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.