‘Building a new standard in mental well-being’

When Ruth de Heer took her first steps into the field of occupational health and psychology, her focus was entirely on the content. “After studying clinical psychology, I worked for many years within different organisations and really learned the profession,” says De Heer. “At, among others, HSK and later Skills, I saw how significant the impact of mental health is on work.” What began as an academic fascination evolved into entrepreneurship. First in the form of her own psychology practice, and later into a fast-growing organisation: The Mental Move. From its office in Houten, a team of over 25 psychologists and specialists now works on improving mental health and sustainable employability within organisations. As a result, The Mental Move has developed into a serious player in the market, with a clear vision for the future of work.

Covid-19 as a turning point

De Heer started her entrepreneurial journey with private practice at home. “Back then I thought: this is entrepreneurship,” she says. “But in hindsight, it was mainly running a private practice. You have control over your schedule, it’s manageable and predictable.” Over time, however, it started to feel limiting. “I missed dynamism and impact. I wanted to be closer to the workplace again and help organisations, not just individuals.” In 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, everything accelerated. “I had just started setting up a coaching practice focused on the workplace,” De Heer explains. “But because of Covid, everything suddenly had to move online. That forced me to think differently about how we shape therapy and support.” That coaching practice formed an initial starting point, but soon the focus shifted towards a broader and more scalable concept.

Flipping the therapy

In that period, the idea behind The Mental Move emerged. “I wrote a blog about ‘flipping the therapy’: reversing the traditional model,” says De Heer. “Normally, the conversation with a psychologist is central and online tools are supportive, for example in the form of exercises or reference material. We reverse that: the platform becomes the starting point, where people independently gain knowledge and get to work, and the personal contact becomes complementary and more in-depth.” According to her, this creates more ownership for the employee and makes support scalable. “People can work on their mental health at their own pace and come to sessions with more focused questions. That makes contact with a psychologist more effective.” This way of thinking ultimately formed the foundation for the company as it exists today.

Scalable growth from day one

The first months were mainly focused on building and experimenting. “I started with a whitepaper, then developed an initial version of the platform and went to market,” says De Heer. “A few months later we had our first client and hired our first psychologists.” From the outset, scalability was a guiding principle. “We kept asking ourselves: it’s nice if this works for ten clients, but what if there are ten thousand? Then the technology has to do most of the work.” This has resulted in a largely automated model for onboarding and communication. Organisations start with a central kick-off and receive communication toolkits that HR can use independently. “It’s a standardised programme with a tailored application,” De Heer explains.

Mental health as an interplay between individual and organisation

Characteristic of The Mental Move is the combination of individual and organisation-wide interventions. “We don’t believe you can solve mental health solely at an individual level. It is always an interplay between the individual and the organisation.” The platform plays a central role in this. Employees can independently work with modules, training, and support, while organisations gain insight into underlying themes based on data. “At one client, for example, we saw that workload consistently came up as a theme,” says De Heer. “Then you sit down with HR and managers and translate those signals into concrete interventions, such as workshops or leadership training. That’s how you make prevention tangible and strategic.”

Prevention is more than a fruit basket

This focus on prevention also brings commercial challenges. “Selling a prevention product is simply more difficult than a sickness absence product,” says De Heer. “With absence, the pain is immediately visible and the willingness to invest is high.” With prevention, it’s different. “You really need organisations that take a strategic view on HR and understand the importance of mental capital. Otherwise, it remains at the level of a ‘nice to have’, like a fruit basket.” According to De Heer, support at board level is crucial. “You need leaders who understand that this is not an HR issue, but a strategic one.”

The power of amplitiation

Alongside prevention, amplitiation is gaining ground: strengthening what is already going well. “If around 75 percent of people feel well, that is exactly where the greatest opportunity for development lies,” says De Heer. Instead of focusing solely on risks, The Mental Move actively engages this group through the platform, with recurring touchpoints and accessible modules around themes such as time management or life events like impending parenthood. “It is precisely when people feel well that they have the most mental space to develop their skills.” In doing so, organisations not only invest in well-being, but also increase energy, agility, and sustainable employability. “Amplitiation is essentially about strengthening your mental capital,” says De Heer, “and thereby also your organisation’s competitive advantage.”

From a hidden issue to a visible priority

At the same time, De Heer sees a clear shift in the market. “When we started, mental well-being was much less prominent. Now it’s on the agenda everywhere.” According to her, this development stems from both greater openness and increasing pressure. “There is more awareness and more is being discussed, which makes mental health issues more visible. At the same time, the bar has been raised. Due to globalisation and social media, people no longer compare themselves to their immediate environment, but to the world.” The perceived controllability of life also plays a role. “That creates opportunities, but also increases pressure. If something doesn’t work out, it quickly feels like personal failure.” In practice, this is reflected in a significant rise in mental-related absenteeism in recent years, although De Heer notes it is difficult to determine to what extent this is due to an actual increase or better recognition.

Mental resilience as the key to the future

For the future, De Heer sees mental flexibility as a key competency for both individuals and organisations. “The pace of change is only increasing, driven among other things by technology and AI. That requires the ability to deal with uncertainty and to keep developing.” According to her, this also clearly defines a role for employers. “Organisations are no longer just a place to work, but also a place for development and purpose. You can’t solve everything, but you can create the right conditions, for example in leadership and culture.” For The Mental Move, this represents an important growth opportunity. “We help organisations to structurally steer on this, using data and concrete interventions, so that mental well-being truly becomes part of the strategy.”