About me
Astrid de Ruiter (MSc (Physics), Grad Dip Psychology, Grad Dip Counselling, QCA/PACFA Clinical Member, CFM/MTI Certified MBSR Teacher, Certified Level 2 IFS Psychotherapist, Certificate in Psychedelic Assisted Therapy)
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Having a therapist that you feel safe and comfortable with and who you click with is one of the most important succes factors for the therapy process. Below I'll tell a bit of my life story so you can get a bit of a sense of me as a person and what brought me to becoming a psychotherapist.
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My first career
From an early age, I was driven by a deep urge to understand the world and a strong desire to contribute something meaningful to that world. I was born in the Netherlands and my initial degree was a Masters in (applied) Physics, with a Minor in Environmental Science.
I did not have enough self-awareness at the time to realize that my curiosity about the world was more about human beings and the mind than about the material world!
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After graduating, I went on to work as a consultant and policy maker in the field of photovoltaic solar energy. This was an inspiring field to work in for someone wanting to positively impact the planet, and it felt very meaningful. However, after several years it started to dawn on me that without a shift in consciousness in humanity as a whole and politics in particular, the implementation of renewable energy technologies would be very slow.
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So out of touch!
Around the same time, I developed quite severe and chronic lower back pain problems that made it more and more difficult to function. MRI scans revealed that there was no clear physical reason for this debilitating pain, and led to the conclusion that there was something psychological going on.
In my mid twenties, I had had quite severe mental health problems (severe depression, possibly a bit of bipolar disorder) that only got better once I accepted a bit of help. So this time, I was a lot more open to reach out for help - whatever would work to get my life back on track!
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In my search for whatever would help me get rid of this back pain, I realized how incredibly out of touch I was with my body, and with my emotional world. It was as if there was a completely different person living in my head (just about the only body part I had any awareness of) than in the rest of my body. And I soon realized that if I paid (a lot) more attention to what was happening in my body and in my emotional world, my back pain was getting better!
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So I learned to pay attention, and my back pain improved to the point I could go back to work and resume a normal life. But I had gotten a taste of the journey of self-discovery, was enjoying very much what that was bringing me and wanted more.
On a Quest
One thing led to the other, and in my mid thirties I decided to quit my job and went travelling. I was on a quest "to find my Self", I would say kinda jokingly, but I actually really meant it.
I spent a number of years travelling, exploring and discovering various Asian countries and Australia. I spent a lot of time in the Australian Outback, particularly the Kimberley. I even worked as a Jilleroo on a large cattlestation for a while, which was totally thrilling I have to say!
Spending months in the vast, rugged, beautiful and totally remote landscapes of the Outback was somehow mind blowing, mind expanding and deeply healing in ways that I still can't quite find the words for. A deep and steady coming home into my Self captures some of it.
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A deep dive into mindfulness
During my travels in Nepal, I did a 10 day silent Vipassana retreats, which completely changed my life. It was very challenging, but I really learned to be able to "sit with" myself and with whatever inner experiences were coming up, no matter how uncomfortable or weird. Avoidance of inner discomfort is the driver of a lot of our psychological suffering, I learned later, and developing the capacity to stay with my own discomfort was a game changer in my personal healing and growth. I later also discovered that the meditation techniques we practiced at this retreat were a form of mindfulness meditation, and that there was a whole mindfulness movement about to take off in the western world.
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A big career change
During my travels I of course met a lot of other travellers, and I discovered I really enjoyed having deep conversations with people, listening to their struggles and victories, at times sharing my learning and insights, and that people seemed to benefit from those conversations.
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After some time back in the Netherlands and an intermezzo in Mongolia (more of those wide open spaces, and horses), I asked myself what I really really really wanted to do. The answer from inside was loud and clear: I decided to migrate to Australia (more specifically the Sunshine Coast Hinterland) and retrain as a counsellor and psychotherapist.
In my first job as a counsellor in 2006, I was asked to develop a course to help people manage difficult emotions such as stress, anxiety, low mood and irritability. In the process I unearthed what was a great passion for me for many years - teaching mindfulness to others.
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Since 2010, I have also been in private practice as a
counsellor/psychotherapist. After my initial training as a counsellor in 2005, I did a range of further trainings in various psychotherapy modalities, always aiming to become more effective and skillful in my work, and staying up to date with the latest developments.
And here we are
Since 2020, I've been utilising a lot of IFS (Internal Family Systems) therapy with my clients, combining it with my earlier focus on mindfulness and body-based approaches. Over the last few years, I have also been following the renaissance of Psychedelic Assisted Therapy with great interest. ​
I feel very grateful every day to be able to do work that feels genuinely meaningful and has a positive impact on people's lives.
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​Apart from having meaningful and connected conversations with people, I also love animals (particularly my dog Tara), all things colourful, pottering around with my plants and garden and being in nature. I also continue to work on my own deeper healing and growth.
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Do get in touch if you are wondering if I might be able to help you.