If you’re having thoughts of suicide, call 113 or 0800-0113 (free). In an emergency, call 112.
Short on time? Skip to the summary. New to the Dutch terms? See the glossary.
If you’ve arrived at this page frustrated and confused by the process of finding mental health care in the Netherlands, know that you’re in good company. While the Netherlands has a well-regarded healthcare system, it has its own shortcomings, some of which can feel particularly alien if you’re new to navigating its sometimes complex bureaucracy. Whether you’re an expat looking for an English-speaking therapist or simply new to the system, there are a few steps you’ll need to take before you’re “on the couch,” so to speak.
First things first: do you need a GP referral for therapy?
For insured care, yes. Here in the Netherlands, your huisarts (GP) functions as both general practitioner and gatekeeper to many of the specialized healthcare services you may need. For those coming from the US, asking your doctor for a referral is commonplace, though you may have had direct access to specialists depending on the private insurance you carried. This is not the case here, and depending on the urgency of your needs, this feature of the Dutch healthcare system can be either reassuring or maddening.
If you haven’t found a huisarts yet, make sure you register with one as soon as you can, as availability can be in short supply depending on where you live. A quick search should show practices nearby, and your insurer’s website will also have a search tool. You will still have to call to see if they’re taking new patients. Some practices only accept new patients at specific times during the week, so be sure to ask when you speak to someone at the front desk. Finally, keep a running list of who you’ve contacted and what they said. If you’re not a native Dutch speaker, practice names can start to run together, and it’s easy to lose track of who you called and where things stand.
What if you can’t find a huisarts?
If this approach doesn’t work for you, contact your health insurer. Insurers have a legal duty called zorgplicht (duty of care), and they can help you find a huisarts through zorgbemiddeling, or “care mediation.” Importantly, this care mediation also extends to GGZ waiting lists, which we’ll come back to later.
Meet your POH-GGZ
More than a strange series of letters, this refers to a mental health professional who works with your GP practice. In a 2021 Nivel survey, about 78% of practices had a POH-GGZ. Some practices share one, and others have their own. Most often, the POH-GGZ is a psychiatric nurse, but you’ll find psychologists and social workers in the mix as well. Notably, this option is free, with no hit to your eigen risico (deductible), whatever your policy.
POH-GGZ staff are generally available for assessment and short-term support. They’ll help both you and your huisarts understand what’s going on and lay out next steps in case a referral is necessary. Keep in mind that Dutch mental health care is largely overloaded. The system sets a waiting-time limit, the Treeknorm: for GGZ, 4 weeks to an intake and 10 weeks to the start of treatment, so 14 weeks in total. In practice, waits are often longer. If you’ve waited beyond this limit, contact your insurer and ask for wachtlijstbemiddeling (waiting-list mediation), for their help finding care in time.
The difference between basis GGZ and specialized GGZ
If your huisarts decides, often with input from the POH-GGZ, that you need care outside the practice, you’ll be referred to either basis GGZ or specialized GGZ. Basis GGZ is mainly delivered by GZ-psychologists, the role the system was built around. These practitioners treat common mental health issues like depression and anxiety, and the work typically features short-term, evidence-based treatments such as CBT, EMDR for trauma, and guided online (e-health) modules.
For more complex or ongoing mental health issues, you may be referred to specialized GGZ (gespecialiseerde GGZ). This referral comes from your huisarts. If you’re moved from basis GGZ to specialized care, you don’t need a new referral; your provider simply notifies your huisarts.
It’s also important to know that insured care is focused on treating a diagnosed condition. Insured GGZ generally requires a DSM diagnosis, which means concerns like burnout-adjacent stress, difficult life transitions, relationship patterns, and questions of meaning and direction may not qualify.
Is therapy covered by insurance in the Netherlands? What it costs
The easiest way to understand the costs is to break them down into tiers.
Tier 1: Free
Seeing your huisarts and working with your POH-GGZ costs nothing and doesn’t touch your eigen risico. If you’re dealing with stress, low mood, or a rough patch that can be managed within this relationship, your out-of-pocket costs will be zero.
Tier 2: Insured, with a referral
If your huisarts refers you to basis or specialized GGZ, the costs depend on your health insurance policy. With a contracted provider, you only pay toward your eigen risico (€385 in 2026, €400 in 2027). If you work with a non-contracted provider, your insurance will only pay part of the fee, often 60–85% of your insurer’s average contracted rate, and the provider may charge more than that rate. You pay the balance (see reimbursement rates by policy). Independent psychologists and psychiatrists are more likely than hospitals to have no contract, so ask your insurer what they reimburse for non-contracted providers.
