The Council is continuing to play a key role in the Government’s plans to develop legislation for the statutory regulation of psychotherapists in Ireland.

The Council has been putting forward its proposals at the Psychological Therapies Forum which was set up by the Department of Health & Children to make recommendations on the type of legislation required.

The Forum is moving towards agreement to have two protected titles covering both psychotherapy and counselling and it is hoped that this recommendation will go to the Minister shortly.

The ICP is also working with the Department of Health & Children on the composition of the new Registration Board which will regulate our profession and on which we need to be adequately represented to ensure our independent professional status.

The move to provide for statutory regulation of psychotherapy in Ireland is in line with international developments. Proposals are at an advanced state to register psychotherapists in Britain while Germany has recently introduced new healthcare legislation to provide for regulation.

Meanwhile the European Association of Psychotherapy, on which we are represented, is lobbying Governments and the European Parliament to provide for commonly agreed independent profession of psychotherapy and EAP recognised training programmes which will facilitate the easy movement of trained and accredited psychotherapists across Europe.