The register of psychologists is the same as the register of doctors. What about psychotherapy?
The Sejm adopted the act on the profession of psychologist. 241 MPs voted for the act, 9 were against and 191 abstained. The new regulations are intended to sort out the legal situation in the psychologist's profession. An important element of the new regulations is the creation of a professional self-government for psychologists. However, the amendment removing psychotherapy from the catalog of psychologist services is controversial.
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The Sejm rejected all minority motions submitted by the PiS club. However, the MPs supported the amendments recommended by the health and social policy and family committees, including setting the fee for issuing a certificate of entry in the register at PLN 50.
The previous Act of 2001 was not effectively implemented – there were no implementing regulations and the psychologists' self-government was not established.
The key element of the new regulations is: establishing a professional self-government for psychologistswhich will be supervised by the Minister of Labor. The adoption of the Code of Professional Ethics for Psychologists is also planned.
The Act specifies definition of psychological services – developed by professional circles – and specifies the rules for obtaining the right to practice the profession and maintaining an official register of psychologists. On the other hand register of psychologists is intended to enable their verification, just like in the case of doctors.
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Psychotherapy removed from the list of psychological services
Work on the act was carried out by a special subcommittee, and in December the project was considered by the Social Policy and Family Committee and the Health Committee. At the beginning of December an amendment was introduced removing psychotherapy from the list of psychological services – in accordance with the act, psychologists will be able to conduct psychotherapy only on the terms specified in separate regulations. These separate provisions are the controversial parliamentary bill on the profession of psychotherapist (print no. 1345).
Some psychologists expressed opposition to this change, pointing out that clinical psychologists, after many years of education and specialization, will have to re-acquire qualifications to conduct psychotherapy together with people with other fields of study, such as political science or archaeology.
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A controversial provision in the act adopted by the Sejm. “It will harm patients”
Removing psychotherapy from the list of psychological services in the government's bill on the profession of psychologist will harm patients the most, said psychologist and psychotherapist Dr. Marta Siepsiak from SWPS University in Warsaw in an interview with PAP.
She explained that the amendment introduced to the bill means that psychologists will have to practice two professions. – They will not be able to be psychologists specializing in psychotherapy as one of the branches of psychology, but they will have to be psychologists and psychotherapists separately. As a result, they will belong to a separate chamber and be subject to a different code of ethics and regulations, the interlocutor explained to PAP.
The psychologists' community protested against the amendment in front of the Sejm on Thursday. The protesters emphasized that they did not demand that a psychologist with a master's degree should conduct psychotherapy, because this requires advanced, specialized education.
