Mindfulness-Based, Queer-Affirming Therapy in the Netherlands
Anxiety, self-doubt, and relationship stress have a way of pulling you up into your head and out of the present. You replay conversations. You manage how you come across. You want connection but aren't sure how to relax into it.
I'm Ian Sicks, a licensed mental health counselor working with English-speaking clients virtually in the Netherlands. My work is mindfulness-based and direct, grounded in helping you step out of anxious cycles and back into a life that feels like yours.
I work especially with queer clients navigating identity, relationships, and the quieter pressure of moving through a world not built with you in mind.
About me
I'm Ian Sicks, a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) originally from New York City, now based in Rotterdam. I've spent years working with people on anxiety, panic, relationship stress, and the existential questions that tend to surface when life gets quiet enough to hear them.
My training is in counseling, with thousands of hours of supervised clinical work. I help people who feel stuck in their own heads find a steadier, more present way to live.
I came to this work through my own interest in mindfulness, Buddhist philosophy, and existential thought. Those threads still shape how I work. I'm also a gay man, and I bring that lived experience into the room, especially with queer clients working through identity, dating, and relationships.
Outside of the work, I'm a musician, a runner, and a meditator. I love language learning, pop music, movies, theatre, traveling, trains/trams/bikes etc.
How I Work
My approach is mindfulness-based, drawing mainly from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and existential therapy. In practice, that means:
We’ll always come back to mindful awareness. Mindfulness is the heart of the work we will do together. We will build your capacity to observe difficult thoughts and feelings without taking them all so personally.
Acting on what matters. We will clarify your values and move toward them, even when discomfort shows up. The goal is to stop making decisions based on fear and doubt and start living a life aligned with your values.
Sitting with the bigger questions. Not everything is a symptom to fix. Some things are about the bigger questions that come as we face the realities of sickness, age, and death in a scary and uncertain world. I encourage my clients to bring their most existential selves to our sessions and find that some of the best works starts from there.
Who I Work With
I work with adults and couples navigating anxiety and panic, self-doubt and overthinking, relationship stress, life transitions, and questions of meaning and identity. Two groups are central to my practice:
Queer clients. As a gay therapist, I understand the specific challenges of navigating identity, coming out, queer relationships, and living in a world that isn’t always hospitable.
English speakers abroad. Living in a country that isn't your own brings its own stress: isolation, rebuilding a social world, the strange grief of leaving a place behind. I know about all that personally.
I also speak conversational Spanish. I don't offer full sessions in Spanish at this time, but if it's your first language, it can be a helpful bridge in our work.
My Training and Credentials
I'm a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) from the United States, with years of clinical training/experience and I’m a member of the NBTP (Nederlandse Beroepsvereniging voor Toegepaste Psychologie), the Dutch Professional Association for Applied Psychology.
I am a fully trained, licensed clinician. My training is up to the rigorous standards required to practice as a therapist in New York City and my credentials have been reviewed and validated by the Dutch Professional Association for Applied Psychology. These credentials includes a masters degree in Mental Health Counseling from Hunter College and cumulatively 4,500 hours of pre-licensure supervised work. I maintain this license in good standing and pursue continuing education and supervision as the licensing body requires. My US license number is 014882 and can be verified here.
Fees and Payment
All sessions are 50 minutes and virtual. Costs start at €125 (VAT included) for individual sessions. I never want cost to be the reason someone doesn't get support, so I hold a number of sliding-scale spots for clients who need them. If the cost of sessions is unaccessible, tell me and we'll find a rate that works.
I don't bill insurance directly, and no GP referral is needed to start. Some insurance plans reimburse part or all of the cost of therapy, so it's worth checking with your provider.
CONTACT ME
The easiest first step is a short, free consultation. Tell me a little about what's going on and what you're hoping for, and I'll get back to you within a couple of business days.
Email: iansickstherapy@gmail.com