Psychotherapy in The Netherlands after the Second World War

The early history of psychotherapy in the Netherlands hardly differs from that of the surrounding countries. Somewhat later than in France and Germany, psychotherapy appeared during the last decades of the nineteenth century, with general practitioners who started to treat their patients (mainly for all kinds of somatic complaints) by psychological means. In the early decades of the twentieth century, psychotherapy was narrowed down to mainly psychoanalytic treatment. The patient population consisted of a small élite group of people who belonged to the upper social classes. The practice of psychotherapy was restricted to some ‘‘enlightened’’ psychoanalysts. However, the more recent history of Dutch psychotherapy is much more unusual. The increase in ambulatory mental health care services as well as psychotherapy was higher than elsewhere in Europe. Psychotherapy grew so fast that by the 1980s it was considered the best form of treatment in ambulatory mental health care. Even more exceptional was the establishment of a separate profession for psychotherapists, so that as well as being registered as a psychiatrist, general doctor, psychologist or even social worker, it was possible to be registered as a psychotherapist. This phenomenon has been characterized as ‘‘le phénom ene hollandais’’. This article deals with this recent history of psychotherapy in the Netherlands. The main focus is on the developing institutions as well as on the establishment of the psychotherapeutic profession. The first section describes the period between the foundation of the first