Tabanca

Mijn naam is Selina Merley Boye (zij/haar). Ik ben transcultureel systeemtherapeut, filosoof en psycholoog, en ik run praktijk Tabanca. Ik bied zowel persoonlijke als online individuele, relatie- en gezinstherapie aan. De praktijk is gevestigd in het centrum van Amsterdam, en sessies zijn beschikbaar in het Engels, Nederlands en Duits.
Mijn therapeutische benadering is persoonsgericht, contextueel en intersectioneel. Ik zie heling als het in contact en in lijn komen met ons meest authentieke zelf. Hierdoor zijn we ook in staat de diepste en meest vervullende relaties te vormen. Mijn intentie is om jou en je dierbaren te ondersteunen in het vinden van groei in een warme, oordeel-vrije omgeving.
Als dit je aanspreekt, voel je vrij om contact op te nemen met eventuele vragen of om een sessie te boeken.

De Praktijk

Tabanca provides individual, couples, and family therapy in the center of Amsterdam. As a psychologist and systemic therapist with a background in philosophy, I combine analytical and systemic approaches, placing the individual at the center and always considering their full context, cultural resources, and strengths. My work is guided by core values like intersectionality, trauma sensitivity, and consent. I am passionate about transcultural systemic therapy and expanding perspectives, while my analytical side finds fulfillment in deeply exploring the human experience.

I intentionally welcome and support members of the queer, BIPOC, polyamorous, and non-monogamous communities, as well as those in blended or chosen family systems. The practice is queer-affirming, kink-aware, and sex work-positive.

Opleiding, kwalificaties en ervaring

Undergraduate Education

  • Bachelor of Science in Psychology (TU Enschede)
  • Master of Science in Clinical Psychology (VU Amsterdam)
  • Master of Arts in Philosophy (VU Amsterdam)

Postgraduate Training

  • Transcultural Systemic Therapy (2-year Postgraduate Program, CTTO)
  • Other therapeutic modalities that I bring into my work include: Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET), Mentalization-Based Therapy (MBT), Focusing, Nonviolent Communication (NVC), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Mindfulness, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

My work within the Dutch Mental Health Industrial Complex (MHIC) has spanned a range of settings, from providing therapy in specialized addiction care to working in small group practices focused on individuals with migration backgrounds, and supporting LGBTQIA+ youth and their family systems. Over the years, I have gained experience addressing various mental dis-ease expressions, including anxiety, depression, (intergenerational) trauma, grief, addictions and compulsions, difficulty with emotion-regulation, and relationship and attachment issues.

A note on the MHIC: With professional experience comes the responsibility to acknowledge complicity in a system built on structural sanism, racism and queerphobia. The MHIC, to this day, continues to pathologize adaptive responses to underlying structural issues which disproportionately affect marginalized communities. Having been both educated and employed within this system, I want to acknowledge my privilege and complicity. I am committed to un/learning and dismantling the rigid, harmful frameworks that continue to shape the MHIC. While I believe therapy has important value, it is only a small piece in the puzzle of the broader landscape of holistic wellness, and well-being. Ultimately, the goal is to help build stronger structures of community care and healing, where therapy plays a supporting role, but is never seen as the sole solution to systemic issues.

Over de persoon

I understand the world from the perspective of a queer, mixed-race, middle-class-ish, currently able-bodied, 32-year-old immigrant. My ancestry is Ghanian-German, and as a child of the African diaspora with a family history of migration, I’ve faced the challenges, grief, and relief that come with adapting relationships to physical distance. Now based in Amsterdam, I find joy in capoeira, mountain hikes, art, literature, and engaging with local societal issues.

Invloeden

Cherished voices influencing my path are bell hooks, Jennifer Mullan, Tricia Hersey, Báyò Akómoláfé, adrienne maree brown, Camille Sapara Barton, Yvette Erasmus, Ji-Youn Kim, Jacob Ham, Natalie Wynn, Betty Martin, Dan Savage, Carl Rogers and Charles Eisenstein, and many others who don’t sustain a public presence.

Over Tabanca

Tabanca is an Afro-Caribbean term commonly used in the Creole languages of Trinidad and Tobago. It describes a profound state of melancholy or lovesickness, often stemming from unrequited love or the end of a relationship. It captures a deep longing for something or someone absent, similar to homesickness. I encountered this term through the artwork of Tamara Tashna, and its meaning resonated with my desire to create a space where people can move beyond longing for connection, finding a deeper sense of home within themselves and their relationships.