NALK

What NALK does

NALK (Netwerk Aanhoudende Lichamelijke Klachten) is a Dutch non-profit membership network founded on January 1, 2011 (originally as NOLK, rebranded in August 2021) and headquartered in Deventer, Netherlands. It serves as the national knowledge and professional hub for persistent physical symptoms (ALK), historically termed SOLK — including chronic pain, fatigue, dizziness, tinnitus, IBS, headaches, and functional neurological disorders. NALK aggregates four stakeholder groups within a single platform: patients seeking care, healthcare professionals (physiotherapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, GPs, specialists), referrers, and academic researchers. Its core products are the Zorgkaart (a searchable national directory of ALK treatment providers), the Kenniscentrum (a curated knowledge center of guidelines, research, and care standards), the Toolkit Netwerken (a structured methodology for interprofessional collaboration based on Grol and Wensing's Implementation of Change model), and an E-learning ALK module, supplemented by the partner-promoted Grip eHealth app for patient self-management.

The organization has 1–10 employees and operates without external funding, generating revenue solely from recurring annual membership subscriptions across four tiers: individual (€50/yr), interested party (€50/yr), practice (€125/yr), and institutional (€375/yr), with optional secondary Zorgkaart listings at €10/yr. Members receive access to a biennial national congress (Landelijk Congres ALK), member days, working groups, voting rights, and the provider directory. NALK publishes care standards on the GGz Standaarden platform and aligns with NHG primary-care guidelines, embedding itself within the Dutch healthcare standard-setting ecosystem. It also maintains reciprocal partnerships with the major Dutch professional associations in psychiatry, psychology, physiotherapy, and psychosomatic medicine (NVVP, LVMP, NFP, V&VN CP), the European Association for Psychosomatic Medicine (EAPM), and patient organizations such as Pijnpatiënten naar één stem. Distribution is entirely digital via the nalk.info website, with no sales-led motion beyond online membership sign-up; there are no enterprise customers, no investor base, and no disclosed revenue figures.

Name

NALK

Legal name

NALK (Netwerk Aanhoudende Lichamelijke Klachten)

Website

https://nalk.info

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NALK is a Dutch non-profit membership network (founded 2011, Deventer) that aggregates patients, clinicians, referrers, and researchers around persistent physical symptoms (ALK), operating the national Zorgkaart provider directory, a knowledge center of care standards and guidelines, and tiered annual membership subscriptions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Professional Network Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLALADAJ

Care Navigation, Advocacy & Benefits Guidance Platforms

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

SECONDARYHLALALAI

Allied Health & Rehab Referral Platforms (PT/OT/SLP)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Telehealth Platforms/Telehealth Marketplace & Referral Platforms

Keywords

• Chronic pain care network
• Persistent physical symptoms
• Healthcare professional network
• Functional disorder treatment
• Dutch healthcare membership

Headquarters

HQ city

Deventer

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: NALK is a non-profit organization (geen winstoogmerk) that generates revenue through annual membership fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

NALK (Netwerk Aanhoudende Lichamelijke Klachten) operates a Dutch membership-based healthcare knowledge network focused on persistent physical symptoms (ALK), including chronic pain, SOLK, and functional neurological disorders. Its core offerings are the Zorgkaart provider directory, the Kenniscentrum knowledge center bundling care standards and research news, structured annual memberships (individual, practice, institutional, interested party), and educational resources such as E-learning ALK modules and the Toolkit Netwerken for interprofessional collaboration.

