Meet Kate– Webster Leiden’s New Student Counselor

By Artyom Napolskiy, Soph Gautam

14 December 2020

Kate is a counseling therapist who currently works at Webster Leiden Campus. Born in South Africa, Kate moved to the Netherlands to pursue clinical psychology at Webster and Leiden University. Kate has worked in mental health organizations as well as at Erasmus University, both as a professor and a counselor. She has recently opened her own practice and is open to any student who seeks support.

 “I’ve always wanted to help people. That’s my number one goal. I think it’s such a rewarding feeling to see people make progress, even if it is a little step, that means everything.”

Arty: Why did you decide to become a counselor? Is there any particular reason you decided to apply for the counseling position at Webster Leiden? 

Kate: For me it really was the desire to help people but also the interest in psychology. I found myself gravitating towards the students, so I tried a lot of different populations but for me. I love the students because I love the age group, I find it so refreshing and for me it is a passion to help younger people. That’s why I like student counseling role the best.

Soph: I was curious how you chose the Netherlands for your studies since you come from South Africa?

Kate: Originally my brother was living in NL, so I came here during my gap year, and ended up meeting my Dutch boyfriend and now we are married. My answer would be for love and that’s why I stayed here!

Soph: Can you tell us about your specialization under psychology? What do you normally treat people for, so to speak?

Kate: I study clinical psychology so that’s very much focused on mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, etc. But for me I’ve been gravitating more to the prevention side of things. There is a side where you help people and that’s why I like helping students as well. Because students are not necessarily sick, they just want to improve their life and prevent mental health disorders.

Soph: What kinds of people can you help, especially within Webster Leiden Campus? What kinds of things or tasks could you help students with so that they might want to come to you for?

Kate: I can help any student with anything if we are talking vaguely about it. By that I mean, first of all, if you have a severe problem, severe depression or anxiety, I can start the process. We can look at it together and work it out if we need few sessions or perhaps, I can help you with the referral. Then there is other side where it could just be students that don’t necessarily have big problems or issues but just want someone to talk to. Maybe they are lonely or struggling with education or a relationship. Support is very important now that we are isolated, and we are by ourselves most of the time. So it can be anything – if you have a goal you want to work on or if you are ill and you want to talk or get some support. It’s a wide variety of help.

Soph: On that topic, how can students contact you ?

Kate: You can either contact me through reception at Webster and they will direct you to me but you can also email directly to the counseling address and that’s counseling@webster.nl. I check it regularly and then we set up an appointment.

Soph: Could you take us through the process of what does it look like if some student reaches out to you and you set up an appointment, what that therapy process looks like?

Kate: The first point would be as we call it an ‘intake interview’. It’s just a first meeting to discuss and find out who you are but also specifically what you need, in terms of help and deciding where you want to go from there. And then I also can assess whether it would be better to refer you to someone else or if I can help you further. That’s the first session and it usually lasts about an hour. Then after that you have five more sessions per semester. If we decide to continue having sessions, we can arrange that. We can work together on a certain goal or a problem, or just to check in and provide the support.

Soph: If someone were to be hesitant to ask for help, what would you like them to know?

Kate: I would say that we put a lot of emphasis on therapy or stigma associated with it. It’s not really that, it can also be a little chat between two people. You don’t have to commit to anything as well. If we speak for an hour and you feel that it’s not for you and you are doing ok, that’s also fine. I’m verry flexible about that and it’s really just about the support that a person needs and guidance on the goals that a person works on, nothing more than that, it’s just getting that extra support.

Arty: Right now, with coronavirus situation globally and in the Netherlands, what’s your number one tip for surviving the lockdown, mentally speaking?

Kate: If I have to choose, my number one priority would be to maintain connection. Even if we can’t see each other physically, we have a digital realm available to us. As much connection as possible because we as people need to connect, we don’t do well without it. Even if we are introverted, we need some form of connection. That’s number one tip. Another tip is to establish a routine, especially if you work from home. Staying away from the negative news as much as possible.

“Seek help, seek support, check on each other. Seek support when you need that because it is a difficult time for everybody. Now is the time to reach out and connect.”

To make an appointment with Kate, contact Webster reception or send an email to counseling@webster.nl.