Nadene van der Linden

20/08/2026

I'm reading Susan Simpson's new book "Breaking Negative Eating Patterns And Remembering Your True Self." So far, some things impress me greatly about the book.

What I love most is the strengths-focused and affirming tone of the introductory chapter. It sets Susan's book apart from any other schema therapy book I've read. It truly honours the readers' experience without once using pathologising language.

The next is Susan's incorporation of the impact of social constructs such as racism, ableism and capitalism on human experience and how it relates to the development of eating problems.

Also, Susan clearly addresses the impact and interaction of neurodivergence and eating disorders through a sensitive and affirming lens.

And finally, Susan uses highly relatable, everyday analogies to break down complex core schema therapy concepts for readers. It invites readers to easily connect these concepts to their lived experience.

I look forward to reading more over the coming days.

31/07/2026

Ever wondered if schema therapy training is for you? This is a question I get asked a lot. In this blog I walk you through what you need to consider before undertaking schema therapy training.

Schema therapy is the heart and soul of my clinical and supervision practice. I’ve known schema therapy since my post-graduate trainings, where we had a copy of Reinventing Your Life in the student training clinic. Schema Therapy: A Practitioner’s Guide was one of my first big book purchases pos...

28/07/2026

Some of the things that mentors say really stick in your early career as a therapist, for better or worse.

One of the things that stuck with me was advice from a guest lecturer in my Masters training who was an expert in treating depression. She said "You should avoid wearing black clothing when working with depressed people." Her thinking was that black reflected feelings of sadness and was linked to low mood.

For those of you who have followed along over the years, you may have noticed that my therapist wardrobe features bright tops and patterns.

If you've ever wondered why, it comes back to this piece of advice. I took that mentor's advice very seriously and made sure I never wore a black top to work.

The funny part on reflection is, I don't think there's any solid evidence that wearing dark clothes increases depressed feelings in therapy clients.

However, I did find that it makes me feel brighter and happier and I guess that's why I continued.

Potential downsides of my bright palette of work clothing - brights and patterns are harder to coordinate, and sometimes the pattern or brightness of my clothing can attract comments from clients.

This anecdote shows the power of the words of experts and mentors in the early years. I'm mindful of this as I guide training Clinical Psychology students.

What did you take to heart from your mentors in the early years? I'd love to know.

21/07/2026

I'm happy to have just finished reading this wonderful book by Pierre Cousineau and Sophie Côté for two reasons:

1. It's already been helpful in my work with clients and supervisees to communicate concepts around memory consolidation. This book focuses on how to support schema transformation rather than schema management. From the threat/ resource matrix to the schema map and the application of these to each schema through explicit examples, this book will likely be something I draw on to help create transformational change for my clients and to guide my supervisees.

2. It means I can read in long form again. Last year I became aware that I had lost my ability to focus and consume long form content, especially via reading. This was frightening to realise, as reading has been one of the greatest assets of my life, it has supported the majority of my growth and development professionally, and something that was always easy for me that I enjoyed. The cause of this loss of focus- too much social media consumption. Since December last year, I've significantly cut down how much time I spend online, I've cut down the platforms I use and I've now reaped the rewards of that decision. I would say it took about 5 months of largely staying off social media for my ability to focus to return the point where I could persist in reading this text.

If you're struggling with attention and focus, I highly recommend considering whether cutting back social media usage could be the solution.

02/07/2026

Today was the last day of semester with my ECU Masters of Clin Psych students. What a wonderful and unexpected journey the last 4 months have been as I’ve supported the development of 4 trainees as they had their first experience of working with assessment & therapy clients, writing reports and case notes.

What started as an application to be an external supervisor resulted in my first part-time employed role in 17 years. After 13 years in my own business, I didn’t think I’d ever go back into employment, but this was an opportunity I couldn’t resist.

I can’t wait to see where these students go in their careers. I’ll be back next semester to welcome the new cohort as well as continuing my private practice.

There are so many ways you can work in this field, so many opportunities. My tip: avoid developing a fixed mindset about what you do & don’t do & stay open to what comes along.

22/06/2026

EMDR therapy is hot right now. Clients are asking for it, media is talking about it and therapists are training in it in increasing numbers. I’ve been an EMDR therapist since 2013 and became an EMDRAA Accredited Consultant about 4 years ago. This means I get asked a lot about EMDR training.

A common question I field from therapists is “Should I train in EMDR therapy?

As well as wanting to offer their clients an effective evidence-based therapy for trauma, therapists are also often worried they are being left behind in the private practice market if they don’t offer EMDR therapy.

How to determine whether EMDR training is right for you
Training in EMDR therapy changed the course of my career. You might assume that due to my longstanding affiliation with EMDR therapy and the benefits I have derived from it professionally that, I would tell therapists considering EMDR training “All therapists should train in EMDR therapy” or “ASAP.”

