and does the therapist have sufficient expertise?

If both sides decide to proceed, appointments will be scheduled, a plan will be drawn up (a so-called treatment plan) and agreements will be made with regard to interim evaluations. The procedure of the therapy will be discussed, as well as which techniques and methods will be used.

When the client feels that the questions have been answered/the problems have been sufficiently solved, a discussion will take place about the termination of the therapy. A final evaluation session can be scheduled, a slow phase – out trajectory can be drawn up (slowly getting used to standing on your own feet again) or a return session after a longer period of time can be scheduled. All these options will be discussed properly.

It is customary to inform the GP of the trajectory. Naturally, this will only be done with the client’s consent.

Email or contact by telephone is almost always possible between appointments. We will make joint agreements about this during the sessions. You may also make your needs known by telephone or mail. You will receive a response as soon as possible. In exceptional cases this will also be possible in the evenings or during the weekend if this is really necessary.

From the 1st of January 2022 a new system for calculating and reimbursing mental health care treatment will be introduced: the zorgprestatiemodel (ZPM). Primarily this means that the rates are based on care performance and depend on the type of consultation (diagnostic, treatment, inter-collegial consultation), the duration (in minutes), the setting (independent providers are considered ‘ambulatory’) and the profession of the care provider (GZ psychologist in my case). Secondly, this means that a care-requirement profile will need to be made following the intake and diagnostic phases. Based on these phases the seriousness of the problem will be determined. The general questionnaire (the HoNOS+) will be used to make this determination. The care-requirement profile will usually lie between 1-8 and will provide information on the expected intensity and duration of the treatment. We are obligated to include the care-requirement profile in the invoice. The care-requirement profile is not the same as the treatment plan. The treatment plan will be drawn up in consultation with you, based on the diagnosis, the care-requirement profile and your care requirement.

The Nederlandse Zorgautoriteit (NZa), the Netherlands Care Authority recommended the following rates for 2023. Below you will find an overview of the current NZa rates for 2023 for the most common care performances. Health insurance companies generally reimburse a percentage of this to the care-provider directly (if contracted) or to the client (if there is no contract between the care provider and the insurance company).

This year Moving Balance has signed contracts with only a limited number of insurance companies:

• ONVZ
• ASR
• DITZO
• DSW
• ZenZ
• Zilveren Kruis (waaronder: Pro Life Zorgverzekeringen, Interpolis Zorgverzekeringen N.V, FBTO Zorgverzekeringen N.V., De Friesland Zorgverzekeraar N.V.

This decision was based on the content of the contracts. In addition to this, my collaboration with most insurance companies is based on non-contracted work. Non-contracted care means that the insurance company has no influence on the treatment nor is it able to access your file in any way. For more information please see: www.contractvrijpsycholoog.nl. This website provides you with an overview of reimbursements per healthcare insurance company. This is useful if Moving Balance is not contracted with your insurance company.

Treatment provided within the framework of the Generalist Basic Mental Health Care System (Generalistisch Basis GGZ) is reimbursed through the basic health insurance. It is advisable to contact your insurance company before starting a treatment trajectory so that you know how high your reimbursement will be. Reimbursement differs per insurance company and care policy. If you have a restitutiepolis (non-contracted care policy) you are free to choose your psychologist and will usually receive a higher reimbursement than if you have a naturapolis (contracted care policy). The insurance company will always subtract your own risk from your reimbursement. In 2023, the own risk amounts to €385,00 (or higher if you have chosen a higher amount).

A referral from your General Practitioner (GP) will always be required; the letter must be dated before the date of the intake consultation. A GP can only make a referral if she or he suspects that you are suffering from a disorder included in DSM-5. Not all disorders and problems qualify for reimbursement by your health insurance company. Adjustment problems, work or relationship related problems and a number of other disorders are excluded and thus not covered by mental health care insurance.

If Moving Balance has a contract with your insurance company your invoice will go directly to the insurance company through a coded electronic system. If Moving Balance does not have a contract with your insurance company you will receive an invoice every six weeks. You are required to pay the invoice yourself and subsequently submit it to your insurance company.

Consultation rates for self-paying clients (starting from 1-1-2023):

You will receive an invoice every six weeks which you are required to pay within two weeks

In case you need to cancel an appointment

If you cancel at least 24 hours before your appointment you will not be charged for the reserved time. You can leave a voice message day or night, also at the weekend on : 06-49115682 or send a Whatsapp message. Without cancellation you will be charged €40,00. These costs cannot be declared with your health insurance company.

Note: International insurances maintain different rates as well as different lengths of treatment trajectories. It is important to always discuss with your insurance company and Moving Balance before starting treatment so that it is clear from the start what the financial reimbursement will be and what the maximum number of sessions is.

