The intake interview with a psychologist, psychiatrist, or general practitioner is a crucial moment for patients. Will my story be understood? Should I undergo treatment or take medication? The Netwerkintake is a method designed to help healthcare professionals, in collaboration with the patient, gain a clear and comprehensive understanding of their story. Through open dialogue, both the patient’s challenges and strengths are (visually) mapped out, creating a complete narrative. This shared understanding provides a foundation for the patient to actively participate in their recovery journey.
Traditionally, healthcare providers focus on a patient’s symptoms to diagnose and determine treatment. However, a patient is more than just their symptoms. The Netwerkintake offers a more holistic approach, emphasizing the patient’s strengths. The challenge: ensuring that healthcare professionals across different fields are informed about the benefits of the Netwerkintake and can integrate it into their practice.
The Department of Psychiatry at UMC Utrecht, led by Dr. Prof. Floortje Scheepers, developed the Netwerkintake to foster a recovery-oriented problem analysis. For patients, the intake becomes a pivotal moment where they gain visual insight into their situation. It not only identifies the obstacles but also the supportive elements in their lives. By making this method scalable and equipping practitioners to confidently use the Netwerkintake, we can empower a larger group of patients to claim their agency and play an active role in their recovery process.
We developed an e-learning program that assists healthcare providers in the broad-scale implementation of the Netwerkintake. Through assignments, videos, personal stories, and in-depth theory, healthcare professionals learn to visually structure the patient’s story. The key frameworks of transparency, visualization, positivity, and validation guide the conversation toward a personalized recovery plan.
The core function of the Netwerkintake is visually representing the patient’s story. Who and what influences their life? How are these factors connected, and do they help or hinder the patient's life? This network is illustrated through a drawing, much like a mind map. During the e-learning process, healthcare professionals learn to use this method through four modules and a final assessment. In addition to creating the Netwerkintake map, they gain insight into all the powerful elements of the approach. With the help of animations, theoretical content, and fictional case studies, practitioners learn how to apply the Netwerkintake in various situations. This method offers both the practitioner and the patient clear guidance and actionable steps toward recovery.
For more information, visit: www.netwerkintake.nl
Full professor Innovation in psychiatry at UMC Utrecht
For the development of the e-learning module for the network intake, the psychiatry department of UMC Utrecht collaborated with Ink. It was a joy, because not only were the sessions we held with them—designed to truly get to the heart of the matter and align with our needs—creative, energetic, and insightful, but the execution, collaboration, and results were also completely in line with our wishes and hopeful expectations. Ink didn’t just complete a project for us; they co-created with us to develop a product that embodies our mission and vision. We’re incredibly happy with the result.