Product overview

NALK (Netwerk Aanhoudende Lichamelijke Klachten) is a Dutch healthcare network organization that serves as a knowledge hub and membership-based professional network focused on persistent physical symptoms (ALK). The core offerings include the Zorgkaart (Healthcare Map) for finding specialized care providers, the Kenniscentrum (Knowledge Center) bundling guidelines and research, and various membership types. The ecosystem includes educational tools like E-learning ALK, the Toolkit Netwerken for interprofessional collaboration, and partner resources like the Grip app for patient self-management. NALK connects patients, healthcare professionals, referrers, and researchers through membership services, working groups, and a digital knowledge platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Zorgkaart (Healthcare Map) A searchable online map that helps patients, referrers, and professionals find healthcare providers and institutions specializing in Aanhoudende Lichamelijke Klachten (ALK). Users can search by location, treatment type, and NALK membership status. Providers include dietitians, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, outpatient and inpatient mental health (GGZ), speech therapists, psychosomatic physiotherapists, psychosomatic exercise therapists, and outpatient and inpatient rehabilitation care.
• Kenniscentrum (Knowledge Center) A centralized knowledge hub bundling healthcare standards (zorgstandaarden), guidelines (richtlijnen), news items, links to research, dissertations, book reviews, podcasts, and other articles related to ALK. Information is filtered based on user profile (Patients, Professionals, Referrers, or Researchers).
• NALK Membership Structured membership types including Individual Member (€50/year), Practice Member (€125/year, includes 1 Zorgkaart listing), Institutional Member (€375/year, includes 1 Zorgkaart listing), and Interested Member (€50/year). Provides access to congress discounts, member days, general meetings, the Zorgkaart directory, newsletters, and working groups. Additional Zorgkaart location listings available at €10 per location per year.
• Toolkit Netwerken A toolkit for networks for interprofessional collaboration in care for persistent physical symptoms and functional disorders. Contains practical instruments for setting up new collaboration networks or implementing changes in existing interprofessional care networks, based on the Implementation of Change model by Grol and Wensing.
• E-learning ALK Online educational modules for healthcare professionals to learn about Aanhoudende Lichamelijke Klachten (ALK) and related treatment approaches.
• Patiënten informatie (Patient Information) Educational content for patients including information about what ALK is, how it develops, the role of the brain in ALK, possible treatments, and resources such as book reviews, online courses, and podcasts.
• Behandelingen (Treatments) Information about various treatment approaches for ALK including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, ACT, Mindfulness, EMDR, Solution-Focused Therapy, Psychosomatic Physiotherapy, Psychomotor Therapy, and Hypnotherapy.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Grip (grip.health)coreTechnology or IntegrationNALK partners with Grip, an eHealth application that helps patients with persistent physical symptoms manage their conditions through self-help exercises. Grip is promoted on the NALK website's patient section and is recommended as a tool for patients seeking digital self-management support alongside NALK's provider network. The app is free for patients and available via app stores.
• ALKnieuws.nlminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerALKnieuws.nl is a news platform covering ALK/persistent physical symptoms in the Netherlands. NALK maintains a partnership with ALKnieuws.nl as part of its information ecosystem, cross-referencing content and sharing news with the Dutch ALK community.
• EAPM (European Association for Psychosomatic Medicine)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEAPM is the European professional association for psychosomatic medicine. NALK is partnered with EAPM, providing its members with EAPM newsletters and promoting the annual EAPM Congress to the Dutch ALK professional community. NALK members can participate in EAPM congresses, and NALK board members and professionals engage with EAPM's international network of ALK/PSS researchers and clinicians.
• Akwa (AkwaGGz)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAkwa (formerly AkwaGGz) is a Dutch healthcare information platform. NALK collaborates with Akwa on publishing resources such as the Werkkaart behandelmogelijkheden (treatment options card) for ALK patients. Akwa provides standardized, evidence-based care information that NALK references and links to on its website.
• Pijnpatiënten naar één stemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPijnpatiënten naar één stem (Pain Patients Speak with One Voice) is a Dutch patient organization. NALK collaborates with this organization to operate the PatiëntenPanel (Patient Panel for Aanhoudende Lichamelijke Klachten), which provides input from (former) patients for research and care improvement projects. They also jointly promote patient resources and the online course 'Omgaan met pijn'.
• GGz Standaarden (GGz Standards)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGGz Standaarden is the Dutch platform for mental health care standards. NALK publishes and maintains care standards (zorgstandaarden) for SOLK and Chronic Pain on the GGz Standaarden platform, linking its guidelines to the national standards repository for Dutch healthcare professionals.
• NHG (Nederlands Huisartsen Genootschap)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHG is the Dutch College of General Practitioners. NALK references NHG guidelines (including the NHG Standard for SOLK) as foundational care standards for ALK treatment in primary care. NHG guidelines are published on the NHG website and linked from the NALK knowledge center.
• NVVP (Nederlandse Vereniging voor Psychiatrie)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNVVP is the Dutch professional association of psychiatrists, which includes a Section for Consultative and Hospital Psychiatry. NALK links to NVVP resources on its Beroepsverenigingen (Professional Associations) page, and NVVP's patient information on unexplained physical symptoms is referenced as a professional resource for NALK members.
• LVMP (Landelijke Vereniging Medisch Psychologen)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLVMP is the national association of medical psychologists working in general and academic hospitals. NALK lists LVMP as a relevant professional association for its members and publishes the LVMP's Clinical Practice Somatisch Symptoomstoornis document in its knowledge center.
• NFP (Nederlandse Vereniging voor Fysiotherapie volgens de Psychosomatiek)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNFP is the Dutch physiotherapy association specializing in psychosomatic practice. NALK lists NFP as a key professional association for ALK treatment providers on its Beroepsverenigingen page.
• V&VN (Verpleegkundigen & Verzorgenden Nederland) – Afdeling Consultatieve PsychiatrieminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorV&VN CP is the Dutch nursing association's section for consultative psychiatry. Listed by NALK as a relevant professional association for ALK care providers.
• Kenniscentrum Kinder- en JeugdpsychiatrieminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Knowledge Center for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry maintains a specialized knowledge section on ALK/somatic symptom disorder for children and adolescents, including the Brainwiki platform for young people. NALK cross-links to this resource in its Knowledge Center and on the patient information page for children and adolescents.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nalk

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 NALK