Experiences

My son has dyslexia and was diagnosed at the age of 7 or 8. I read the book ‘The Gift of Dyslexia’, which a friend of a friend had recommended to me. The description of the characteristics that someone with dyslexia might have immediately appealed to me and matched my son's wonderful qualities perfectly. During that period, we started the regular dyslexia treatment offered in the Netherlands. My son made some progress, but the steps were very small and it did not prepare him for the future. After completing this treatment plan, we considered the paid options and chose the Davis Method. We worked with Ellen for a week and a half, and after about two days of hard work, we already saw a change in our son's concentration, his ability to respond better, and his reading skills. It is not only a treatment to learn to read better, but it also prepares him for the future and gives him skills to deal better with situations in everyday life. Ellen is a sweetheart and welcomed us into her home with hospitality and love. She worked hard with our son, but also took his mental and physical abilities into account. We were also in the process of switching to English because of a move to the US. Ellen was able to help us in both English and Dutch and show us how to apply the method and the tools in both languages.

Our gifted daughter came to Ellen in October for help with maths. At school, she did not receive the help that worked for her. After Ellen's guidance, she had more self-confidence and her self-image had changed positively, because she saw that she actually could do maths! It had just never been explained to her in a way that suited her. Ellen was able to do that. We saw her blossom.

For example, she learned the multiplication tables from 1 to 10 in one afternoon, whereas she had never managed to do so at school despite practising! This gave her an enormous boost in self-confidence. In February, she took the transition test (Year 8 of primary school) and, for the first time in her life, achieved passing grades in maths! This was also a Cito test, and it was decisive for her secondary school recommendation. She now has a good foundation in maths for secondary school and for the rest of her life.

I am sometimes still amazed at what she can do. Even mental arithmetic. She is truly a different child. Happy!

At school, I wasn't helped properly with maths. With Snappet and things like that. But thanks to Ellen's help, my maths is now much better. My secondary school recommendation went from HAVO to VWO. Maths is much easier now. I now understand almost everything. Sometimes I still make a few mistakes, but I immediately pick it up again using the Davis Method. Things are going well for me now. Ellen has helped me a lot. She was kind and understood me so well.

When we arrived at Ellen, Arthur had already had so many negative experiences with reading that he actually didn’t want to try it anymore. The resistance was enormous. Therefore, it was difficult to motivate him. Fortunately, Ellen was not easily put off and with a lot of patience she managed to get Arthur to ‘like’ reading. With small successes, she noticed that reading became easier. At first, AVI level M3 was still difficult, but after half a year of reading, we read AVI M7 together. And with pleasure!

After I went to Ms. Ellen's class, I found reading much more enjoyable. I enjoyed playing games in between and I got chocolate after an exercise (that really had to be done, that was important!).

I had the great opportunity to be guided by Ellen van Doorn-Davis Counsellor. This program was a life-changing experience for me. Allowing myself to take this program is what I call loving myself and investing in myself. Being dyslexic and coming from a communist country where if you can’t read or write like the other children, you are considered to be stupid and lazy. This feeling stayed with me until I met Ellen – Life coach and Davis counsellor.

This program made me believe in myself. Ellen believed in me when I didn’t. She made me get rid of the fear of reading and writing when I never thought this would be possible. She walked with me through this process with so much dedication. Because of it I am now an I.T. clinical psychologist, and reading is my first hobby. When I met her I had no clear goals. Besides being an amazing Davis counselor she is also a great Life coach. We set goals for the next 3 years for me to achieve, all of them are already happening now, less than 6 months since I set them. I can talk without fear that people think I am stupid.

I arrived at Ellen with a child, convinced that she had dyscalculia, with a low self esteem, with a school advise for maths that didn’t relate to the rest of the scores she was achieving, but still willing to give the Davis method a chance. Fast forward a few weeks of hard work with Ellen and I saw a happy confident girl, that knew she just had a different way of processing information, with better scores, and a lot more confidence in her own future and capabilities.

What a special experience. After the first session, I noticed a difference. I came home very tired, with a slight headache. The beginning is always difficult. But doing the homework and concentrating worked for me; I understood the online meeting I was taking part in and was able to stay focused. Furthermore, I have another study assignment that I am now starting, and oh my God: I can stay focused. Unbelievable. My problem was often thinking I couldn’t do it. Energy drained away. But already today I have made so much progress: it’s a miracle! Thank you for that! I really have lost my fear of failure. Welcome to my new world!

In January 2021 I started working with Davis Counseling at Ellen van Doorn. The goals I wanted to achieve were both personal (think: making my home less cluttered, being less easily overwhelmed, and having less of a tendency to need to sleep during the day) and work-related (having more focus during meetings, creating better planning for the day, and getting more peace of mind at work). Together with Ellen, we started working on these goals. The Davis method is very practice-oriented and makes extensive use of visualization and hands-on work. Very convenient for someone with ADHD/ADD. By doing a lot of exercises and alternating mental exercises with hands-on work, Ellen kept the sessions manageable. The sessions were intense, but very effective. Within a few sessions, I already had my brain somewhat in order and I was able to get through the day with a little more focus and less fatigue at home and at work thanks to some practical tips. After going through the process with Ellen and having time on my own, in 2022 I decided to take an in-depth course with her again to get even more focused at work and learn to plan better in the medium term. I really benefited from this as well. What has definitely helped me during my sessions is that Ellen is a very open and warm person. She is honest, dares to address more difficult topics, and then guides you in a very professional (but also friendly) way to get the most out of the sessions. She also takes your boundaries into account, but also sees your potential and does everything she can to realize that potential. I am very grateful to Ellen Doorn for what she has taught me and shown me, and I wholeheartedly recommend her!

I had the great opportunity to be guided by Ellen van Doorn-Davis Counsellor. This program was a life-changing experience for me. Allowing myself to take this program is what I call loving myself and investing in myself. Being dyslexic and coming from a communist country where if you can’t read or write like the other children, you are considered to be stupid and lazy. This feeling stayed with me until I met Ellen – Life coach and Davis counsellor.

After Ellen’s treatment, I was much faster, I finished my work at school and I had a lot more space in my head. We worked hard and it was very fun.