Psychedelic Therapists - Which Are Officially Trained?
How We Classify 'Therapist'
In the Netherlands, anyone can call themselves a therapist or psychologist. However, at Triptherapie, we want to clearly distinguish which members of our team are trained as psychologists or are authorized to provide a specific form of therapy. An employee who, in addition to working for Triptherapie, is also considered a therapist at Triptherapie. Other staff members who are not authorized to provide mental health therapy but can work with psychedelics are called trip-sitters, facilitators, counselors, or trip coaches.
The psychedelic therapists
The employees listed below, in addition to their work for Triptherapie, have also been trained to provide therapy in mental health care and are therefore also called 'psychedelic therapists' by us.
Sascha | NIP psychologist
Sascha is active at Triptherapie as psychedelic therapist, but her background goes much further than that. She is trained as psychologist with NIP registration and has been working in various branches of mental health care since 2016, including addiction care, basic mental health care, specialist mental health care and medical specialist rehabilitation. At Triptherapie, she combines her deep-rooted desire to guide people on their inner journey with her professional experience and personal development path.
In addition to the RINO training course "Therapeutic work with psychedelics"“ Sascha completed several psychotherapeutic follow-up training courses. For example, she completed the basic courses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and EMDR completed, as well as training in the Barrel of Self-Esteem, a method aimed at strengthening positive self-image and resilience. Its academic basis lies in the Master's degree in Clinical Psychology at the University of Amsterdam, with which she has been trained both scientifically and practically.
What makes Sascha special is her ability to work from both knowledge and feeling. Clients don't experience conversations with her as a "psychologist to patient," but as an open, human encounter. This empathetic, safe atmosphere is crucial during a psychedelic session, in which vulnerability and depth are central. She guides people with a wide range of needs, such as addiction, trauma, depression, anxiety, burnout, grief, and low self-esteem, but she also feels at home in programs focused on personal or spiritual growth.
In her own words: “I believe psychedelics will be a valuable addition to mental healthcare—especially for those who don't achieve enough with traditional therapy, but actually for anyone who is open to inner transformation. Often, just one session can be so powerful.” Her vision, experience and training make her one of the more versatile and well-founded supervisors within Triptherapie.
Sascha has a solid foundation as a psychedelic therapist, thanks to her psychology studies, Master's degree in Clinical Psychology, and experience working in addiction treatment, (specialized) mental health care, and rehabilitation as a psychologist. She also has additional training in cognitive behavioral therapy and EMDR.
Reineke Brandt | NIP psychologist
NIP-registered psychologist Reineke brings a unique combination of life experience, psychological knowledge, and holistic treatment methods to her work as a psychedelic therapist at Triptherapie. Her career began with a study Psychology, driven by her childhood desire to care for and help others. After various jobs, she began her career at the Police, first as a selection psychologist and then for over ten years as a uniformed manager on the street. This experience taught her from within how stress and trauma build up and how important it is to develop alternative approaches to conventional care.
When she noticed that classical treatments often fall short, she decided to follow her own path. In 2022, she made the transition to self-employment as a freelance psychologist, in which they offer a wide range of complementary treatments offers. For example, Reineke is trained as trauma-sensitive yoga teacher, meditation and mindfulness teacher, breathing coach and facilitator of Kundalini NRGY sessions. In addition, she works with EMDR, Brainspotting, heart coherence training (Heartmath), aromatherapy, Aromatouch, ear reflexology and ear acupuncture. This versatility makes her particularly well-suited to self-healing capacity to stimulate clients and help break through deep-rooted blockages.
Within Triptherapie, Reineke has been further trained through the RINO training course "Therapeutic work with psychedelics"“, a certified program that provided her with the scientific and practical basis for safely conducting psilocybin sessions. She learned everything about contraindications, legal frameworks, set & setting, and gained practical experience during her induction at Triptherapie and in courses on working with psychedelics for spiritual intentions. She complements this knowledge with her own warm, body-oriented approach, in which she looks not only at the head but also at the body, breath, and energy.
As a psychologist, Reineke combines both conventional and alternative care methods. She utilizes various techniques, such as talk therapy, yoga, breathing exercises, and EMDR, combined with the therapeutic effects of psychedelics.
Ronald Hochstenbach | Psychosocial therapist
Ronald is one of the most seasoned therapists within Triptherapie and has specialized in trauma-oriented psychedelic therapy including MDMA and psilocybin (truffles). His path towards this work has been shaped by both personal experience with complex trauma and PTSD, as well as an impressive list of training in both Western and Eastern therapeutic traditions.
His career as a therapist began after a profound spiritual awakening and a healing experience with MDMA at a young age, which motivated him to dedicate himself to inner healing in others. He completed, among other things, the four-year training to become Jungian Philosophical Therapist, in which he delved into the symbolism of the subconscious as it emerges in trip sessions. In addition, he completed the training to Psychodrama Therapist and he followed an advanced module in the TSM Therapeutic Spiral Model, a trauma-based form of psychodrama.
Ronald is also trained in Internal Family Systems (IFS), Voice Dialogue, Mindfulness and Self-compassion training, which he actively uses in the preparation, guidance and integration of psychedelic sessions. IFS in particular is seen as one of the most useful models in psychedelic-assisted therapy, because it gently and insightfully reveals inner parts that may surface during a session.
