Asserting psychotherapy as an autonomous profession: what can we learn from the Netherlands?

Abstract

This paper provides a historical overview of the development of psychotherapy in the Netherlands from the late 19th century to the present day leading to the legal recognition of psychotherapy as a profession. Together with the improvement of the mental health care system, this was one of the important consequences of an accelerated democratic development of Dutch society as a whole after the Second World War. The paper also describes the present state of normative regulation of psychotherapy in the Netherlands, including access to the profession of psychotherapist, incorporation of psychotherapy into the health care system, and the financing of psychotherapeutic services. The last part of the paper is dedicated to the main characteristics of good normative regulation of psychotherapy based on an international comparison of the Netherlands and other European countries. A good normative regulation should take into account the historical development, the current status of psychotherapy, and the vision of future development. Moreover, it should diminish the destructive rivalry between different professions involved in mental health care, guarantee equal entry conditions for education, recognise various psychotherapeutic approaches and foster cooperation between academic institutions, associations and institutes. The paper ends with a reflection on how the expansion of neoliberalism hampers psychotherapy from being well regulated.