Dan Neville (Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this topic which has been discussed on an ongoing basis since 2005. Currently, there are no regulations in Ireland for the registration of psychotherapists and counsellors and no State control over the qualifications held by those practising in the area. It is dangerous for untrained and unskilled people to probe a person's unconsciousness. They are dealing with human vulnerability and serious damage can be done to such delicate people.

The Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 provides for the registration of persons qualifying under the title of a designated profession for the determination of complaints relating to their fitness to practise. Psychotherapy and counselling were not included as the various organisations could not agree but then 22 of them set up the psychological therapies forum and came to an agreement on what to do.

On 20 February 2014, the director of the National Office for Suicide Prevention of the HSE, Mr. Gerry Raleigh, stated that people in distress should avoid these services because counsellors may not be fully trained or may not basing their counselling on best advice. He said it was important that a person seeking psychotherapy and counselling identifies processionals who are members of the psychological therapies forum, encompassing 22 professional organisations.

The psychological therapies forum said that it provides protection to clients but that it falls short of optimal protection as, under our common law system, it is possible for any person to take the title of "counsellor" or "psychotherapist" and to practice accordingly without training or competence. Any person can put up a sign and say he or she is a counsellor or psychotherapist and charge €80 an hour to perform psychotherapy and counselling. It is extremely dangerous for such untrained people to do so.

I would like to give the example of two courses. One course ran for eight weekends leading to a diploma in eating disorders. One should be a professional to deal with that but I tested the system a number of years ago. A secretary, who had no qualifications or interest in any clinical, medical or psychological area, applied and was immediately welcomed on to the course and provided with a handwritten note inviting her to commence the course on the following Saturday. A course covering a number of weekends led to a higher diploma in suicide studies. It is highly dangerous for people to counsel those who have suicidal ideation after such a short course, when they are not fully trained. It takes four years plus of supervised practice to qualify as a psychotherapist. My objective is to include psychotherapy and counselling in the 2005 Act. It only requires a ministerial directive to do so and not legislation.

In response to me putting this to him, the Minister for Health, Deputy Reilly, when dealing with the Health and Social Care Professionals (Amendment) Bill 2012, stated:

However, I am supportive of addressing the regulation of counsellors and psychotherapists sooner rather than later. Replies to parliamentary questions and meetings with various delegations have been based on a policy position that statutory regulation for this profession would be considered for designation by regulation under section 4(2) of the 2005 Act in time to come when all regulations boards.....have been established......I share his concern about the lack of standards and the fact that people who taken courses over six weekends are calling themselves counsellors in the same way as those who have completed three or four year university courses or postgraduate degrees in psychology. We have to address this issue, but I hope the committee will give [time to do so].

He further stated:

While the [various counselling bodies] have now come together, they have as a consequence of speaking with one voice highlighted huge gaps in standards and we will have to do considerable work with HETAC to develop a shared standard. HETAC intends to provide us with a report on the matter in early or mid-2013 which will allow us to start immediately with the task of setting up a registration board for counsellors.

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