I am a Mental Health Professional

If you are interested in working through PsyGlobal, please first fill out our application form. In this form, we ask you for some basic information about your education and your experience.
After we receive your application, our National Coordinator (NC) will get in touch with you to set up an online interview. After the interview, we will include you in our database. This is also a good moment to start the validation process of your diplomas. More information about that process is stated below.
When we find a potential match for you we set up an interview between you and the MHO. If this interview is positive for both parties, PsyGlobal goes ahead with the contractual agreements. This will not take longer than a few days, after which you can start working.

Once you start working via PsyGlobal you will be actually active in two teams; the team of the MHO where we placed you, and the team of PsyGlobal. What is arranged in the MHO where you work, depends on the practice itself. It is common to have (2-)weekly meetings with the team to discuss clients, but this also depends on how many clients you are seeing. You will have a supervisor ('regiebehandelaar’) who needs to see your clients at least once during the therapy and will have regular meetings with you to follow-up. Within the team of PsyGlobal, you don't have any obligations, but you are welcome to join us in the two-monthly intervision sessions, you can have additional supervision on request and you can participate in the trainings we offer. Furthermore, we'll arrange quarterly social drinks, to meet with the other therapists in an informal way.

As mentioned earlier it is important to get your diplomas recognized before you can work as a foreign MHP in the Netherlands. We also advise you to get your diplomas validated. 

The validation of your diploma is temporarily free for Ukrainians. For other nationalities, the costs are €148.83. Validation is done by the International Credential Evaluation (IDW).

Here is a step by step description of the diploma validation process:

1. Visit the IDW website – https://idw.nl/nl/werken.html
2. On the IDW website (https://idw.nl/nl/werken.html) get acquainted with the list of required documents (also available in Ukrainian)
3. Collect and translate all required documents (self-made translation with Google Translate is possible)
4. Read the instruction (https://idw.nl/en/how-to-mijn-idw.html) of how to submit an application online (available in English)
5. Fill out the application form, upload the required documents, and submit your application
6. Wait for feedback from IDW (the regular validation process takes up to 8 weeks)
7. Get a confirmation of the diploma validation
8. If you applied at PsyGlobal before your validation was complete, please send us an update upon completion at info@psyglobal.org

The official language of the Netherlands is Dutch. What places the Netherlands among linguistically unique countries is that a prevailing number of people residing in the Netherlands are also fluent in English. This makes living and working in the Netherlands fairly easier for foreigners. 

We are of the opinion that a professional level of English and/or Dutch language increases chances for employment in the Netherlands. It is important that you are able to communicate not only with your clients (in your own language), but also with your colleagues (in English/Dutch). 

Therefore, we highly encourage you to learn some basic Dutch and at least English.

There are several translation services that offer to translate diplomas in English or Dutch. Translating your diplomas is necessary if you want the nuffic/IDW to recognize your diploma. Make sure that the translation services is done by sworn and certified interpreters and translators.

PsyGlobal is keen on protecting and developing the quality of mental health care. We are doing this by offering supervision, intervision, memberships to educational platforms (PsyFlix) and by arranging training, specifically for the people we work with. Last year we did so by setting up the 'masterclasses for Ukraine'. In September, a 5-day training for trauma therapy is planned. You can stay updated via our website on the details and on how to apply. Feel free to send us an email if you have questions.

PsyGlobal follows the standard Dutch CAO (Collective Employment Agreement) when hiring their MHPs. You can download the CAO here. You will be in scale 60, based on a 36-hour workweek.

PsyFlix offers a broad range of videos covering all areas of psychotherapy and diagnostics. The speakers on PsyFlix are (inter)nationally renowned experts within respective fields. It is possible to collect credits recognised by professional associations while watching and participating in webinars. PsyFlix supports PsyGlobal by offering free memberships to psychologists in our network.

The title 'psychologist' is not protected in the Netherlands, which means that in theory everyone can call him- or herself a psychologist, receive private clients and be paid for their services. However, since mental health care is covered by the health insurance, the majority of clients seek psychologists that are officially acknowledged and that have agreements with insurance companies. This way mental health care is for free or at least partially covered. In order to be acknowledged by the Dutch insurance system, a diploma valued on master level is required. Under supervision of a BIG-registered psychologist activities can then be covered by the insurance. It is difficult for a foreign psychologist to work independently because you need to register at the BIG Registration and have knowledge of the Dutch language.

It is good to be aware of the different registrations dutch psychologists can have. After graduating (a minimum of 4 years university) a student can receive the master Psychology which is called a WO (wetenschappelijk onderwijs) or Basis-psycholoog. These graduates do not have a BIG registration but are able to work as a psychologist under supervision of a BIG registered psychologist. After a few years, most of the psychologists try to apply for a position as GZ-Psycholoog. This is a two year education (on the job plus 1 day a week class). There are less positions than candidates so it can take some time to be accepted to this study. As a GZ-Psycholoog you are generally trained and get your BIG registration, which means you can work independently in basic mental health care. After this, you can apply for the 3-4 years studies of psychotherapist or clinical psychologist. These two disciplines will probably be combined in the near future, but as for now, the psychotherapist is mostly focused on complex psychotherapies, whereas the clinical psychologist is also trained in management, research and diagnostics.

