Therapy for burnout, boundaries and the habit of always saying yes
My approach, how sessions work, and how to get in touch.
If this is why you're here
You’re kind to everyone except yourself.
You’re tired all the time, and sleeping more doesn’t help.
On a free evening you don’t rest. You find a task.
When someone is upset, you assume you did something wrong.
You say yes automatically, and only afterwards realise you meant no.
The symptom is a messenger
Anxiety. The automatic yes. Tiredness that doesn’t lift. The difficulty of holding a boundary. These are what therapy is meant to treat, and I understand wanting them gone. There are two ways to go about it.
ONE WAY
Work on the symptom directly
Relaxation techniques, meditation, changes in behaviour. Effective for many things, and there are good professionals who do this work.
Faster. Structured. The symptom can come back if it’s still serving a purpose.
THE WAY I WORK
Read the symptom as a messenger
Understanding why it appeared, what it is trying to say, and what it is still doing for you now.
Takes longer. Goes deeper. What changes, stays changed.
I take the second one. A symptom rarely arrives without reason – it appeared under particular conditions, and at the time it was the best solution available. Tiredness often says something about where you’re giving more than you have. Difficulty saying no often says something about where you learned that boundaries have a price.
That’s why working against a symptom directly tends not to hold. If it’s still serving a purpose, it comes back – or another one takes its place.
How I work
I work integratively, drawing mainly on psychodynamic and person-centred approaches. In practice, that comes down to three things.
1
Relationships wound us, relationships heal us
2
I am not a silent observer
3
We work together in an equal therapeutic relationship
About me
I’m Panos Georgakis, an integrative therapist working in Rotterdam and online.
I completed my postgraduate training in Integrative Psychotherapy and Counselling at the University of Derby, where I also studied Counselling Psychology. Alongside that, I trained in Coaching Psychology at the Athens Coaching Institute and in Adult Education at Panteion University.
I work exclusively with adults, with more than 3,500 hours of clinical experience.
All of my clinical work is supervised, and my practice follows recognised professional and ethical standards.
There is no fixed programme, but there is a process
What stays fixed is the frame: Τhe same day, the same time, sixty minutes, every week.
Starting therapy
At the beginning we talk about the reasons you sought therapy and what you would like to change. We give the therapeutic relationship time to develop, while together choosing how we will work. Always at your own pace, and always with respect for your boundaries.
Progress is not linear
There will be sessions you leave feeling lighter, and sessions you leave with more questions than you came with. There may also be periods when you feel the process isn’t helping you. These are part of how therapy unfolds; we welcome them and talk about them together.
Ending therapy
Like every relationship, the therapeutic relationship has a closing, and that moment carries its own therapeutic value. The ending is discussed and prepared for, and we say goodbye giving space to the feelings that come up.
Practical
- Session - 60 minutes, weekly, by appointment
- Fee - 110 €
- Languages - English, Greek
- In person - Address, Rotterdam
- Online - Across the Netherlands and beyond
- Waiting time - Around one week
- Cancellation - Free up to 48 hours before
- Insurance - Not reimbursed, no referral needed
- Complaints - Read the procedure in the footer.
Frequently asked questions
It depends on what you’re looking for. If you want structured tools and exercises for a specific problem, a CBT or solution-focused therapist may suit you better, and that’s a reasonable choice. What I offer is slower and less structured. It tends to suit people who have already tried the tools and found the problem came back.
No. Most of the people I see aren’t. They’re functioning, often impressively, and privately running on empty.
And burnout isn’t all I work with. People come with anxiety, panic, low mood, grief, or relationships that keep hitting the same wall. Whatever brings you here, the way of working is the same.
Therapy takes time, and how much varies from person to person. It depends on what you bring, how long it has been there, and what you want to reach.
What I can tell you is this: after a few sessions you’ll have a clear sense of whether this way of working suits you. And we review where we’re going at regular intervals, so it’s never open-ended in a way you can’t see the edges of.
For practical things – rescheduling, cancellations – yes. Otherwise, holding something and bringing it into the session is usually more useful than a quick answer by message.
Your time is reserved exclusively for you each week. For this reason, cancellations require at least 48 hours’ notice.
Cancellations made with less notice, as well as sessions you do not attend, are charged in full.
This isn’t a crisis service. If you’re in immediate danger, call 112.
For suicidal thoughts, 113 Zelfmoordpreventie is available 24/7. You can call free on 0800-0113 or chat at 113.nl. Both are anonymous, and calls to 0800-0113 don’t appear on your phone bill.
Contact Me
Send a short message about what’s going on and when you’re free. You don’t need the right words for it yet, and you don’t need to be sure this is right before you write. I answer personally, usually within a day.