The Human Link

What The Human Link does

The Human Link is a Belgian psychological services firm (The Human Link bv) founded in 2004 and headquartered in Berchem (Antwerp), operating as a multi-disciplinary practice of 27-30 clinical psychologists led by three zaakvoerders — Marieke Impens, Bep Trogh, and Ellen De Ridder. Its core offering is short-term behavioral therapy (CBT, ACT, EMDR) and primary-care psychology delivered to private individuals, companies, and healthcare providers, with optional VR-assisted therapy for anxiety disorders and a specialized Fear of Flying program. The firm runs a dedicated corporate mental health practice (workshops, team coaching, acute/chronic stress response), an open-enrollment training portal (opleidingen.thehumanlink.be), and an extensive government-commissioned project portfolio under the Vlaamse Overheid and Stad Antwerpen covering Warm Bedrijf, LGBTI+ self-care, healthcare provider strengthening, refugee support (Re-Set), Horizon (16-partner EU-funded consortium), culturally sensitive care, and environmental interventions.

Revenue is generated through four streams: pay-as-you-go individual and group therapy (partially reimbursable via Belgian mutualities), reduced-rate sessions delivered by trainee psychologists (in partnership with KU Leuven, UGent, and Thomas More Hogeschool), custom corporate training and coaching contracts (e.g., €410-€550 per team strengthening trajectory, €820-€1,100 per collegial coaching trajectory), and government project grants running through 2026. Go-to-market combines direct-to-consumer via the website and referrals from general practitioners, enterprise/field sales for corporate clients, and community/government channels for public-sector projects. Pricing for individual therapy is not publicly disclosed; insurance reimbursement with a 'psychological support certificate' is available.

Name

The Human Link

Legal name

The Human Link bv

Website

https://thehumanlink.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Human Link is an Antwerp-based clinical psychology practice (founded 2004) delivering short-term behavioral therapy, corporate mental health programs, and government-commissioned community projects to individuals, companies, healthcare providers, and vulnerable populations across Flanders, Belgium.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health and Psychological Therapy Services

NAICS

Offices of Physicians, Mental Health Specialists (621112), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Other Individual and Family Services (62419), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLALAEAA

General Mental Health Therapy Platforms (Talk Therapy)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Telehealth Platforms/Behavioral & Mental Health Teletherapy Platforms

SECONDARYHLALAEAC

Integrated Behavioral Health (Collaborative Care) Platforms

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Telehealth Platforms/Behavioral & Mental Health Teletherapy Platforms

SECONDARYHLALADAB

Behavioral & Mental Health Virtual Care (EAP/Teletherapy)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Telehealth Platforms/Employer-Sponsored Virtual Care Platforms

Keywords

• Psychological therapy services
• Behavioral therapy
• Corporate mental health
• Mental health training
• Stress and burnout counseling

Headquarters

HQ city

Berchem (Antwerp)

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual and Group Therapy Services: The Human Link provides individual therapy and group therapy sessions to private individuals. Psychologists in training may offer sessions at reduced rates. Reimbursement is available through Belgian health insurance funds (mutualities) with a 'psychological support certificate'.
2. Corporate Mental Health Services: Tailored psychological support for companies including workshops, team coaching, psycho-education, and crisis intervention for employees experiencing work-related stress, burnout, and acute stress.
3. Training and Education Programs: Open enrollment training programs for professionals, healthcare workers, and helpers, including workshops on burnout detection, stress management, trauma, and mental health. Programs are offered via the opleidingen.thehumanlink.be portal.
4. Prevention Programs for Healthcare Workers: Funded by the Flemish Government, The Human Link develops and delivers free or subsidized group trajectories for healthcare providers focused on self-care, team care, and collegial coaching.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Human Link is a Belgian psychological counseling practice that delivers evidence-based behavioral therapy and primary care psychology services. Its core offerings span short-term individual and group therapy (including a VR-assisted fear-of-flying program) for private clients, tailored mental health workshops and team coaching for corporate clients, and accredited training programs for healthcare professionals, alongside government-commissioned prevention and mental well-being projects.

Product overview

Thehumanlink is a psychological counseling organization offering a unified platform of mental health services rather than a modular software product. The core offering consists of individual and group therapy services (Individuele Therapie, Groepstherapie, Fear of Flying VR program), career counseling (Loopbaanbegeleiding), and corporate mental health services (Bedrijven). These are complemented by specialized programs including Warm Bedrijf (workplace mental health methodology), training for healthcare providers (Hulpverleners), and various community projects (Horizon, Re-Set, Psycho-Educatie, LGBTI+ programs, Cultuursensitieve Werkveld, Omgevingsinterventies). The organization also provides structured coaching programs like Intercollegiale Coaching and Teamversterkingstraject for healthcare professionals. All services are delivered through an evidence-based behavioral therapy and primary care psychology framework, with therapy sessions available with trainee psychologists at reduced rates through academic partnerships with KU Leuven, Universiteit Gent, and Thomas More Hogeschool.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Individual Therapy (Individuele Therapie)