To further deepen his knowledge of psychedelics, Ronald has the RINO training course "Therapeutic work with psychedelics"“ completed, during which he was trained in all facets of set & setting, risk recognition, preparation, guidance and integration. He also gained experience during a multi-day truffle retreat, which further strengthened his therapeutic approach.
Ronald is a psychosocial therapist and has completed the following training: Jungian Philosophical Therapist, Psychodrama Therapist, Master Voice Dialogue, Transformational Psychology, Internal Family System (IFS), Mindfulness and Compassion Trainer.
Gijs Tecklenbrug | Social-psychiatric nurse
Gijs is one of the most experienced therapists within Triptherapie, bringing over thirty years of combined experience in therapy, training, and inner development to his psychedelic work. His path toward psychedelic therapy has been shaped by years of practice in outpatient mental health care, deep meditation and compassion training, and a growing integration of spirituality into his therapeutic approach.
Gijs began his career in mainstream mental health care as a social psychiatric nurse and worked for approximately twenty years in outpatient mental health care, including as a crisis intervention practitioner and as a lecturer and supervisor in the Mental Health and Addiction Care program at the HAN University of Applied Sciences. He also participated in long meditation retreats and, starting in 2006, introduced mindfulness training to mental health care, so that meditation, attention training, and therapy increasingly became integrated. A few years later, he opted for his own full-time practice, where he has given hundreds of training courses in mindfulness, compassion training, interpersonal mindfulness, ACT, Open Focus, and meditation retreats.
Over the years, Gijs has completed a wide range of training: he has taken mindfulness and MBSR training with Jon Kabat-Zinn and Saki Santorelli, Mindfulness & Psychotherapy with Ronald Siegel, ACT training, MBCL compassion training, Interpersonal Mindfulness, heart coherence training, EMDR, walking coaching, breathwork, and the Open Focus trainer training with Dr. Les Fehmi in Princeton. He also specialized in neurofeedback (Zengar/Othmer) and non-dualistic psychotherapy, including Internal Family Systems (IFS), which he now actively uses in his therapeutic and psychedelic work.
His perspective on therapy has been profoundly transformed by years of study and his connection with the spiritual teacher Mooji, describing a fundamental shift in his perspective on life and work. This has resulted in a style centered around down-to-earth spirituality: not only understanding, but also feeling deeply, embracing, and creating space for the qualities of the heart. Gijs considers the separation between traditional psychotherapy and spirituality a "tragic mistake" and considers the spiritual dimension the source of healing, strength, and meaning. When guiding psychedelic sessions, he brings together all his experience to provide his clients with the best possible support.
Gijs has 20 years of experience in outpatient mental health care. He taught and supervised the Mental Health and Addiction Care program at the HAN University of Applied Sciences Arnhem Nijmegen. He also has extensive experience in mindfulness, talk therapy, neurofeedback, meditation, compassion training, and ACT.
Trip sitter vs. therapist
At Triptherapie, we find that the choice between an experienced trip sitter and a psychedelic therapist depends heavily on the individual, their needs, and the type of support needed. Both facilitators can facilitate a deep, transformative session, but each brings something different that may be more suitable for specific situations.
An experienced trip sitter is often someone who has personally experienced and guided many psychedelic sessions, with a strong sense of the flow of a trip and extensive practical experience. They are usually intuitive, practical, and focused on creating a safe, relaxed atmosphere. For people who have already done a lot of inner work, or are simply looking for more spiritual or existential insights Without too much psychological analysis, a good tripsitter can provide sufficient—and sometimes even better—connection than a therapist.
Conversely, a psychedelic therapist, such as Ronald, Sascha or Reineke, are more suitable for people with complex psychological complaints such as trauma, depression or anxiety disorders. Thanks to their background in psychology or therapy, they can guide the process more effectively. substantive, psychotherapeutic level, also during and after the trip. They use scientifically proven methods such as EMDR, IFS, or CBT and are often trained to recognize psychological patterns, attachment issues, and defense mechanisms.
In short: who needs experience-oriented guidance, spiritual deepening or a gentle presence during an inner journey, can benefit greatly from an experienced trip sitter. Those who are looking for deeper psychological insight, processing of trauma or integration of old patterns, is often better helped by a therapeutically trained counselor.
During the intake procedure, we always determine together which supervisor is the best fit. You can already start the intake or view the overview of supervisors To see who's available in your area. Need help choosing? We're happy to help.
Complete contact or intake form
Would you like to register for a psychedelic ceremony at Triptherapie? Complete the intake form now, free of obligation. Have any questions? Check out our FAQ section or contact us.
General FAQ
Looking for a different question and answer? You can also use the search function on our site, consult the frequently asked questions section, or ask our chatbot, Trippy, which you can access via the chat icon at the bottom right of the page.
The recent questions from the Q&A
Psychedelic session for clients from abroad
How do I book psychedelic therapy in the Netherlands if I'm traveling from abroad? What are the options?
NPS law and MDMA analogues
Which MDMA analogues will become illegal as of July 1, 2025, due to the amended Opium Act?
Psychedelic therapists
Which of the therapists at Triptherapie are trained as psychologists and the like?
Truffle ceremony with psilocybin
How many truffles or mg of psilocybin do you get approximately during the magical truffle ceremonies?