Margriet * is 31 years old, remedial educationalist and has her own company. In many aspects of her life, things are going well, but an old ailment is recurring more often. Since she was 18, Margriet has suffered from severe fear of commitment and although it has diminished somewhat over the years, it has remained present. These fears arose from perfectionism; everything had to go well and feel good. This was mainly expressed in her love life; if someone didn’t text back, she could be very worried about it. When another date didn’t end well and again caused her a lot of stress, she knew it was time to talk to someone. She couldn’t keep going on like this and reached out for online help via NiceDay.

A push in the right direction

“A friend advised me to take a look at NiceDay; she herself had attended a number of sessions there. “Just a little push in the right direction!”. I had heard of it before and visited psychologists before, so it was not very hesitant to take the step towards help. As my doctor said: “If you want to work on your body and you see a doctor, nobody thinks that’s crazy. But if you want to work on your mind and you see a psychologist, people think it’s strange”. I knew I wanted to work on myself and no longer wanted to live in fear, so I took the step to download the NiceDay app.”

Online treatment

“I really liked the fact that the sessions were online. It was very accessible and a reassuring feeling to have someone who reads along with you. I was very busy with my own business at the time, but didn’t have to leave my house for the sessions. That worked out very well!

Online help via NiceDay was very accessible and I did not spend any time traveling for my sessions. I also really liked that I could keep track of things in the app. My practitioner could go through all of my registrations before our session, so we could get started quickly. I made sure to update the app at least once a week. I then described how I experienced the things we discussed earlier, or registered my “aha” moments. Sometimes when I just had to get something off my chest, and I could immediately write it down. Writing down your thoughts can already help you process things, but you also know that someone is going to read it. This was very reassuring and is a lot different from writing it down in a diary at home.”

Contact between sessions

“When I wrote off my concerns via the chat functionality in the app, I would receive a message from my therapist Sarah within a few days. She often asked me some questions about what I had just written down, or brought me back to something I had learned earlier in our sessions. What do I really want, instead of what some guy does or doesn’t do? Because of this contact between our sessions, I could usually reflect on an event as it occurs to me every day within 1 or 2 days. You get instant feedback on something you are experiencing, and I think that is very valuable!”

Would you recommend NiceDay?

“Yes for sure! I have already done that actually. Help via NiceDay goes with you wherever you go, in your own mobile phone, as it were. It isn’t in a clinical room, where you work on your problems and when you finish the session you no longer think about the things you have discussed. Because you keep track of things and have contact with your practitioner in between your sessions, online help via NiceDay is woven into your daily life.

Margriet received online help through the NiceDay app. Would you like to know more about NiceDay or about how you can start treatment? Click here for more information about online help via NiceDay.

*Margriet’s real name is known to the editors.

Madelijn * (27) has been dealing with her relationship with men for years, something that has taken her to a psychologist in the past. Her constant need for reassurance caused her to put men on a pedestal and to neglect herself. The fear that otherwise she would not find happiness and wasn’t worth the effort, was something she could lose herself in completely. She decided to go into treatment with NiceDay and this is her experience story.

Relapse

“A few years ago I received treatment for my mental issues, after which I was doing good again! After the completion of my treatment I remained single and mainly focused on what I wanted in life. I decided to travel, but as soon as I returned I fell into a negative spiral. I started to get involved with men again and started to value them more than I would like. That feeling terrified me; I didn’t want to fall back into that same pattern. I knew I had to do something, but I didn’t want to go back to a full therapy program. When a friend told me about the NiceDay app I decided to download it. ”

The step for help

“My friend wasn’t undergoing treatment at NiceDay, but used the app for herself. She registered her feelings and thoughts, but told me that you can also start treatment.

When I downloaded the app I had mixed feelings about the online treatment. The app made seeking help easy and accessible. However, I wasn’t sure if you could really express your feelings through video calling. It had its pros and cons, but I decided to try it; it doesn’t hurt to try. ”

The first contact

“Before you get into contact with a NiceDay practitioner, first you must fill in a few things. That took some figuring out, but as soon as I started doing this I noticed that it felt good to write down my thoughts. I really liked writing down everything that goes on in your head, with the idea that there is someone who reads and thinks along without judgment!

