As the Deputy is aware, CORU is Ireland’s multi-profession health and social care regulator. Established under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005, CORU’s role is to protect the public by regulating the health and social care professions designated under the 2005 Act.
CORU’s Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board (the board) was established in 2019 and since then has been working to progress regulation of both professions.
The board has statutory responsibility for:
• Establishing and maintaining a register of members of both professions
• Assessing, approving and monitoring education and training courses
• Establishing the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics and standards of performance to which counsellors and psychotherapists must adhere.
In July 2025 CORU published two key documents for these professions:
• Standards of Proficiency, which set out the minimum knowledge and skills required for entry to the register of counsellors and psychotherapists.
• Criteria for Education and Training Programmes, which set the requirements for how professional training programmes are designed and managed to ensure graduates consistently meet the Standards of Proficiency.
These requirements set out the level of education and clinical training needed to practise safely and effectively. Setting these standards has now laid the foundations so education programmes can be designed to ensure consistency of education and training and the standards for entry into practice for counsellors and psychotherapists.
The board has commenced the next phase of its work to introduce regulation for these professions, with a focus on preparing for the approval of education and training programmes. The standards and criteria have been issued to education providers, and they have been allowed a 4-year period to align their programmes to the board’s regulatory requirements.
This timeframe provides education providers with a sufficient period of alignment before commencing the programme approval process. It also acknowledges the time required for education providers to thoroughly evaluate their programmes and implement the necessary changes to meet the board’s regulatory standards.
At the end of this 4-year period, the board will commence a process of programme approval to assess whether education and training programmes meets the required standards. The registers for counsellors and psychotherapists can be opened when a list of approved qualifications is established. Without this list, there would be no pathway for new entrants to the professions to apply for registration, as they would rely on having an approved qualification to be eligible.
While the setting and publication of the Board’s pre-registration education and training requirements marks significant progress towards the opening of these registers, there remains essential work to complete the regulatory and legal framework in the coming years. As such, it is not possible to specify a definitive date for the opening of the registers for counsellors and psychotherapists.
CORU and my Department are committed to delivering regulation of this very important profession. Psychotherapists perform a vital role, providing therapeutic care to often vulnerable people. The introduction of regulation will ensure that any member of the public seeking support can have confidence in the high standards of education, training, conduct, and competence of their psychotherapist.
