PAO Psychology

What PAO Psychology does

PAO Psychology (Post Academisch Onderwijs Psychologie) is a Dutch private continuing education provider established in the 1980s, operating through two B.V. entities (PAO Psychologie B.V. and PAO Psychologie Nascholing & Opleiding B.V.) headquartered in Abcoude, Netherlands. The organization delivers accredited post-academic training programs for Dutch psychologists, psychotherapists, pedagogues, youth care professionals, educators, and disability care workers, serving compliance-driven continuing education needs tied to mandatory professional registration maintenance (herregistratie) with bodies including NIP, NVO, VGCt, SKJ, FGzPt, Registerplein, and BPSW. Its portfolio comprises 70+ courses across nine thematic areas — cognitive behavioral therapy, trauma, neuropsychology, children and youth, solution-focused therapy, professional skills, adult/elderly care, intellectual disabilities, and 100% online learning — delivered via classroom, live-online, and on-demand modalities, with specialized branded programs including the Trauma Academie and the AXON Leertrajecten subsidiary for brain injury training. The company reports 80,000+ lifetime course participants trained and an average course rating of 8.7/10.

The technology stack centers on the A New Spring learning management system (pao-psychologie.anewspring.nl) for enrollment, attendance, certification, and accreditation point reporting, supplemented by a proprietary secure 'Online College' virtual classroom for live sessions. PAO employs a lean internal team of 11 staff supported by a network of 140+ practicing professional lecturers, trainers, and coaches who deliver instruction. Revenue is generated through three primary streams: open enrollment course fees (priced €95–€1,695 per course), incompany/corporate training for healthcare and education organizations, and on-demand webinar sales, all transacted directly via pao.nl. Customer acquisition relies on content marketing (articles, newsletter), WhatsApp consultation, and free training advisory services. The company is founder-owned (Margriet Wensink serves as Algemeen directeur) with no disclosed external investment or public listing.

Name

PAO Psychology

Legal name

PAO Psychologie Nascholing & Opleiding B.V.

Website

https://pao.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Short description

PAO Psychology is a Dutch private continuing education provider offering accredited post-academic courses for psychologists, pedagogues, and healthcare/education professionals across 70+ programs, serving compliance-driven registration renewal needs since the 1980s.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Continuing Education

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Behavioral Health & Counseling (Social Work, Psychology, Substance Use CE) (EDAAALAD)

Keywords

• Post-academic education
• Mental health training
• Continuing professional development
• Clinical psychology training
• Healthcare professional courses

Headquarters

HQ city

Abcoude

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Open Course Enrollment Fees: Individual professionals register and pay for open enrollment courses. Prices vary by course duration and type (e.g., webinars at €95, intensive courses at €385–€1,695). Payment is via invoice (bank transfer) or iDEAL/credit card for on-demand products. Installment payment available for courses with administration fees of €25 per installment. Prices are VAT-exempt.
2. Incompany / Corporate Training: Organizations commission customized or off-the-shelf courses delivered on-site or online for their staff. This is a B2B revenue stream targeting healthcare and education organizations.
3. On-Demand Webinars and Online Training: Self-paced e-learning products (webinars, online training) purchased individually via the website with immediate access. Billed via iDEAL or credit card at point of purchase.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

PAO Psychology provides accredited post-academic continuing education and training courses for psychologists, pedagogues, and broader healthcare and education professionals in the Netherlands. Offerings span 70+ programs across themes such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CGT), trauma, neuropsychology, youth care, solution-focused therapy, disability care, and professional skills, delivered via classroom, live-online (proprietary Online College), and 100% on-demand e-learning formats. The company also delivers customized incompany training to organizations and operates the Trauma Academie and AXON Leertrajecten specialized sub-brands.

Product overview

PAO Psychologie is a Dutch educational institution offering accredited continuing education and training programs for psychologists, pedagogues, and other healthcare and education professionals. The organization provides a unified portfolio of over 70 different courses and training programs, primarily structured around: open enrollment courses (Open Inschrijving) for individual professionals covering topics such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CGT), trauma, neuropsychology, solution-focused therapy, autism, and professional skills; the specialized Trauma Academie providing comprehensive trauma education pathways; 100% online learning options including on-demand webinars and self-paced skills training; and customized incompany training for organizations. Additional services include supervision programs, free educational advisory services, and AXON Leertrajecten as a subsidiary brand focused on brain injury training. The average course rating is 8.7, with over 80,000 professionals having completed training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AXON Leertrajecten: A training division specialized in professional education on acquired brain injury (hersenletsel/NAH). AXON is part of PAO Psychologie.
• Trauma Academie

