Hersencentrum

What Hersencentrum does

Hersencentrum is a private Dutch mental health care institution (GGZ instelling) founded in 2005, headquartered in Alkmaar and operating five locations across North Holland: Alkmaar, Amsterdam Centrum (relocated to Marnixstraat 358 effective 1 August 2025), Amsterdam-Oost, Haarlem, and Purmerend. The organization delivers psychotherapy, neuropsychology, psychodiagnostics, and post-academic training for GZ-Psychologists, Psychotherapists, and Clinical Psychologists to children, adolescents, and adults presenting with conditions including ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, depression, anxiety, trauma/PTSD, personality disorders, dyslexia, and stress-related complaints. Service delivery is a hybrid of in-person care and blended e-health via the Embloom platform, complemented by an MBSR mindfulness program and an active scientific research program conducted under the GGZ Research banner in collaboration with LMU Munich, VU Amsterdam, ACTP, and the EEG-Resource Institute Nijmegen.

The business model is dominated by reimbursed mental health care: insured patients require a valid referral from a general practitioner (huisarts) or specialist, and revenue flows primarily through three Dutch health insurers (VGZ, Menzis, CZ) whose limited budget allocations cap monthly intake of insured patients and produce 26-52 weeks of additional waiting time, and through municipal contracts for youth mental health care across Noord-Kennemerland, Midden-Kennemerland, Zuid-Kennemerland, Kop van Noord-Holland, Ouder-Amstel/DUO, and Haarlemmermeer. Ancillary revenue includes no-show fees (€150 for intake/examination/first psychiatric consultation, €65 for regular treatment consultations; effective 1 March 2026) and private-pay MBSR training (€450 individuals, €750 corporate). The organization holds HKZ certification, the Keurmerk Kortdurende Generalistische GGZ, the KIBG-keurmerk 2026, and recognition under the Wtza by the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport.

Technology and operations rest on a pragmatic, modest stack: speech-to-text clinical documentation (audio not stored, patient data not used for AI model training), the Embloom blended-care platform, EEG-based neuropsychological testing, and structured programs including EMDR, CBT (CGT), ACT, schema therapy, MBSR, and affect phobia therapy. The organization is led by General Director Gijs Schilder, with founder Dr. Hessel Engelbregt represented through Hersencentrum Holding, Director of Care Willem Janssen (psychiatrist), Head of Scientific Research Jan Berend Deijen, PhD, and a three-member Supervisory Board (Raad van Toezicht). No external institutional or private equity ownership is disclosed.

Name

Hersencentrum

Legal name

Hersencentrum

Website

https://hersencentrum.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Hersencentrum is a private Dutch GGZ mental health institution founded in 2005, operating five locations across North Holland delivering psychotherapy, neuropsychology, and psychodiagnostics to children, youth, and adults, reimbursed primarily through three Dutch health insurers and municipal youth-care contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Services

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) (621330), Offices of Physicians, Mental Health Specialists (621112)

SIC

Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Behavioral Health (Collaborative Care) Platforms (HLALAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mindfulness-Based Coaching & Training (MBSR/MBCT-style) (HSADAJAB), Psychiatry & Medication Management Platforms (HLALAEAB)

Keywords

• Mental health services
• Psychotherapy practice
• Neuropsychological assessment
• Psychodiagnostic services
• Clinical psychology care

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Funded Mental Health Care (Gefinancierde Zorg): Hersencentrum provides insured mental health care (ggz) reimbursed through Dutch health insurance. With a valid referral from a GP or specialist, a care trajectory is opened and costs are covered under the basic health insurance, subject to the patient's own risk (eigen risico). Health insurers VGZ, Menzis, and CZ have limited budgets allocated to Hersencentrum, restricting monthly intake numbers for insured patients.
2. Youth Mental Health (Jeugd-GGZ) — Municipality-Funded Care: Hersencentrum provides mental health care for children and youth funded by municipalities with which it holds contracts. Covered municipalities include those in Noord-Kennemerland, Midden-Kennemerland, Zuid-Kennemerland, Kop van Noord-Holland, Ouder-Amstel/DUO, and Haarlemmermeer regions.
3. No-Show Fees: No-show fees are charged when appointments are not cancelled in time. Intake/examination/first psychiatric consultation appointments require cancellation at least 14 days in advance (no-show fee: €150). Regular treatment consultations require cancellation at least 24 hours in advance (no-show fee: €65). These fees cannot be claimed from health insurance.
4. Private-Pay Mindfulness Training: MBSR training for individuals without mental health complaints is available at a reduced rate of €450 for the full program. For companies, the standard rate of €750 applies. Partner/relationship therapy is generally not reimbursed by health insurers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hersencentrum is a Dutch mental health center (GGZ instelling) that delivers insured psychotherapy, neuropsychology, and psychodiagnostic services for children, youth, and adults across five locations in North Holland. Its core offering is evidence-based psychological and psychiatric treatment for conditions including ADHD, autism, depression, anxiety, trauma, personality disorders, and dyslexia, supplemented by specialty programs such as an 8-week MBSR mindfulness training and blended online/offline care via the Embloom platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Psychotherapie (Psychotherapy)
• Psychodiagnostiek (Psychodiagnostics)

