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A heated dispute erupts as Ireland's health regulator proposes new statutory rules for psychotherapists, while professional bodies fear a dilution of existing high standards. The debate centers on training duration, mandatory supervision and the public's right to safe mental health care.
The debate over how psychotherapists should be trained in Ireland has reached a fever pitch as the national health regulator, known as CORU, proposes new statutory regulations that professional bodies say would undermine the high standards that currently exist in the profession.
Members of Ireland's accredited psychotherapy community, who have long argued for state oversight in order to prevent unqualified practitioners from operating under the title of psychotherapist, have voiced grave concerns that the draft rules would dilute the voluntary standards that they have been upholding for years. Their critics label the changes as "dangerous.
"CORU counters by pointing out that the organisation is not a derogatory label but a name derived from the Irish word for fair and proper. According to CORU, the proposed regulation would bring the profession into line with internationally recognised standards, establishing a minimum requirement that all registered therapists must meet.
The body insists that these standards will provide the public with clear evidence that practitioners have completed a rigorous training programme and possess the ethical maturity necessary for safe clinical practice. Central to the objection from the Institute of Certified Psychotherapists (ICP) is the absence of a specified training period in the draft legislation.
Current practice in Ireland and across Europe normally requires a minimum of four continuous years of training, including theoretical study, supervised clinical experience, personal therapy, and ongoing supervision. ICP chair Belinda Moller argues that without a set time frame, the quality of training could vary dramatically, potentially allowing practitioners to begin working with clients after only a few months of academic study.
"It's not just a question of statistics. The right length of training is fundamental to developing the professional judgment and ethical grounding that a therapist needs when working with someone in distress," Moller says. She further emphasises that the absence of mandatory personal therapy and regular supervision risks exposing both trainees and clients to harm. CORU maintains that its proposals are not a lowering of standards but rather an enforcement of a baseline that all registered therapists must reach.
The regulator's statement to The Irish Times stresses that the new rules would codify "legally enforceable minimum standards for the first time," replacing the current patchwork of voluntary guidelines with a single, consistent framework. The discussion will be at the forefront of the ICP's annual conference in Dublin on September 26, where Tom Warnecke, the general secretary of the European Association of Psychotherapy (EAP), will deliver the keynote address.
Warnecke, who has highlighted the tragic cases of therapists who have breached client boundaries, stresses the need for safeguards that prevent rare but serious abuses. In an effort to protect clients from retraumatisation and other risks, Warnecke and his colleagues argue that rigorous training, supervision, and ethical accountability are essential, especially in an era where the profession lacks uniform statutory oversight across many European countries
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