But you would be wrong.

Completing EMDR training requires a significant investment in time and money. I’ve seen many therapists waste both valuable time, money and in some cases lose confidence in their therapeutic ability by completing EMDR training when the timing wasn’t right or when EMDR therapy isn’t right for the therapist.

Each therapist who asks me this question receives a response based on the following considerations that we review together.

To read more click through the link in the comments

01/05/2026

What Four Years of Running Supervision Groups Has Taught Me: Confessions of an EMDR Consultant.

In my early career, I didn’t attend group supervision once. Nor my mid- career. I’d had group supervision in my Masters training but from the moment of I was employed as a psychologist, I sought one- to- one supervisionsupervision only. My thought process went something along the line of it being a waste of time. One- to-one supervision felt time efficient and additionally, it was focused on my cases. Group was inferior.

It wasn’t until 15 years later when I entered the EMDR accreditation process that I experienced group supervision again (in the world of EMDR we call this group consultation, however, they follow a similar format of shared learning). The only reason I sought group supervision was because it allowed me to complete my hours more quickly and it was cost effective compared to 1:1.

Here’s what happened next (click through to read more) https://www.nadenevanderlinden.com/blog/what-four-years-of-running-supervision-groups-has-taught-me-confessions-of-an-emdr-consultant

17/04/2026

Dear therapist, Here’s one thing you did well this week (final of the series).

You held boundaries with your client.

You held these boundaries from a position of care.

Care for your client and care for yourself.

You helped your client understand the boundaries of therapy by guiding them in what to expect from therapy.

You maintained time in a way that feels predictable and safe.

You held your client who pushed boundaries to account, in a clear, kind and firm way so that the therapy relationship felt safe for both of you. In doing this, you help your client understand why boundaries matter in their relationship with others.

This work of boundary holding is effortful. It's much easier in the moment to slip into "it's not a big deal" and "it doesn't really matter" type thinking.

It's easier to fool yourself into thinking a boundary breach here and there doesn't matter for the therapeutic relationship. Especially if you have a history of pleasing and keeping the peace.

As this week concludes, take a moment to notice how well you did holding boundaries in so many ways with your clients.

You probably opened this app today and were greeted with countless posts about what you missed, what you are doing wrong, what you need to be afraid of and many critical stories about therapists.

It's all designed to grab your attention and open your wallets.

I encourage you to pause. To notice the impact of these posts on your nervous system and your sense of well-being.

To consider making the choice not to engage with these posts and placing your focus on something that nurtures you or something that celebrates the good work therapists do.

I hope you have found the "what you've done well this week" series helpful.

Warmly

Nadene

04/04/2026

Dear therapist, Here’s one thing you did well this week

You listened with care, sensing the different pieces of theory and strategy coming together in your mind like threads forming a larger design.

You selected the best option for your client, whilst attuning to their needs. You reserved other choices for later.

You noticed how they responded to what you offered and adjusted as appropriate.

These choices may seem ordinary in the flow of a session, but they are the craft of therapy - offered with intention and deeply supportive.

You probably opened this app today and were greeted with countless posts about what you missed, what you are doing wrong, what you need to be afraid of and many critical stories about therapists.

It's all designed to grab your attention and open your wallets.

I encourage you to pause. To notice the impact of these posts on your nervous system and your sense of well-being.

To consider making the choice not to engage with these posts and placing your focus on something that nurtures you or something that celebrates the good work therapists do.

I'll be back next Friday with another installment about what you're doing well.

Warmly
Nadene

27/03/2026

Dear therapist, Here's one thing you're doing well this week.

You held the hope for your clients.

You shone a light on what is possible for your client, exploring it with curiosity.

You helped them see that the one constant in life is change, and that brings possibility.

You reminded them of the temporary nature of feelings, even when they believe these feelings will never change.

You held the hope for:

Your clients who are not sure if they can make change
Your clients who are uncertain about what change to make
Your clients who are afraid to change
Your clients who don't want to change right now
Your clients who want someone else to change first
Your clients who have lost hope that things can get better

And even on the weeks where it was difficult for you to hold hope, because you were tired or unsure, you showed up for tour clients, reminding them that you believe in their potential.

The steadiness you offer in those moments makes far more difference than you may realise.

You probably opened this app today and were greeted with countless posts about what you missed, what you are doing wrong, what you need to be afraid of and many critical stories about therapists.

It's all designed to grab your attention and open your wallets.

I encourage you to pause. To notice the impact of these posts on your nervous system and your sense of well-being.

To consider making the choice not to engage with these posts and placing your focus on something that nurtures you or something that celebrates the good work therapists do.

I'll be back next Friday with another installment about what you're doing well.

Warmly
Nadene

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