Country members/The Netherlands/News

News September 2008

Dutch association for Occupational Therapists

In 2006, Ergotherapie Nederland developed a new strategy: strength and cooperation. A lot has changed since then and will continue to change in the coming years. To support each other co-operatively, the association has changed from a hierarchical organizational structure to a network based organization. A small management team is supported by external specialists and advisers. Because of this support the management team is able to choose all the desired and appropriate expertise required.

This year the name of the Dutch association for occupational therapy has changed to Ergotherapie Nederland. This name change reflects the philosophy of the professional association. At the same time as the launching of the name, the new Internet site www.ergotherapienederland.nl has been implemented. By the end of this year it will be possible to exchange professional knowledge and to participate in life long learning via Internet/e-learning.

Ergotherapie Nederland will focus over the coming years on four relevant societal topics: elderly people, people with a chronic conditions, children & youth and labor & health. A targeted public relations campaign will be developed to address each of these issues in a prioritized way. This will be communicated to all occupational therapists in the Netherlands via an e-learning platform to enable their participation in the campaigns.

The aim is that by 2012 occupational therapy services will be available across the Netherlands and will be supported by specific networks of occupational therapists. Ergotherapie Nederland is excited about the future and looks forward to working with all Dutch occupational therapists to achieve it’s aim.

For older news click here