Mary Henry (Independent)

Senator Ryan has raised a most important issue concerning an area in which the general public is at its most vulnerable. The Irish Council for Psychotherapists has been in contact with me to say that it has standards in place and is linked to the European Psychotherapy Association. The council has signed up to the EPA's standards and would like to be included within the terms of the Bill. Therefore, I propose to table an amendment on Report Stage to include psychotherapists. As Senator Ryan explained, some people may describe themselves as counsellors or therapists but not all of them are. For that reason, it is most important to put regulations in place for the sake of the general public.