Coaching for managers and professionals
Working with patterns that don't resolve on their own.
Coaching for managers and professionals who feel something keeps coming back — at work, in relationships, in themselves.
Recognition The word 'pattern' is abstract on its own. In practice, this is what I mean.
Not the habits you can unlearn through discipline.
These are the reactions that come automatically, before you consciously decide. You often recognise them at once — but they don't yield to thinking about them.
Curious which pattern is active for you? Take the self-scan →How it works
How a session unfolds
You come in with something that's got you stuck. Sometimes you know exactly where it sits, sometimes you don't. We start by looking — what happens, when, what does it do to you? Not to analyse it, but to sense clearly what we're working toward.
At a certain point we do a specific sequence of eye movements while you hold onto what belongs to it. That part is brief, methodical, and quiet. No hypnosis, no mantras. It's a technique that works at the layer where the pattern sits.
Afterwards we look at what has shifted. Not always everything at once — often you notice the biggest movement in the days that follow. That's part of how it works: the body integrates at its own pace.
About
Who you're working with
I'm Mitchel Heitinga, coach and trainer. Since 2010 I've worked with managers, professionals and young professionals on patterns that don't shift through knowledge alone. My palette: IEMT, Wholeness Work, Neurogram and NLP — trained by Andrew T. Austin, Connirae Andreas, Joost van der Leij and Richard Bandler.
Alongside my own practice I work part-time at Amsterdam UMC as an electronic medical records trainer. Earlier IT and business consultant; that background still shapes how I understand the corporate world. Working style: transparent, honest, to the point.
Helping people grow further is what makes this work meaningful to me. I see things clearly, and I'm open to change myself — that comes with the job.
More about me and my background →From practice
"The email came on Tuesday: eighteen roles gone, eight of them in my team. A week before they knew, I already knew who probably wouldn't stay. That morning I did a stand-up as if nothing was happening. Four months later I'm still waking up at four."
"We didn't work on the reorganisation itself — that was over. We looked at what kept running inside me: the waking up, the distance at home, the feeling I had to make right what couldn't be made right."
"I don't feel 'good' about what I had to do — and I'm not going to. But I carry it differently. My team notices I stand upright in meetings again. My partner notices I speak at the dinner table again. I notice: I sleep through until five."
Fictitious case, for illustration. Composed from patterns I encounter in practice — not based on one specific client.
Practical
What to expect
A trajectory of six or nine sessions is more than six or nine appointments. It's a process in which something can shift that doesn't move through individual conversations. That's why I work with trajectories — and only book individual sessions as follow-up or maintenance.
Private rates
- Introductory call 20 min, phone or videoFree
- Signature trajectory 6 sessions × 60-90 min, 1-2 week interval€ 1,320
- Deepening trajectory 9 sessions × 60-90 min, 1-2 week interval€ 1,890
- Single session / follow-up 60-90 min — for maintenance after a trajectory€ 245
All rates are VAT-exempt. For business rates and coaching during return-to-work, see For HR and employers.
How a session unfolds
A session lasts 60 to 90 minutes. We start by looking at what is going on, work at the right moment with a specific technique, and close with space for what has shifted.
Where
Almost all of the work happens online via a secure connection — that works excellently for IEMT, including the first trajectory. If you want to meet in person, I work in Hoorn; that's by arrangement.
How to begin
With a 20-minute introductory call. Free and without obligation. Afterwards you decide whether to continue — never under pressure.
Funding and reimbursement
Via your employer
Many Dutch collective labour agreements (CAOs) include a personal development budget (POB), career budget, or individual choice budget (IKB). Coaching often qualifies. With reimbursement via the Werkkostenregeling, it is usually untaxed for you.
As self-employed or entrepreneur
Coaching costs are deductible as business expenses because they contribute to your professional development. You process it administratively as a business investment.
As a private individual
Since 1 January 2022, coaching costs are no longer deductible as educational expenses in Dutch tax returns. Employer reimbursement is still possible; happy to think with you about that.
Frequently asked questions
Who does this approach work for?
For patterns that don't shift through knowledge alone. Think automatic reactions at work or in relationships, "what if" thinking that won't stop, getting stuck on decisions, recurring burnout signals, the feeling that things happen to you. Not for acute psychiatric issues or crisis support — clinical professionals exist for that. If in doubt, I'm happy to think with you about what would fit.
Is this therapy?
No. This is coaching, not regulated healthcare. The work doesn't fall under the Dutch Wkkgz framework. For psychological issues requiring diagnosis or treatment, I refer to a GP, occupational physician or psychologist. When in doubt: call first, then we look together whether I'm the right person or someone else.
What is the difference between IEMT and EMDR?
They're often confused because both use eye movements, but their goals and structure differ fundamentally. EMDR is a clinical therapy for memory processing, aimed at trauma resolution through bilateral stimulation. I use IEMT as coaching work focused on reorganising emotional and identity patterns (emotional and identity imprints) and personal traits that have been lost, with chronicity patterns as the core framework. Eye movements are one instrument within IEMT — alongside precise questioning and Austin's Three Pillars model. Both methods can work effectively on similar themes — the choice between EMDR within a care framework or IEMT outside it is more about what fits you (framework, preference, match with practitioner) than about a ranking.
How many sessions do I actually need?
Six to nine for most trajectories, 60 to 90 minutes per session, one to two weeks between appointments. Six is usually enough for specific patterns. Nine for themes that sit deeper. Longer than nine is rarely needed; if it looks like it would be, that usually means something else is going on that we need to name first — and I'll say so.
What if I have doubts after one session?
Then we stop. You're not obliged to finish a full trajectory and you only pay for sessions that have taken place. Doubt is information — about the method, about timing, or about the match between us. I'm transparent about that; no one benefits from you continuing when it doesn't feel right.
How confidential is what I share?
Everything said in a session stays between us. With business trajectories, your employer only receives what has been agreed in advance — usually confirmation of start and completion, never content details. What you share with me, I don't share. That's not up for negotiation.
Who is this not suitable for?
The line sits on what I offer, not on what IEMT as a method can do. In acute psychiatric crisis regulated care is the first step — I work outside the Dutch Wkkgz framework. Heavy trauma work where clinical expertise exists I refer to specialists. Methodologically I don't analyze the why — IEMT works differently: we start with the emotional charge, targeted questions surface the memory connected to that charge, and the eye movements work on that memory. If what you primarily want is to understand and analyze, this isn't the right approach. If in doubt, I'm happy to think with you.
Can my employer reimburse this?
Many employers reimburse coaching via a personal development budget (POB), career budget, or individual choice budget (IKB). Employer reimbursement via the Dutch Werkkostenregeling is usually untaxed. Happy to think with you about how to justify it with your employer.
Is coaching tax-deductible for entrepreneurs and self-employed?
Yes. As a self-employed person or business owner, coaching costs are deductible as business expenses, because they contribute to your professional development. For private coaching costs, the educational expenses deduction was abolished as of 1 January 2022.
For HR and employers
Coaching as investment, not as last resort.
Coaching as an intervention for burnout prevention, during return-to-work after absence, or as an investment in a manager hitting a ceiling. I work directly with the employee, with coordination on framework and contract via HR or line manager. Primarily set up for Dutch organisations and internationals based in the Netherlands.
Confidentiality of sessions is non-negotiable — HR receives status and agreed-upon reporting, not what happens inside conversations.
Patterns don't shift on their own. They do shift when you look at them differently and feel differently about them.
An introductory call is the simplest first step. 20 minutes, no obligation, no preparation required.