Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 September 2025
927. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health the reason for the omission of mandatory personal therapy from CORU's training requirements; if she is satisfied that the omission of this training requirement will not be detrimental to the care provided to CORU's clients; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52003/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware, CORU is Ireland’s multi-profession health and social care regulator. CORU’s role is to protect the public by regulating the health and social care professions designated under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 (as amended).
Counsellors and psychotherapists perform a vital role, providing therapeutic care to often vulnerable people. Regulation is being introduced to these professions to protect the public, ensuring that care provided is of a consistently high standard and always by suitably qualified individuals.
Following designation of the two professions to be regulated in 2017 the Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board (CPRB) was established in 2019 and since that time has been working to progress regulation of both professions.
The CPRB undertook extensive research, analysis, and public consultation to introduce regulation of each profession for the first time. The public consultation process received over 700 submissions, including educators, professional bodies and existing practitioners. This comprehensive process recognised the differences in scope and complexity of practice between the two professions and ensures that the threshold standards and qualification levels set for each accurately reflect the competencies required for safe and effective practice, while strengthening public protection. This consultation process has been published by CORU and is available on their web site.
In July 2025 CORU published two key documents for each of these professions.
• Standards of Proficiency: These outline the threshold knowledge and skills required for entry to the register. They define what a counsellor or psychotherapist must be able to do at the point of entry into practice.
• Criteria for Education and Training Programmes: These set out the systems and processes education providers must implement in the design and management of education and training programmes. They provide assurance that all graduates have achieved all the Standards of Proficiency upon successful completion of an education and training programme.
The adopted Standards and Criteria reflect the threshold knowledge and skills required for safe practice at entry to the professions of Counselling and Psychotherapy. The introduction of consistent standards for the education and training of counsellors and psychotherapists marks a significant milestone, ensuring that those seeking support can have confidence in accessing appropriately trained and qualified practitioners
In relation to mandatory personal therapy, CORU concluded that while the Standards of Proficiency clearly outline the required competencies, including self-reflectivity, it is not within the regulator’s remit to prescribe how education providers design programmes or assessments to achieve those outcomes. Following this decision, the CPRB proceeded to finalise its Criteria for Education and Training Programmes on the understanding that education providers and professional bodies may still choose to require personal therapy as part of their programmes, independent of regulatory mandate.
CORU supports a flexible, competency-based training model that allows for diverse paths to personal and professional development. Core competencies like self-awareness, reflectivity, and ethical judgment can be assessed through structured alternatives, including reflective journals, clinical supervision, experiential group work, and self-practice/self-reflection tasks.
CORU remains committed to transparent, fair, and proportionate regulation that protects the public and supports practitioners and will continue to engage closely with education providers, professional bodies, and other stakeholders as the regulatory process advances, keeping public protection at the centre of this work.
