Reaching out for mental-health support is hard in any language, and harder when you do not know the system. The Dutch route is clear once you see it: it starts at your huisarts. Here is the path, including a service many expats have never heard of, and the words to ask for help.
Step 1: the huisarts
Mental health care (geestelijke gezondheidszorg, GGZ) starts with your huisarts (GP). You tell them how you have been feeling, and they assess what you need. As the Rijksoverheid and Thuisarts.nl explain, the GP is the gateway here as for all care.
Phrases to open the conversation, building on describing how you feel:
- Ik voel me al een tijdje somber. (I’ve been feeling down for a while.)
- Ik ben erg gespannen / angstig. (I’m very tense / anxious.)
- Ik slaap slecht en pieker veel. (I sleep badly and worry a lot.)
Step 2: the POH-GGZ (the one you may not know)
A service worth knowing: the POH-GGZ (praktijkondersteuner huisarts, GGZ) is a mental-health practice nurse based in the GP surgery. They offer short-term conversations and support for common issues, stress, low mood, anxiety, sleep, usually:
- with a short wait, and
- free, not counting toward your eigen risico.
Many people are helped at this level alone.
Step 3: specialised GGZ
If you need more, the GP gives a verwijzing (referral) to:
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| de basis-GGZ | general mental-health care |
| de specialistische GGZ | specialised care |
| de psycholoog | psychologist |
| de psychiater | psychiatrist |
| de wachtlijst | waiting list |
This care is covered by your basic insurance but does count toward your eigen risico, and there can be a wachtlijst, so ask about timelines. The hospital and referral system works the same way.
In a crisis
If things are urgent:
- Contact your huisarts or, out of hours, the huisartsenpost.
- 113 Zelfmoordpreventie is the free, confidential suicide-prevention helpline (call or chat), with English support available. Newcomer guides like IamExpat list English-speaking mental-health resources too.
You do not have to navigate this in perfect Dutch; say what you can, and ask for help.
Where it connects
Mental-health care sits with the rest of the system: registering with and being heard at the huisarts, describing symptoms, the GGD for other public-health needs, eigen risico, and work-related strain like burnout sick leave.
The bottom line
Dutch mental-health care starts at the huisarts, who can offer the POH-GGZ (free, short-term, in the surgery) and refer you to a psycholoog in the basis- or specialistische GGZ (covered, but counts toward your eigen risico, mind the wachtlijst). Open with Ik voel me somber/gespannen. In a crisis, the GP or huisartsenpost, and 113 for suicide prevention. Help is there; you just have to ask.
Learn it in five minutes a day
Learn Dutch For Expats is an app, available on the App Store, that teaches the vocabulary to ask for mental-health support, ik voel me somber, POH-GGZ, verwijzing, psycholoog, in five-minute lessons built on real GP conversations, so you can reach for help in Dutch.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get mental health support in the Netherlands?
Start with your huisarts (GP). Tell them how you have been feeling; they can offer short-term support through the POH-GGZ (a mental-health practice nurse in the GP surgery), often free and without affecting your eigen risico, and refer you on if needed. For more specialised care the GP gives a verwijzing (referral) to the basis-GGZ or specialistische GGZ, where you see a psycholoog or psychiater. The GP is the gateway, so booking an appointment there is the first step.
What is the POH-GGZ?
The POH-GGZ (praktijkondersteuner huisarts, geestelijke gezondheidszorg) is a mental-health practice nurse based in your GP surgery. They offer short-term conversations and support for common issues like stress, low mood, anxiety or sleep, usually without a long wait and typically free, not counting toward your eigen risico. Many people are helped at this level alone; if you need more, the GP refers you to specialised GGZ care.
Does therapy cost money in the Netherlands?
POH-GGZ support at the GP is generally free and does not touch your eigen risico. Specialised psychological care (basis-GGZ or specialistische GGZ) via a referral is covered by your basic insurance but does count toward your eigen risico, the annual deductible. Be aware there can be waiting lists (wachtlijst) for specialised care. In an urgent crisis, contact your huisarts or the out-of-hours huisartsenpost; 113 Zelfmoordpreventie is the free suicide-prevention helpline.
What is the best app to learn Dutch for talking about mental health?
Learn Dutch For Expats, an app available on the App Store, is the best pick because it teaches the vocabulary to describe how you feel and ask for help, ik voel me somber, gespannen, POH-GGZ, verwijzing, psycholoog, in five-minute real-situation lessons, so reaching out in Dutch feels possible.