For clients from Greece, the therapy rates are proportional to the Greek income level.

Regarding the payment of client contracts you are referred to the Algemene Betalingsvoorwaarden (General Conditions of Payment) of the NIP, filed with the clerk of the Arrondissementsrechtbank in Amsterdam on the 28th of August 2000 under deposit number 117/2000.

If you cancel more than 24 hours in advance either by telephone, text or email you will not be charged. If you cancel less than 24 hours in advance you will be charged the full amount. Only under exceptional circumstances will there be a partial or no charge.

If the appointment can easily be rescheduled (by both parties) there will be no charge. Sometimes it is possible to catch up on a part of the missed consultation time.

kwaliteitsstatuut Praktijk Moving Balance 2016

You can plan your directions to Hoge Rijndijk 198, 2314 AJ in Leiden by using  Google Maps. De Hoge Rijndijk is the access route from Leiden en Leiderdorp towards the A4.

Parking

During the day you can usually park in front of the practice, at a maximum distance of 30 meters. In the evening it can be a little more crowded, and you may need to walk a maximum of 200 meters. In case all the parking places on the Hoge Rijndijk are taken you can always park in one of the side streets.

Public Transport

The practice is easily reached by public transport. There is a bus stop close to the practice where different busses stop every hour:

1 :from Leiden Central Station, L. centre, L.Lammenschans, Katwijk and Leiderdorp
2 :from Leiden Central Station, L. centre, L. Lammenschans, Noordwijk and Leiderdorp
169:from Leiden Central Station, L. centre Hazerswoude and Alphen aan den Rijn
182:from Leiden Central Station, L. centre, Hazerswoude and Alphen aan den Rijn
187:from Leiden Central Station, L. centre, Hazerswoude, Boskoop and Gouda
(see www.9292.nl for timings)

Bicycle

You can park your bicycle in the front garden of the practice. Your cycle is safe  here. Please park in the garden in order not to block access to the front door.

Opening times:

• Tuesday from 9.30 – 19.00
• Wednesday from 9.30 – 20.00
• Thursday from 9.30 – 20.00
• Friday from 9.30 – 18.00

If you wish to speak to the psychologist personally then please leave a message on the landline or mobile telephone or send an email. Subsequently, an appointment will be made by phone.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires Moving Balance to specifically ensure it complies in terms of protection of privacy, that only necessary personal data is recorded and kept, and that processing, access control and securitization protocols are in place to protect use (processing) of, and access to personal data.

Click here to download the Privacy Statement.

By law the psychologist is required to put together a so-called file. This file contains letters such as letters of referral, consultations with institutions or authorities, permission forms of the client regarding consultations with third parties, received reports from other care takers. The file also contains the treatment plan and interim evaluations. In addition,  each session and interim telephone contact is documented and kept in the file. All email contact is also kept here.

The law stipulates that your data is to be saved for 20 years (medical regulation on data registration). This may for instance be useful if you decide to come back in a few years’ time with a new question. If you do not wish to have your data saved you can submit a request to have your personal data and files destroyed. This request needs to be signed by the psychologist and the client and saved. Subsequently, the file can be destroyed.

The data must be kept under lock and key. No one except the psychologist has access to the data, unless it is the client’s wish. The client needs to put this in writing and signed.

A declaration of privacy ensures the privacy of the client according to predetermined regulations. The privacy declaration is drawn up by the NZA (Dutch Care Authority).

The advantages of a signed privacy declaration are as follows:

• The health insurance company will not be able to request details about diagnoses.
• The client’s data will not be passed on to the DIS
• The client does not use ROM.

In order to make use of this option the psychologist and client need to jointly sign a declaration of privacy in threefold. One declaration is for the client, one goes into the psychologist’s file for the client and one is sent to the insurance company of the client.

You choose coaching if you have questions regarding work and work related activities, personal development, questions regarding development of talents and qualities.

See also: Coaching

You can expect your guide to be engaged, informative about the procedure, be committed to helping you as quickly and as well as she can, to be honest about her expertise with regard to the help you require. In case your guide is in doubt about the latter, it will be discussed and you will be referred to someone who is better able to be of assistance to you.

See also:  Moving Balance

It is known that a proactive attitude is helpful in attaining positive results. This means that you try to be as actively involved as you can in your own process. You will frequently be asked about what you want, how you think you can achieve this, what you can contribute and which obstacles need to be removed.

In addition to the sessions, exercises and assignments  will also be given to you to work with should you request them. You will  also be provided with recommended reading if you wish.

The Golden Rule is: 167 : 1

There are 168 hours in a week of which you spend a maximum of 1 hour with your therapist or coach. The remaining 167 hours can be spent doing all kinds of things that can influence your process. Together with your therapist you can discuss and practice how to do this.