Irish Council for Psychotherapy Urges Minister for Health to Intervene in CORU’s Revised Training Standards
Dublin, 10 October 2025 – The Irish Council for Psychotherapy (ICP) has issued an urgent policy submission to the Minister for Health, calling for immediate intervention in CORU’s proposed standards for psychotherapy training in Ireland. The ICP warns that the revised regulations, if implemented, would significantly lower the quality of psychotherapy education and pose risks to public safety, trainee development, and Ireland’s international standing in the profession.
The submission, developed by ICP’s Board and senior trainers across ten member organisations, outlines six major objections to CORU’s draft standards, including:
- The removal of mandatory personal therapy in training programmes for psychotherapists
- The absence of close clinical supervision requirements in training programmes
- The lack of mention of a minimum duration for training programmes
- A reduction in required clinical practice hours from 500 to 200
- A failure to distinguish between psychotherapy (the work of psychotherapists) and interventions (conducted by clinical and counselling psychologists, among others)
- A disregard for international standards, jeopardising employment mobility across the EU
“Psychotherapy is a complex and deeply relational profession that demands rigorous training, emotional maturity, and ethical resilience,” said ICP Boad member, John O’Connor. “CORU’s proposed standards fall short of what is needed to protect vulnerable clients and support competent practitioners. Our central message is that these regulations, should they be accepted, would diminish the quality of training of psychotherapy in Ireland, and place members of the public – children, adolescents, and adults – and psychotherapists in training and in practice at risk. We urge the Minister to use her statutory powers to reopen the consultation process and ensure that Ireland’s standards align with European best practice.”
ICP’s recommendations include reinstating the 500-hour clinical practice requirement, mandating 250 hours of personal therapy, and setting a minimum four-year training duration. These align with the European Association for Psychotherapy (EAP) standards, which underpin professional mobility across regulated EU countries.
The submission also highlights the lack of meaningful consultation with the profession, noting that ICP’s comprehensive feedback (developed in its work with all of its member organisations their representatives, training programmes, and clinicians) was not reflected in the final draft. “This is a critical moment for psychotherapy in Ireland,” the ICP states. “We must not allow decades of progress to be undone by inadequate regulation.”
Notes for Editors:
For media inquiries, please contact Rúaidhrí O’Connor (CEO), Irish Council for Psychotherapy (ICP).