Sir, – The Irish Times has reported that Minister for Health Leo Varadkar indicated that some "strange people" were offering their services as counsellors and psychotherapists ("Varadkar says 'strange people' advertising as psychotherapists", April 17th). The article stated that people who attend short courses can advertise themselves as counsellors and psychotherapists. This points to the State's failure to regulate properly the professions of psychotherapy and counselling. Counsellors and psychotherapists, and their professional bodies, have been strenuously pressing for regulation by the State for a long time.
The article rightly warns the public that anyone can put up their counsellor or psychotherapist “shingle” outside their door. However, many counsellors and psychotherapists are trained to the highest European standards. The Irish Council for Psychotherapy, which has in excess of 1,100 professionally registered psychotherapists, requires psychotherapists to train for a minimum of four years at postgraduate level.
In April 2008, the Psychological Therapies Forum submitted an agreed proposal to Government for the statutory registration of two professions – psychotherapists and counsellors. The proposal envisaged that the minimum training level for psychotherapists would be set at postgraduate level. In the EU, many states have introduced laws that require psychotherapists to have postgraduate training. This is in recognition of the fact that psychotherapists work with vulnerable clients with complex needs, who are in psychosocial crisis. The consensus that was reached in the 2008 submission to government seems to have weakened since then. However, the public is not well served by the current unregulated situation. In line with other western countries, the State needs to progress the statutory registration of psychotherapists. Ireland has the professional education infrastructure to continue training psychotherapists to master’s degree level. The Minister now needs to make the necessary policy decisions so that only people with suitable postgraduate qualifications can provide psychotherapy to the vulnerable public. – Yours, etc,
GERRY MYERS,
Course Director,
MA in Integrative
Psychotherapy Programme,
University of Limerick.