In the Netherlands there are several studies that prepare you for working in mental health care. Besides psychology and psychiatry (medical exam) you'll find the following disciplines in the GGZ:

• (ortho) pedagoog- a university degree, same duration as psychology but focuses on children and pedagogics.
• Verpleegkundig specialist GGZ- BIG registered/HBO+. Background in nursing but with additional training and the competence to prescribe medication.
• SPV (sociaal psychiatrisch verpleegdkundige)-BIG registered/HBO+, nursing specialised in working within the mental health care
• Maatschappelijk werk-HBO. Social worker who often has a supportive position and is well aware of the social map.
• Systeemtherapeut-HBO/University. Works with families and couples.
• Vaktherapeut-HBO, often works with non-verbal ways in therapy (art/drama/body)

In general CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) is the most applied therapy form in the Netherlands. The mental health care institutions (and insurance companies) put a lot of emphasis on evidence based forms of therapy. The VGCT (Dutch CBT) association had its own educational program and the title of 'cognitief gedragstherapeut' is considered valuable. Popular associations aligned with the CBT frame are Schematherapy (VVS) and the EMDR (VEN). However, the psychoanalytic school is also popular (NVPP), offering an educational program to become a psychoanalytic psychotherapist. Related associations that are popular in the Netherlands are MBT (MBTNederland) and TFP. Furthermore, there are associations focussing on systemic approaches, group therapy, client-centered, gestalt and alternative ways of psychotherapy. The NIP is the Dutch psychological organization bringing this all together.

To be able to work as an independent psychologist, psychotherapist, clinical or GZ-psycholoog in the Netherlands requires a post-graduate education done in the Netherlands. Furthermore, these titles are, unlike the title of basic psychologist, protected by the Dutch government. Without a so-called BIG registration, you are not allowed to work in these fields. 

It is possible to get your professional qualifications and experience acquired abroad recognized, but this process is not easy. It requires passing knowledge- and skill tests and an advanced proficiency of the English and Dutch language.

PsyGlobal helps foreign psychologists to find a job as a "basispsycholoog" (basic psychologist) under the supervision of a Dutch MHP. Working under supervision does not restrain you from applying your knowledge and skills at its fullest.

In general, care for 18+ people is covered by the mandatory health insurance in the Netherlands. Child and youth mental health care (Jeugd-GGZ) is provided and contracted on a local scale. The minicipality is responsible for contracting mental healthcare providers in the region and paying for their provision. The accesibility and organization of Child and Youth care can therefore differentiate per municipality.

The general practitioner is a doctor based in the community who provides general medical treatment and refers those with serious conditions to a more specialized facility like a hospital or a Mental Health Organisation. In case you need curative treatment at an MHO, you will always need to be referred by a GP to this MHO. Otherwise, the health provision will not be covered by health insurance.

If you are a Ukrainian displaced person residing in the Netherlands, you are allowed to work. You do need to get your status a 'temporarily displaced' recognized by the IND (the Immigration and Naturalization Service). When you do, you will receive a sticker in your passport, or the so-called O-form. If you don't have this sticker or form, you can contact the IND to obtain it: https://ind.nl/en/ukraine 

The LOGO-declaration is an official certificate that is required if you want to enroll in a post-master education as a psychologist (GZ-psychologist). This certificate serves as proof of required qualifications. The intention is to make this LOGO-statue also required for master psychologists who want to work in mental health care covered by the health insurance.

It is still not decided whether or not you need this declaration. There is a lot of discussion about the LOGO. It has been postponed several times and is now planned to be required starting January 2024.

‘Regiebehandelaar' is the psychologist who is officially responsible for the treatment. This treatment can be conducted by him- or herself, or can be done by a 'basis psycholoog', a psychologist with a master's diploma. In that case the Regiebehandelaar supervises the treatment by regular meetings with the 'basis-psycholoog' and by seeing the client at least once a year. The Regiebehandelaar had had a postmaster education as a GZ-psycholoog, psychotherapist, klinisch psycholoog, psychiatrist or 'verpleegkundig specialist'.

Bruto (gross) salary is best defined as the sum of salary before the deduction of tax and insurance(s). Netto (net) salary is the result of initial pay including tax and other sorts of deductions made.

Direct time is time spent in contact with your client. This can be face to face, during a video call, on the phone or by mail. These minutes are covered by health insurance. Indirect time is the time spent on your client, but without the client being present. So your administration (files, writing letters) and meetings. Since 2022 this time is not covered anymore.