Quantifiable outcome

• €2.39 cost savings per €1 invested in well-being (absenteeism and other costs)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• KU LeuvencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Human Link collaborates with KU Leuven to provide psychology trainees the opportunity to develop within The Human Link's field. Trainees contribute to keeping The Human Link's operations scientifically current, and clients can access therapy sessions at reduced rates with trainees in exchange for allowing them to observe sessions.
• Universiteit Gent (UGent)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with UGent for providing psychology trainees the opportunity to develop professionally within The Human Link's field, contributing to scientific currency and offering reduced-rate therapy sessions.
• Thomas More HogeschoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Thomas More Hogeschool for trainee psychologists. Thomas More also conducted analysis of 8 years of psycho-education project data, resulting in a bachelor's thesis on the outcomes of the program.
• Vlaamse OverheidcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Human Link operates in commission from the Flemish Government alongside Instituut Gezond Leven to promote mental well-being of the Flemish population through 2026. Projects include Warm Bedrijf, environmental interventions, healthcare provider strengthening, LGBTQ+ self-care, and culturally sensitive fieldwork.
• Instituut Gezond LevencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Instituut Gezond Leven (an independent expertise center and partner organization of the Flemish Government) on multiple mental health promotion projects, including environmental interventions research and the Warm Bedrijf methodology.
• Horizon Consortium (16 organizations)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHorizon brings together 16 partner organizations, each with their own expertise, to support non-employed and job-seeking individuals facing complex multi-problem situations in Antwerp. Partners include: Arktos, ArmenTekort, Atlas Integratie & Inburgering, CGG Andante, CAW, Emino, GATAM, KOPA, Randstad Risesmart, Rebelle, STW, VDAB, WiegWijs, YoungFenix, Stad Antwerpen, and The Human Link. The project is co-funded by the European Union.
• ÇavariaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerÇavaria (the Flemish interest defender of LGBTI+ people and umbrella of LGBTI+ organizations) partnered with The Human Link to develop and organize workshops on LGBTI+ sensitive care for primary care providers across Flanders.
• ÇavariaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Çavaria, Transgender Infopunt, Sensoa, Merhaba, and HIV-SAM on mental health strengthening projects for LGBTI+ persons, both in private life and in the workplace.
• Stad AntwerpencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Human Link serves as a fixed partner of Stad Antwerpen for many years, contributing to the (psychological) well-being of Antwerp citizens. Projects include the Horizon initiative, network strengthening for intermediaries and personal networks, psycho-education, Re-Set for refugees, and support for entrepreneurs and youth.
• Vlaamse GezondheidsmakersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVlaamse Gezondheidsmakers co-developed the 'Zorgverstrekkers Versterken' trajectories and assist organizations in finding trained facilitators. They also help self-employed healthcare providers and organizations in regions outside Antwerp access these trajectories.
• Werkbaar Werk (SERV)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWerkbaar Werk (a product of the Social-Economic Council of Flanders and Stichting Innovatie & Arbeid) contributed to the development of the Warm Bedrijf methodology and provided input through webinars.
• Pilot Organizations (CAW Turnhout, Schoonderhage vzw, Eerstelijnszones Provincie Antwerpen)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThree pilot organizations (CAW Turnhout, Schoonderhage vzw, and Eerstelijnszones Provincie Antwerpen) and 2 groups of primary care providers tested the collegial coaching trajectories to ensure interventions were optimally tailored.
• Partners for Zorgverstrekkers Versterken (Vivel, Psyche, Domus Medica, VVSG, Axxon)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple partner organizations including Vivel, Psyche, Gezondheidsmakers, Domus Medica, VVSG, and Axxon provided input via surveys and feedback sessions to develop the 'Zorgverstrekkers Versterken' trajectories.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Liantis: Liantis is a large Belgian HR and well-being service provider serving thousands of employers with payroll, HR, and employee well-being solutions. It competes with The Human Link for corporate well-being contracts but as part of a much broader HR services portfolio.
• Headspace for Work: Headspace for Work is a global employer-facing mental health and meditation platform. It competes for multinational employer mental health budgets that The Human Link could otherwise access, especially for global accounts like BASF.

Direct peers

• Mensura: Mensura is one of Belgium's largest external prevention services for well-being at work, providing psychosocial support, stress/burnout prevention, and corporate mental health programs. It competes head-on with The Human Link for the same Flemish employer contracts and EAP-style mandates.
• Solentra: Solentra is a Belgian mental health organization specializing in trauma and psychological support for refugees and people with migration backgrounds. It overlaps directly with The Human Link's Re-Set program and broader refugee/mental-health project portfolio.
• SineFuma: SineFuma is a Belgian occupational health and well-being service provider delivering workplace mental health, stress, and burnout prevention services to employers, directly overlapping with The Human Link's corporate (Bedrijven) offering. Both compete for Flemish employer budgets on psychosocial risk and employee well-being mandates.
• Cohezio: Cohezio is a Belgian external prevention service providing workplace health and psychosocial support to employers, including stress and burnout interventions. It is comparable in scope, geography, and target buyer to The Human Link's corporate mental health services.
• Idewe: Idewe is a Belgian external prevention service delivering occupational health, psychosocial risk support, and workplace well-being programs to companies across Belgium. It is a direct competitor to The Human Link's Bedrijven track and the Warm Bedrijf-style corporate offerings.

Regional players

• CGG (Centrum Geestelijke Gezondheidszorg): CGG is the Flemish network of publicly funded mental health centers offering outpatient psychological and psychiatric care across Flanders. It is the closest publicly funded analog of The Human Link's individual therapy practice and competes for the same GP-referred patient base.

Others

• Instituut Gezond Leven: Instituut Gezond Leven is the Flemish expertise center for health promotion and a partner of the Vlaamse Overheid. It is both a co-development partner on Warm Bedrijf and Omgevingsinterventies and a potential commissioning/competing public-health organization in Flanders.

Emerging players

• Wellbee: Wellbee is a Belgian corporate mental well-being platform offering digital programs, EAP, and on-demand psychologist access to employers. It is an emerging digital-first alternative to The Human Link's in-person corporate mental health services for Flemish companies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TheHumanLink
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thehumanlink
• Instagraminstagram.com/thehumanlink.be/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 The Human Link