Finally, your insurer has a legal duty to make sure you can get care within the Treeknorm. If you’ve waited longer than that limit, contact your insurer and ask for wachtlijstbemiddeling (waiting-list mediation). They must first try to find you a contracted provider in time. If they can’t offer a suitable option, they have to cover a non-contracted provider in full. Get their agreement in writing before you start, because going to a non-contracted provider on your own means you’ll only be partly reimbursed.
Tier 3: Private therapy without a referral
If you’re willing to look outside the GGZ system, there are many private options, and you can contact a therapist directly, with no referral, no waiting list, and no diagnosis required. The difference is that you pay for sessions yourself, because basic insurance doesn’t cover care without a referral. This route isn’t better than the insured one. It’s simply a different fit. If you’re in crisis, need medication, or have complex needs, your huisarts and their POH-GGZ are the right place to start.
That said, many people come to therapy for things that don’t fit neatly into a diagnosis. A move hasn’t settled the way you’d hoped. A relationship pattern keeps repeating. A sense that something in your life needs to change, without knowing what. Others simply don’t want to wait months, or want to choose who they talk to, in what language, and with what shared cultural background.
That’s the work I do. I’m a US-licensed therapist (LPC, NCC), and I see clients online throughout the Netherlands and in person in Leiden. I offer a free 30-minute intro call, a €60 first session, and a €120 standard session rate, VAT included. If you’re not sure whether this is right for you, book a free intro call or send me a message. I’m happy to answer any questions about me or my practice.
In summary
Start with your huisarts (GP). A referral from them is what unlocks therapy covered by insurance.
Can’t find a GP? Your health insurer has a legal duty to help you find one, so call them.
Ask about the POH-GGZ. Many GP practices have a mental health professional who offers short-term support for free.
Insured therapy comes in two levels. Basis GGZ is for mild to moderate problems; specialized GGZ is for more complex ones. Your GP decides, often with input from the POH-GGZ.
Insured care counts toward your eigen risico (deductible). That’s €385 in 2026 and €400 in 2027.
Check whether your provider is contracted with your insurer. If not, you may only get 60–85% reimbursed.
Waiting too long? If the wait goes past the legal limit, ask your insurer for wachtlijstbemiddeling. They may have to cover a non-contracted provider in full.
Private therapy is another option. No referral, no waiting list, no diagnosis needed, but you pay yourself.
In crisis? Call 113 or 0800-0113 (free) if you’re having thoughts of suicide, 112 in an emergency, or the huisartsenpost for urgent help outside office hours.
A quick Dutch/English term guide
Aanvullende verzekering: Supplementary insurance you can add to your basic policy. Coverage varies by insurer.
Basisverzekering: The basic health insurance everyone living or working in the Netherlands must have. It covers insured mental health care.
Basis GGZ (generalistische basis-ggz): Insured mental health care for mild to moderate problems, usually with a GZ-psychologist.
BIG-register: The official register of protected healthcare titles. You can use it to check a provider’s registration.
Combinatiepolis: A policy type between natura and the old restitutie policy, with more choice of provider but not always full reimbursement.
Eigen risico: Your annual deductible, the amount you pay yourself before insurance pays. €385 in 2026, €400 in 2027.
Gecontracteerd / niet-gecontracteerd: Whether a provider has a contract with your insurer. Contracted care is reimbursed in full; non-contracted care often only partly.
Gespecialiseerde GGZ: Insured mental health care for complex or severe problems, led by a psychotherapist, clinical psychologist, or psychiatrist.
GGZ (geestelijke gezondheidszorg): Mental health care in general.
GZ-psycholoog: Healthcare psychologist. A protected title, and the main provider in basis GGZ.
Huisarts: Your GP or family doctor, and the starting point for insured mental health care.
Klinisch psycholoog: Clinical psychologist. A protected title with specialist training.
Naturapolis: The most common policy type. Full reimbursement at contracted providers, partial elsewhere.
NZa (Nederlandse Zorgautoriteit): The Dutch healthcare authority that supervises insurers. You can report to it if your insurer doesn’t help.
Passantentarief: The visitor rate for seeing a GP you’re not registered with.
Patiëntenstop: When a GP practice isn’t taking new patients.
POH-GGZ (praktijkondersteuner huisarts GGZ): A mental health professional working with your GP who offers assessment and short-term support for free.
Psychotherapeut: Psychotherapist. A protected title.
Restitutiepolis: A policy type that used to cover any provider in full. No longer offered.
Treeknorm: The maximum acceptable waiting time. For GGZ, 4 weeks to intake and 10 weeks to treatment.
Verwijzing / verwijsbrief: A referral or referral letter from your GP.
Wachtlijstbemiddeling / zorgbemiddeling: Waiting-list or care mediation. Your insurer’s help finding care in time.
Zorgplicht: Your insurer’s legal duty of care to make sure you can get the care you’re insured for.
Zorgverzekeraar: Your health insurer.
