Doctors concerned about increasing popularity of "stress coaches"

Occupational doctors and psychologists are concerned about the massive increase in the number of stress- and burnout coaches in the Netherlands. They are particularly worried that these coaches don't have the necessary skills to provide the help their customers need, according to a study by television program Nationaal Stressdebat among 500 occupational doctors and -psychologists, RTL Nieuws reports.

The number of registered coaches in the field of stress and burnout increased more than tenfold in the last 20 years, according to figures from the Chamber of Commerce. In 1999 there were only 415 of these coaches, now there are 4,484.

70 percent of the occupational doctors and 58 percent of the psychologists the program spoke with called this a "worrying development", raising particular concerns about the quality of care these coaches offer.

Nationaal Stressdebat is about the large number of people struggling with stress and burnout in the Netherlands. According to the program, it worked with the professional organizations for occupational physicians NVAB nd psychologists NIP for this study.