Knowledge base
Company psychologist vs. occupational psychologist
The terms are often used interchangeably, but there is a clear difference in focus, training and when to use them.
Short answer
A company psychologist (bedrijfspsycholoog) focuses on people and organisation: behaviour, leadership, teams, culture and workplace wellbeing. An occupational psychologist (arbeidspsycholoog) focuses specifically on the relationship between people and work: workload, capacity, reintegration and work-related complaints.
What a company psychologist does
- Supports leadership, team dynamics and collaboration.
- Addresses culture and organisational challenges.
- Individual coaching on career, stress and personal growth.
- Prevention programmes such as HRV coaching and mental resilience.
What an occupational psychologist does
- Assessment of work-related complaints (burnout, overstrain).
- Advice on reintegration under Dutch Wet verbetering poortwachter.
- Capacity and return-to-work assessments.
- Collaboration with company doctor and HR.
When to choose which
Company psychologist, when you want to invest preventively, strengthen teams or develop leadership. Occupational psychologist, when an employee is (at risk of) dropping out and you need assessment, diagnosis or reintegration.
Where does MentalCareDirect™ fit in?
MentalCareDirect™ combines the best of both worlds in one subscription. Prevention and coaching (like a company psychologist) and full primary mental healthcare with a Lead Clinician for psychological complaints (where an occupational psychologist usually refers on). Employers and employees get the right help immediately, without waiting lists.
Read more about our company psychologist without a waiting list, our occupational psychologist without a waiting list, see our treatments or read what we do for employers.