Quantifiable outcome

• Average client satisfaction rating of 8.1 out of 10 in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• GGZ Research / Academisch Centrum voor Trauma en Persoonlijkheid (ACTP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Since 2023, Hersencentrum-GGZ and ACTP (formerly ISP team persoonlijkheid, PsyQ Amsterdam) collaborate on scientific research under the name GGZ Research. This partnership enables joint research projects and publication of scientific studies.
• LMU Munich (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Faculty of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner for studies on auditory beat stimulation, brain activity, and cognitive functioning. Supervised by Hessel Engelbregt (GGZ/LMU) and Jan Berend Deijen (Hersencentrum/VU).
• VU Amsterdam (Vrije Universiteit, Department of Clinical Neuropsychology)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partner for neuropsychological studies. Supervised by Jan Berend Deijen (Hersencentrum/VU) and Hessel Engelbregt (GGZ/LMU). Joint publications on EEG, neurofeedback, and brain activity.
• GGZ (Mental Health Netherlands)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational mental health organization and partner in the GGZ Research collaboration. Associated with the journal GGZV for publication of research findings.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Dimence: Dimence is a Dutch GGZ organization offering outpatient mental health treatment, psychodiagnostics, and specialist care across multiple locations under health insurer contracts. Comparable to Hersencentrum on multi-site outpatient delivery and Dutch GGZ regulatory exposure.
• PsyQ: PsyQ operates the largest Dutch network of outpatient GGZ clinics delivering psychotherapy, psychodiagnostics, and specialist mental health care reimbursed through health insurers. Its broad network and multidisciplinary model closely mirror Hersencentrum's clinical offering and referral-driven GTM motion.
• GGZ Centraal: GGZ Centraal is a regional Dutch GGZ provider delivering outpatient and specialist mental health care funded through insurers and municipalities. Its multidisciplinary outpatient model and Dutch reimbursement framework make it a close operational peer.
• GGZ inGeest: GGZ inGeest is one of the largest outpatient mental health providers in North Holland and Amsterdam, offering insured GGZ, neuropsychology, and multidisciplinary treatment under Dutch health insurance contracts — directly comparable to Hersencentrum in geography, payer mix, and service scope.
• iPractice: iPractice is a Dutch online psychology practice offering blended care (online plus in-person) with insured GGZ reimbursement. It is directly comparable to Hersencentrum on the Embloom-based blended care model and Dutch insurer contract structure.

Emerging players

• Mindler: Mindler is a Swedish-founded digital mental health platform that has expanded into the Netherlands offering online therapy and psychiatry covered by Dutch health insurers. It competes for the same insured mental health patients as Hersencentrum via a digital-first delivery model.
• OpenUp: OpenUp is a European digital mental health platform providing online psychology, mindfulness (including MBSR-style programs), and corporate wellbeing services across multiple European countries. It overlaps with Hersencentrum on the MBSR offering and insured/blended delivery, but primarily serves employers rather than GP-referred patients.

Broad incumbents

• Parnassia Groep: Parnassia Groep is the largest Dutch mental health provider, operating specialist and outpatient GGZ brands including PsyQ across the Netherlands. It overlaps with Hersencentrum on insured outpatient care but operates at national scale with significantly broader portfolio and contract leverage.
• Arkin: Arkin is a major Amsterdam-based mental health and addiction care provider offering specialist and outpatient GGZ services. It competes with Hersencentrum in the same Amsterdam market but at much larger scale and with broader specialty coverage including addiction care.

Regional players

• GGZ Rivierduinen: GGZ Rivierduinen is a regional GGZ provider in South Holland offering outpatient mental health care, psychodiagnostics, and specialist treatment under insurer contracts. Comparable in service mix but operates in a different Dutch geography than Hersencentrum.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/100067407825897
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hersencentrum

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hersencentrum