The NiceDay Team linked me to the therapist Sarah, based on the information I entered. I had a good relationship with her and I really appreciated the contact we had. She was always calm and listened carefully. In the end I also liked the video calling; you can simply have the sessions from the comfort of  your own home and schedule them at a time that suits you. ”

Registrations in the app

“During the therapy that I had before, I also had to do assignments, but it sometimes felt like I had to do homework. Back then I didn’t feel like doing that at all. I found writing via the app a lot more pleasant; this time I really did it for myself, because I knew and felt what I was going to get out of it. It didn’t feel like a huge task or assignment, because you can easily fill in a few things on your phone. It felt like I could write about whatever I wanted, it didn’t matter that much!

I regularly used the registrations in the app: I tried to fill in the diary every day, but I also used the feelings tracker when I could not find the words to write it down. The writing itself already helped me with my complaints. I also really liked that you can adjust the registrations at any time; whether you fill it in today, tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.”

Would you recommend NiceDay?

“NiceDay was the helping hand I needed. I wasn’t looking for a full treatment, but wanted to discuss the things that I actually already knew with someone else. The writing and registration is very much up to you, so you have to have a certain discipline to keep up with that. But that also means that you can help yourself very well. I would definitely recommend the app; I’ve even done this several times! ”

Madelijn received online help through the NiceDay app. Would you like to know more about online help via NiceDay? Click here for more information.

* Madelijn’s real name is known to the editors

Anne works as a psychologist. She noticed she started to feel gloomy and insecure, and started a treatment within NiceDay. Here you can read all about her experience with online help.

Curious

“I heard about NiceDay by a tip from my supervisor. He told me that it might be an interesting app to use with my clients. I got curious and downloaded the app to have a look. I decided I was going to use the app for myself and started filling in the diary and thought records. However, I noticed that using these records alone wasn’t going to help me enough.”

“It was the beginning of the Corona crisis and I, myself, had also started online sessions and video calls with my clients. The concept of online treatment was already becoming usual practice. Why wouldn’t I try online coaching? I registered and was linked to psychologist Sarah.”

Good connection

“With Sarah I felt a good connection. During our first session, I noticed that there was a good balance between her preparation of the questionnaire I had filled in, and the subjects she brought up. The questions she raised were in line with my own experience and knowledge. Sometimes, for example, she looked up information or articles about things I didn’t know, and then sent them to me to read.”

“Also, Sarah was able to add a critical note: “Maybe you have learned it this way, but is it actually true and does it really work like that?”. I appreciated that.”

Helpful usabilities of the app

“The thought records were very useful to me. Because the questions are asked step by step, you are guided through them. Of course you can think of those questions yourself, but seeing them step by step on a screen makes that it doesn’t have to come from your own strength. This helps you see things from a different perspective.”

“What I also like was that you always have the app with you. You may not be able to use it at work, but you can use it when you’re on your way back home. You always have it at hand.”

“The app made me feel like there was always someone looking over my shoulder. I agreed with Sarah that if I wanted her to read along with my thoughts, I would put her name on my journal entry. But even when I did not, I still felt that I was directing my thought to someone else. By using the app, I got the feeling that someone was looking over my shoulder, and was there to support and stimulate my self-development.”

Would you recommend the NiceDay app?

“I haven’t used the app for very long time, but have already recommended it to others. So yes, if I think someone could benefit from it, I would recommend it. I had a positive experience with the online help; Sarah really helped me to look at things from a different perspective. Because of Corona most of us are working online, so it is definitely good to ask for online help.”

Rosa received online help through the NiceDay app. Would you like to know more about online help via NiceDay? Click here for more information.