Products and services

• Open Inschrijving Cursussen (Open Enrollment Courses) Publicly accessible training courses and programs available for individual enrollment, covering topics such as CBT, trauma, neuropsychology, solution-focused therapy, and professional skills for psychologists and educators. Delivered as classroom, live-online via the Online College, or on-demand e-learning.
• Trauma Academie Specialized academy offering comprehensive trauma-related training programs including courses on Early Childhood Chronic Trauma (VCT/Vroegkinderlijk Chronisch Trauma), attachment issues, and dissociation disorders, structured as a program pathway for trauma-focused professionals.
• 100% Online Leren (Fully Online Learning) Fully online learning programs including on-demand webinars and online skills training, allowing professionals to complete courses independently at their own pace with immediate access upon purchase.
• Incompany Training Customized training solutions delivered at client organizations or online, tailored to specific team or organizational needs in healthcare and education sectors. Group pricing and content customization available.
• Supervisie (Supervision Services) Supervision and intervision services for professionals, including specialized supervisor training programs to develop supervision skills, including LVSC-recognized pathways.
• Opleidingsadvies (Training Advisory Service) Free educational consulting services to help professionals select appropriate courses based on career goals and registration requirements. Available via phone, email, WhatsApp, or scheduled call-back.
• AXON Leertrajecten Specialized training programs focused on professional management of acquired brain injury (NAH), offered as a subsidiary brand of PAO Psychologie.
• Cognitieve gedragstherapie: Positieve CGT bij complexe problematiek Advanced 50-hour VGCt continuation course on positive cognitive behavioral therapy for complex psychological issues, covering depression, trauma, personality disorders, and children. Priced at €1,695.
• Oplossingsgericht werken bij hersenletsel Solution-focused approach training specifically designed for working with clients with acquired brain injury, emphasizing client autonomy and capability-based methods. Priced at €385 for a 6-hour course.
• SCID: Gestructureerd klinisch interview DSM-V Training program for administering and scoring the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 Disorders (SCID-5), covering both personality and syndrome disorders.
• Motiverende hulpverlening Motivational assistance training focused on building client self-management through competence-based interventions and practical tools for healthcare and education professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average course rating of 8.7 out of 10 from participant evaluations
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AXON LeertrajectenminorOthersAXON Leertrajecten is described as 'onderdeel van PAO Psychologie' (a part/brand of PAO Psychology), specialized in training on professional handling of non-congenital brain injury (NAH). AXON operates as a subsidiary brand with its own website (axonleertrajecten.nl), offering specialized courses on brain injury that complement PAO's broader mental health and education portfolio.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Interuniversitair Steunpunt voor Psychotherapie Opleiding (ISPO): ISPO provides post-master psychotherapy training recognized by the Dutch psychotherapy register. While not a direct CE competitor, it produces the formal qualification pathway that PAO's CGT and schema continuing courses ultimately serve.
• VGCt (Vereniging voor Gedragstherapie en Cognitieve Therapie): VGCt is the Dutch behavioral and cognitive therapy association that accredits PAO's CGT curriculum. It is both a regulatory gatekeeper for PAO's flagship offerings and an indirect content competitor via its own member training activities.
• Nederlands Instituut van Psychologen (NIP): NIP is the professional association that accredits PAO and whose members form PAO's primary customer base. It also offers some member-only CE and is therefore a partial indirect competitor as well as a key ecosystem partner.

Direct peers

• RINO Groep: RINO Groep is the largest Dutch provider of post-academic training and continuing education for psychologists, psychotherapists, and mental-health professionals. It competes head-to-head with PAO on accredited CGT, schema, trauma, and GGZ curricula targeting the same NIP/VGCt herregistratie audience.
• SPRING Psychologie: SPRING is a Dutch continuing-education institute focused on evidence-based psychotherapy training (CGT, EMDR, ACT, schema) for licensed psychologists. It overlaps directly with PAO's CGT, supervisor, and skills training portfolio and serves the same registered practitioner audience.
• Centrum voor Nascholing GGZ: Centrum voor Nascholing GGZ delivers accredited continuing education specifically for GGZ professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists, and nurses. It is a direct competitor for the same herregistratie-driven demand pool as PAO.

Emerging players

• Nedtrain / Cure & Care Development: Cure & Care Development offers shorter-format Dutch professional training for healthcare and behavioral specialists, including trauma-informed care and applied therapy skills — adjacent to PAO's Trauma Academie and AXON offerings.
• POH GGZ Academy: POH GGZ Academy trains primary-care mental-health support staff and overlaps partially with PAO's mental-health professional audience, particularly on motivational interviewing, basic CBT, and screening tools used in Dutch huisartsenzorg.

Broad incumbents

• Trimbos-instituut: Trimbos is the Dutch national knowledge center for mental health and addiction, offering training, e-learning, and certifications to GGZ professionals. It competes with PAO in trauma, addiction, and applied psychotherapy CE while also serving a broader policy and research mandate.

Regional players

• Eureka Expert Trainingen: Eureka Expert is a Dutch continuing-education provider focused on education-sector professionals (school psychologists, internal supervisors, teachers). It is a regional overlap with PAO's education segment rather than the GGZ core, with comparable course catalog depth in the Dutch market.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/paopsychologie

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 PAO Psychology