About us
Located in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Barends Psychology Practice brings together an international team of licensed psychologists based in Stuart (Florida), Ljubljana (Slovenia), and Rijeka (Croatia). We offer a wide range of treatments, both face-to-face and online.
Barends Psychology Practice was founded in January 2014 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, by psychologist Niels Barends. The practice relocated to Ljubljana, Slovenia, in October 2015. In early 2017, Barends Psychology Practice began collaborating with online counselors worldwide, including Marylise Zwarts and Tijana Debelić. Currently, Barends Psychology Practice provides services in six languages: English (Niels), Dutch (Niels), Italian and Croatian (Tijana), and French (Marylise). We are also looking for additional therapists to join our team. For more information about our office locations in Ljubljana, Rijeka, and Stuart (Florida), please click here.
If you want to schedule your first, free appointment at Barends Psychology Practice, contact us.
In Press
- May 2014: Niels Barends was featured in De Telegraaf Magazine in an interview about summer depression.
- June 2015, an interview with Niels about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was published in UP Magazine.
- April 2016, Niels discussed expat challenges and culture shock in an interview published on Telegraph.co.uk.
- January 2017: An article by Niels about loneliness in relationships, titled Kako premagati občutek osamljenosti v partnerstvu, was published in Moje Zdravje (in Slovenian). The article: Kako premagati občutek osamljenosti v partnerstvu.
- May 2017: An article about the effectiveness of online therapy, also in about the effectiveness of online therapy in Moje Zdravje was authored by Barends Psychology Practice (in Slovenian).
Education and working experience
Online counselor Niels Barends
Niels is an online counselor and psychologist with a Master’s Degree in Clinical Developmental Psychology from the University of Amsterdam. He specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), schema therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), competitive memory training, and WRITEjunior (PTSD treatment for children and adolescents aged 4–18). He completed post-master’s training at recognized training institutes (EMDR opleidingen, Cure Care Development, Van Genderen opleidingen), and Uva Minds.
Before establishing his practice, Niels worked at Mentrum, Arkin (formerly AMC, de Meren), in Amsterdam from 2005 to 2014, helping clients with severe psychiatric and addiction issues. He also spent nearly a year at JellinekMinnesota, focusing on addiction therapy, PTSD, trauma, personality disorders, and emotional challenges. Niels provides therapy in both Dutch and English.
Niels Barends: Business Coach with a Therapist’s Edge
Niels provides customized coaching to leaders and teams, focusing on:
• Leadership Development: Cultivating emotional intelligence, effective decision-making, and conflict resolution.
• Organizational Growth: Developing strategies for scaling businesses, enhancing productivity, and fostering innovation.
• Team Dynamics: Building cohesive teams through improved communication, trust, and collaboration.
• Personal Growth for Leaders: Overcoming self-doubt, perfectionism, and stress to unlock peak performance.
Therapy Meets Business Coaching
What sets Niels apart as a business coach is his ability to combine evidence-based therapeutic techniques with practical business strategies. This dual approach enables him to address not only external challenges but also the internal barriers that often hold leaders and organizations back. Whether you’re looking to grow your company, enhance your leadership skills, or create a thriving workplace culture, Niels Barends offers a unique perspective that bridges the gap between personal development and business success.
Niels offers his services in both Dutch and English.
Online counselor – Marylise Zwarts
Marylise is a counselor with a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology from Paris 8 University (2002). With 15 years of experience in France and the USA, she is a licensed clinical psychologist, mental health counselor, and EMDR therapist.
Marylise offers individual, couple and EMDR therapy online and face-to-face.
Marylise has worked with adults in various environments, including mental health institutions (hospital Ville-Evrard and Hospital Sainte –Anne in France) , not-for-profit organizations (sos Suicide in France and House of Hope in Florida), substance abuse treatment centers (BHOPB, Florida and Amitie presence Paris) and in private practice in France and in the USA.
Trained in criminology and victimology (university Paris V Descartes in Paris), Marylise completed her EMDR training in 2008. She also completed in 2015 a specialization certificate “The use of EMDR with complex trauma and dissociative symptoms” (EMDRIA institute of the USA).
Marylise provides (online) treatment to individuals and couples struggling with depression, grief and loss, addiction, emotional and anxiety disorder, personality disorder, phobia, OCD, PTSD and more.
Being herself an expat residing for 10 years in the USA, Marylise is particularly qualified to help other expats to overcome the grief and difficulties they experience while adapting to a new culture.
Marylise utilizes a variety of therapeutic techniques, such as the person-centered approach (Carl Rogers), Cognitive and Behavioral approach (CBT), solution focused brief therapy (SFBT), the psychodynamic approach and EMDR, to guide her clients through a fast healing process.
Further to her role as online psychotherapist at Barends Psychology, Marylise attends particular patients in the USA both face-to-face and through online services.
Marylise strongly believes in people’s capacity to use their own resources to recover from difficult experiences and to develop their coping skills to embrace a fulfilling life.
Marylise offers her services in French.
Online counselor – Tijana Debelić
Born and raised in Rijeka, Croatia, in a Croatian-Italian family, Tijana earned her M.S. with Honors in Psychology from the University of Padua in Italy. She completed her post-master’s CBT training through the Croatian Association for Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy.
After nine years in Italy, Tijana returned to Rijeka in 2013, where she worked as a school psychologist and collaborated with her family’s consulting company. She specializes in treating anxiety, depression, phobias, self-esteem issues, and relationship challenges. Tijana also provides business coaching in areas such as communication, conflict resolution, and human resource management.
Having lived abroad, Tijana has a deep understanding of cultural adaptation and offers counseling for Croatian and Italian expats. She provides therapy in Croatian and Italian.
Tijana provides (online) treatment for anxiety, depression, phobia, self-esteem concerns, relationship counseling and more. She also delivers business coaching and counseling in regards to soft skills (effective communication, conflict resolution, problem solving, etc.), human resources management, career path changing, among other matters.
Tijana offers her services in both Croatian and Italian.