“Like a plant which from a seed becomes and Oak tree, so humans become what we are meant to be…but we get stuck.”
- Carl Jung
Each of us, and humanity itself, has a potential embodied in a seed to be our whole true self. Our wholeness exists before it is brought to fruition. But often, we are stuck within limitations that inhibit the process of our own natural growth, our own potential.
My life and my work have addressed what it means to live into our potential, usually by first getting unstuck. I have discovered that by accepting what is, rather than applying willpower to change, we participate in the natural process of being and becoming what we are meant to be. It is not passive acceptance, but rather in the action of self-discovery, self-knowledge and awareness, and by naming the truths of what we find that we can get unstuck.
Those ideas come through in the work I have done for years as a psychotherapist, but also represent the story that is my story, one that continues the process of discovery, learning and growing in to my whole true self.
Douglas W. Holwerda
Two projects have broadened the scope of my profession.
The first is the 3-part book I wrote in 2018. The book is titled, Living From the Inside Out. Part one is “Begin Within”, part two “Alone Together” and part three “The Needs of Childhood and the Tasks of Adulthood”. The content of the books is also what I speak about in many of the presentations I do.
The second project is to have started a creative play residency, along with others in June of 2024.
Creativity is at the heart of how we express ourselves and connect with the world. The Creative Play Residency is a space for exploration, collaboration, and artistic expression. Through this project, we invite others to engage in creative processes, discover new perspectives, and be part of a community that values play as a form of growth and connection. Whether through art, writing, movement, or shared experiences, this residency is an evolving space for inspiration and transformation.
Take a look around the website. I hope you will find ideas that are of value to the ways you have come to live life.
Pictures, Art, Symbols and quotes?
PSYCHOTHERAPIST
In October of 2019, after 20+ years practicing as a psychotherapist (mental health counselor), I reduced my therapy practice and re-focused my primary work on the clinical supervision of less experienced psychotherapists. I offer a weekly mentorship program for Vietnamese psychotherapists and have also been offering support to Vietnamese students who are interested in gaining a degree in Counseling Psychology in order to practice as psychotherapists in the future. I am an international consultant with the Vietnamese Psychotherapy Association.
I have also been writing a book entitled Living From the Inside Out which was published last 2023. My book is a self-therapy guide, teaching how self-knowledge and awareness can increase self-acceptance and empowerment.
I gained my master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Antioch University in Seattle, Washington and has worked as a psychotherapist since 1996. I have been practicing in Hanoi, Vietnam, since 2011. Prior to that I was a teacher. My early experience as a psychotherapist was with issues of abuse and trauma, specifically, adults who had experienced childhood sexual abuse. I have also worked extensively with teens in a teen health center in Seattle, Washington.
In Vietnam, I have had a full practice seeing English speaking clients, adults and teens above the age of 12, many of whom are living abroad. I have also seen an increased number of English-speaking Vietnamese clients. I have offered therapy for people who are dealing with anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship problems, anger, cultural adjustment, midlife, as well as existential questions of meaning and purpose. I have seen how therapy is a process which brings about a relief from suffering through self-discovery and acceptance.
My methods of practicing psychotherapy have been influenced early by person-centered, existential and insight-based approaches. More recently, I have integrated CBT, behavior activization, and motivational interviewing as pragmatic and skill-based approaches of support.
I know that in a safe and confidential environment people can look more deeply into themselves, and, with support, face painful truths that we might otherwise be avoiding. It is by facing the unresolved aspects of the past that allows clients to move on in life, to embrace more of life in the present. I have seen the quality of life improve for many clients he has worked with over the years, witnessing personal growth and a new-found freedom to live life more fully.
