Experiences Ursula

Ursula De Korte was in Ukraine last week, where she visited six hospitals participating in the Virtucare project — a remarkable initiative supporting healthcare workers in eight Ukrainian hospitals through online counseling.

“This week was one of the most intense and meaningful weeks of my professional life. The people I met, the stories I heard, the strength I witnessed — it will stay with me for a long time.”

Read more about her experiences below:

Last week, I traveled through Ukraine, together with our partners from Psylaris and the Ukrainian Institute of Traumatherapy. From Cherkasy to Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and back to Kyiv. We visited 6 out of the 8 hospitals within the Virtucare project where healthcare workers treat wounded civilians and soldiers every single day. People who have been working under unimaginable pressure for years now, their stress systems disrupted, their reserves running low, yet they keep showing up.

In Kharkiv, so close to the front line, the hospital staff told us something that really stuck with me: hardly anyone comes to visit them anymore. People are afraid to travel there. When we walked in, you could feel what our presence meant to them. That moment alone made the entire journey worth it. In Zaporizhzhia, 17 km from the front line, I stood in a hospital that serves as the second point of treatment for wounded soldiers; the first being a room with four beds in the trenches. The dedication of the people working there and in Cherkasy, Dnipro and Kyiv is beyond words.
And then, on day three of the trip, it happened: the first client made an appointment on our online counseling platform. Someone who needed support and reached out.

PsyGlobal is building this online counseling platform for the healthcare workers of Ukraine, the people behind the patients, who rarely get to be the ones asking for help. Knowing that they have a place where they can share their feelings and thoughts and just feel support.
This week has been one of the most intense and meaningful of my professional life. The people I met, the stories I heard, the strength I witnessed; it will stay with me for a long time. Thank you to everyone supporting this from a distance. We are making a difference. And we are just getting started.

 

Visit Ukraine

Last week, our colleague Ursula De Korte visited Ukraine for the launch of a special project. Together with Psylaris, inMotion VR, HEAP Research, and the Ukrainian Institute of Traumatherapy, PsyGlobal is part of the Ukraine Partnership Facility (UPF). The UPF is an initiative of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs aimed at supporting Ukraine in its reform processes and development.

Within the Ukraine Partnership Facility, PsyGlobal and our partners are part of Project Virtucare, designed to support patients and healthcare workers in eight Ukrainian hospitals. As part of this project, PsyGlobal provides online counseling for all staff members in these local hospitals.

Since the start of the large‑scale Russian invasion, now four years ago, healthcare workers across Ukraine have been under immense pressure. Every day, they face complex and often traumatic situations. The enormous workload and the emotional burden of caring for others amid war and ongoing uncertainty take a heavy toll on their personal well‑being. Through free 1:1 online counseling sessions offered by our Ukrainian colleagues Nataliia Borysova and Tanya Poletaeva, these healthcare workers can strengthen their resilience, stress management, and mental health. Our goal is to support the emotional well‑being of professionals so they can continue their crucial work in a sustainable and healthy way.

Last week, Ursula visited six of the eight participating hospitals, where she spoke with psychologists, physiotherapists, doctors, and other healthcare staff about their experiences and challenges. Later this week, Ursula will share her own reflections on this meaningful visit.

We are very proud to be part of this project and grateful for the positive responses we received from staff during the visits. The first sessions have already been scheduled, and we look forward to supporting as many people as possible working in these hospitals through the online counseling sessions.

 

Trauma Treatment (EN)

Last year, PsyGlobal collaborated with Radboud University on the language course for Ukrainian professionals. This year, another meaningful partnership has been added:

In early February, the Introduction to Psychodiagnostics and Trauma Care course for Ukrainian psychologists began. This training, accredited by the Dutch Quality Register for Healthcare Psychologists (Kwaliteitsregister gz-psycholoog) and taught by psychotherapist Kim van Nimwegen, supports participants in recognizing and treating trauma-related complaints caused by war and displacement. The focus is on safe, professional, and evidence‑based care: from identifying PTSD to applying stabilization and exposure techniques.

