NFG – Dutch Health Care Federation
The NFG (Nederlandse Federatie Gezondheidszorg ) is an independent organisation that represents the interests of professionals working in the complementary psycho-social workfield. The NFG supports these professionals in various ways, for example by maintaining contacts with health insurers, federations and politicians.
The NFG monitors the quality of the care that affiliated professionals provide and they can take over the obligations that the Wkkgz imposes on you as a professional, so that your client can turn to an independent complaints officer. By joining the NFG, you therefore meet the legal obligations as a coach/counsellor.
As a student of the Academy for Coaching and Counselling (started from September 2019) it is possible to join the NFG. The NFG has two types of membership: register members and aspirant members (membership for students).
If you have an ACC diploma, you can become a register member of the NFG and, under certain conditions, this could lead to reimbursement by health insurance.
NFG registration
The NFG has 3 different professional groups/Registers for which our students and graduates may be eligible:
- Coach Register (no reimbursement by the health insurance company)
- Independent Therapists Register (OTR) (no reimbursement by the health insurance company)
- Register for Psychosocial and Social Work (Vakgroep voor Psychosociaal en Maatschappelijk Werk – VPMW) (reimbursement from health insurance companies’ supplementary packages is possible)
To apply for one of these Registers, different admission requirements apply. All training followed must be demonstrated by means of a diploma.
The NFG (Nederlandse Federatie Gezondheidszorg ) is an independent organisation that represents the interests of professionals working in the complementary psycho-social workfield. The NFG supports these professionals in various ways, for example by maintaining contacts with health insurers, federations and politicians.
The NFG monitors the quality of the care that affiliated professionals provide and they can take over the obligations that the Wkkgz imposes on you as a professional, so that your client can turn to an independent complaints officer. By joining the NFG, you therefore meet the legal obligations as a coach/counsellor.
As a student of the Academy for Coaching and Counselling (started from September 2019) it is possible to join the NFG. The NFG has two types of membership: register members and aspirant members (membership for students).
If you have an ACC diploma, you can become a register member of the NFG and, under certain conditions, this could lead to reimbursement by health insurance.
NFG registration
The NFG has 3 different professional groups/Registers for which our students and graduates may be eligible:
- Coach Register (no reimbursement by the health insurance company)
- Independent Therapists Register (OTR) (no reimbursement by the health insurance company)
- Register for Psychosocial and Social Work (Vakgroep voor Psychosociaal en Maatschappelijk Werk – VPMW) (reimbursement from health insurance companies’ supplementary packages is possible)
To apply for one of these Registers, different admission requirements apply. All training followed must be demonstrated by means of a diploma.
The following applies to students of the ACC from September 2019:
Coach Register
Read more about joining the Coach Register here (page in Dutch).
Admission requirements
Students with a Dutch HBO (Higher Vocational Education) equivalent education in people oriented studies (240 ECTs), such as Social Work, Nursing, Psychology, etc., can join this Register under the title Coach after they have followed a programme of at least 10 days at the ACC. View the list of people oriented studies here (page in Dutch).
Students who have a Dutch MBO level 4 (Vocational Preparatory Education) or Dutch HBO (Higher Vocational Education) which is not people-oriented, can be admitted in the Coach Register after they have completed the programme ‘Coaching and Counselling Year 1‘ and ‘Coaching and Counselling Year 2‘. If an MBO equivalent education has been followed, students receive the title MBO Coach. The title ‘Coach’ is exclusively reserved for Coaches with an HBO (Bachelor) preparatory education.
Please click here for more information about registration in the Coach Register (page in Dutch).
Independent Therapists Register (OTR)
Please click here for more information about the advantages of joining the OTR (page in Dutch).
Admission requirements
Students who have completed the programme ‘Coaching and Counselling Year 1‘ and ‘Coaching and Counselling Year 2‘, and who do have a HBO equivalent bachelor education, can be registered as a Counsellor in the OTR. It is not possible to register in the OTR with a Dutch MBO level 4 (Vocational Preparatory Education).
Register of Psychosocial and Social Work (VPMW)
If an NFG care provider is registered in the professional group VPMW or VIG, many clients have the option of having their treatments reimbursed by health insurance. Please click here for more information on the reimbursement possibilities if you are joining this Register (page in Dutch).
Admission requirements
The admission requirements for this Register are as follows (in order to join this register, you must fulfil all three requirements):
- A Dutch HBO (Higher Vocational Education) equivalent education in people oriented studies (240 ECTs). View the list of people oriented studies here (page in Dutch). All the studies mentioned in this list, both the left and the right column, are considered to be people oriented studies.
- Psychosocial Basic Knowledge (PSBK) that complies with Plato guidelines or an exemption due to prior education. View the list of studies that give exemption for PSBK here (page in Dutch). The studies in the right-hand column of this list, in the table ‘Programmes at HBO/WO level that give exemption for the Psychosocial Basic Knowledge’, give exemption for the PSBK.
- A minimum of 120 teaching contact hours (so no self-study) of complementary/alternative psychosocial (therapeutic) training recognised by us (minimum bachelor level). You meet this requirement, for instance, by following the training programmes ‘Coaching and Counselling Year 1‘ and ‘Coaching and Counselling Year 2‘ at the ACC.
In order to qualify for reimbursement by health insurance, after completing the programmes you will be registered as a Psychosocial Worker and not as a Counsellor. This has to do with the fact that some health insurance companies do not recognise the performance code of Counsellors for NFG-registered people. If you are registered as a Psychosocial Worker in the VPMW professional group, you may apply for an AGB code and use performance code 24504 (other psychosocial therapy).
Will my international diploma be recognised by the NFG?
Please contact the NFG if you would like to know whether your previous education equals Dutch HBO level or whether the specific field would be considered people oriented and/or result in exemption for PSBK.
If the NFG has any doubts on the exact value of your diploma, they will always refer you to the NUFFIC for validating your diploma and comparison to the Dutch educational system. It is also possible to contact the NUFFIC in advance.
Can you be admitted by the NFG?
In case that you are in doubt if you have the required educational background, you can contact the ACC or the NFG to discuss the situation and the possibilities for NFG registration.
We will never make a 100% commitment to registration in advance but always express an expectation. After going through the registration procedure, it is the NFG’s assessment committee who will determine whether registration is possible. They will look not only at diplomas but also at other documents that must be submitted (such as a recent certificate of conduct / VOG). They will also check the website and the Chamber of Commerce registration to see whether the care worker’s activities fit in with the NFG’s field of work.