“Without NiceDay, I would never have dared to talk about my drinking problems with my environment. A small step with a major impact on my recovery”

A steady relation, two lovely children, a nice and challenging job. Johan* keeps everything running, but he feels the need for help. Lately, his addiction complaints are more prominent and his autism complaints also play a role. Johan decides take the step to help and there was NiceDay. In this blog he talks about his experience.

Stigma about addiction

Admitting that you experience complaints is always difficult. Admitting that you are addicted to alcohol may be even more difficult. The stigma surrounding addiction is great and without help you will have a “label” for the rest of your life. Your health insurer, general practitioner and sometimes also your employer are aware of this label. That’s not what I wanted, but I did want help. It took almost a year before I took the step to search online for reliable and online help.

Online help feels close regardless of the distance

I really liked this form of help. The NiceDay app is easy to use and it helped me to capture my thoughts, emotions and feelings when they are still on top of my mind.

The ability to make video calls with your therapist saves you travel time and there is no “walk of shame” to your treatment location. For me it was always a barrier to go to a treatment location, where you can meet people you know at the entrance or in the waiting room.

In addition, the chat function gave me a lot of support. This chat function gave me the opportunity to get help from my therapist when I needed it most (because those times usually do not coincide with the planned sessions).

By chatting, this contact can take place independently of each other, so that you do not have to take the planning of your therapist into account. After all, at exciting moments you hardly ever need a helping hand within an hour or even within a day, but waiting two or three weeks for that support (during the next session) is undesirable.

Connection with my therapist

I am human and I would like to be treated that way. Interaction is even more important to me than the channel where the interaction takes place. Of course, the above advantages are benefits, but I am mainly interested in the connection with my therapist. We are two people, with two roles. That does not mean that one is “better” than the other. Contact with my professional Sarah was always done with mutual respect. Sarah did not have an attitude of “I’ll tell you what and how to do it,”. The sessions focussed on looking for the right steps and solutions together. Without Sarah’s help, I would never have dared to talk about my drinking with my environment. A small step with a big impact on my recovery.

How to continue?

I am not complaint-free, which is not surprising since Sarah is not specialized in addiction care. However, thanks to the help of Sarah and NiceDay, I have decided to continue therapy elsewhere for my complaints. Nevertheless, I fully support the NiceDay concept and will advise others, including mental health care institutions, to get started!

Johan received online help through the NiceDay app. Would you like to know more about online help via NiceDay? Click here for more information.

*This is not Johan’s real name. This is known at the NiceDay editors

I have been feeling uncomfortable for a while now, I suffer from negative thoughts and notice that I am increasingly avoiding social contact. I am not an extrovert, but avoiding social contact because something bad could happen does not sound right. But are my problems big enough to get help?

Googling my problems

At that time I started Googling; “How do you avoid negative thoughts? How do I increase my self-confidence? When is my problem big enough to see a psychologist?”. I had all these negative thoughts in my daily life, but it didn’t seem bad enough to go to the doctor. I was looking for someone who could give me a push in the right direction because I was not able to do that at the time.

NiceDay

During my search for help I found NiceDay, a company which offers online help. I decided to download the app and soon got a message asking if I wanted to get in touch with an online coach. After gathering more information, I wrote down what I thought I needed and I answered yes!

Treatment in my own environment

I found the first conversation very exciting. Since it was online and I was in my own room, it gave me enough confidence to pick up the incoming video call. During the conversations I was given the tools to turn my negative thoughts around and to see if those thoughts are actually true. Your thoughts also influence your behaviour. By writing down my feelings and thoughts and repeatedly doing assignments, I have become increasingly aware of my way of thinking and how I can handle my thoughts betters.

Challenge your thoughts

I have to admit, now that I am no longer in contact with my online coach from NiceDay, I sometimes forget to write down my thoughts. But maybe this is a good sign! A sign that I no longer need this every day. Before I had to write down on paper to find out the cause of a thought, but I can now challenge and think about it in my head. That makes me confident.

I can recommend NiceDay to anyone who, just like me, is not feeling comfortable, but does not necessarily wants to see psychologist. Give it a try!