We are once again very proud of this collaboration with Radboud University, but above all of “our” Ukrainian professionals, who continue to grow and dedicate themselves to high‑quality trauma care — even while working within a context that is complex and vulnerable for them personally.

 

REGISTRATIONS DSM-TRAINING 2026 NOW OPEN

 

🗓️ May 6 & June 3
🗓️ May 27 & June 24
🗓️ September 1 & 25
🗓️ October 6 & November 3

Good news for all international mental health professionals residing in the Netherlands: PsyGlobal launches 4 new course rounds for the popular DSM-training.

This English-language training course is an accessible and practical introductory training course about the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), widely used in the Netherlands. Knowledge of the DSM and descriptive diagnosis is essential and will help you to recognize symptoms, communicate with colleagues, and support diagnostic processes.

Registrations for the 4 training rounds in Utrecht are now open. Check the details and register directly via our website: https://lnkd.in/eppsxytt

Language certificates

At the end of January, we had the pleasure of awarding certificates to 34 Ukrainian psychologists after they completed the Dutch language course.

This milestone was made possible thanks to the collaboration between PsyGlobal and Radboud and Wageningen in’to Languages. With this course, the psychologists take an important next step toward professional growth and integration within the Dutch healthcare system.

We are grateful for the partnership that made this achievement possible. And above all, we are incredibly proud of the dedication and motivation of this group. Congratulations to all participants! 🌼

Vacancy PsyGlobal: Recruiter

Recruiter

PsyGlobal BV | 16-24 hours per week

About PsyGlobal

At PsyGlobal, we believe that high-quality mental health care should be accessible to everyone, regardless of language or cultural background. We connect mental health professionals with organisations where they can support clients who share their language and cultural background. By doing so, we improve access to culturally sensitive care and unlock underutilised international talent.

Your Role

As Recruiter, you play an important role in connecting international mental health professionals with meaningful positions within the Dutch mental health system. You source, engage and guide professionals throughout the recruitment journey, always with an eye on quality, care and long-term fit.

Relationship-building is at the heart of your work. You ensure that candidates feel supported, informed and taken seriously, while working towards sustainable placements that truly benefit both professionals and partner organisations.

Within the recruitment team, you bring seniority and expertise. You lead by example in a hands-on way, sharing your knowledge of the recruitment field and supporting colleagues in their daily work. At the same time, you act as a strategic sparring partner, translating developments in the labour market and international recruitment landscape into clear, actionable insights that strengthen PsyGlobal’s recruitment approach.

What you’ll do

• Actively sourcing and recruiting mental health professionals (e.g. psychologists, counselors, social workers, POH-GGZ) in the Netherlands
• Conducting intake interviews (primarily by phone and online)
• Guiding candidates throughout the full recruitment and placement process
• Building long-term relationships with professionals
• Advising candidates on career opportunities within the Dutch GGZ sector
• Collaborating closely with account managers and project teams
• Maintaining accurate candidate records in CRM/ATS systems
• Monitoring labour market developments within mental health care
• Actively engaging the team in the developments and innovations of recruitment and coaching them 
• Leading quarterly knowledge-sharing sessions to update the team on emerging trends, regulatory changes, and innovations in recruitment within the Netherlands.
• Proactively identifies opportunities to improve recruitment practices based on external market developments.

Who you are

• Minimum of 10 years experience in recruitment, preferably within healthcare or mental health
• Knowledge of (Dutch) HR practices, employment conditions, and relevant laws and regulations is essential
• Strong interpersonal skills and genuine interest in people
• Comfortable picking up the phone and engaging in meaningful conversations
• Good knowledge of, or strong affinity with the GGZ sector
• Excellent command of English (required) and Dutch (preferred)
• Culturally sensitive and experienced in working with people with diverse backgrounds
• Independent, proactive, and well-organised
• Experience in coaching and mentoring team members bringing the outcome to a higher level of quality

What we offer

• Employment contract for 1 year (with intention to extend)
• 16-24 hours per week
• Hybrid working model (minimum 2 days per week at the office in the Utrecht/Amsterdam region)
• Salary indication: €4500 – €4900, based on a 36-hour work week 

Are you interested in this role? Send us an email with your CV to apply.