Mental Health Licensing & Regulation in Brazil: 2026 Guide

In Brazil two roles are the ones to check when you are choosing a therapist: the psychologist (psicólogo), who registers with a Regional Psychology Council, and the psychiatrist (psiquiatra), who registers through the medical councils.

Psicoterapeuta, terapeuta, conselheiro and coach are not separately protected titles, so there is no register to check for them.

This guide sets out which mental health roles carry a registration you can verify. It also shows, step by step, how to confirm a named provider if you are about to book.

Reviewed by Team TherapyRoute.

The short answer: who is regulated, and who is not

Many titles sound clinical but are not separately protected.

The table below sets out where each of the common titles stands.

The safety test is therefore simple. Is this person registered as a psychologist or as a doctor?

The law behind psychologists

Two federal laws apply here. It helps to keep them apart.

The profession of psicólogo was defined by Lei no 4.119 of 1962. Brazilian law makes the use of psychological methods and techniques the função privativa do Psicólogo, the psychologist's exclusive function, and names diagnóstico psicológico as one of its purposes.³

The councils came later. In 1971, Lei 5.766 created the Conselho Federal and the Conselhos Regionais de Psicologia as a public regulatory body (autarquia).¹

Every practising psychologist must inscrever-se (register) with the Conselho Regional for their area before working. Registration is issued in two categories, Psicólogo and Psicólogo Especialista.²

The profession dates from 1962; the council and registration system dates from 1971.

Psychiatrists and the medical councils

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who has specialised in mental health.

Their accountability runs through the medical councils, the Conselho Federal de Medicina (CFM) and its regional bodies (CRM).

Brazil's medical law, the Ato Médico, sets out what only a doctor may do. Some acts are reserved as atividades privativas do médico, including deciding on hospital admission and discharge, the internação e alta médica.⁴

This is the practical difference for a patient. A psychiatrist, as a doctor, can decide on hospital admission and discharge. Lei no 4.119 makes the use of psychological methods and techniques (métodos e técnicas psicológicas) the psychologist's exclusive function, for psychological diagnosis, professional guidance and selection, psychopedagogical guidance, and problems of adjustment. Prescribing is not among the purposes that article lists.

Which titles are not regulated, and why it matters

There is no dedicated federal council that registers a standalone psychotherapist.

So a person offering therapy is answerable to a professional council only if they are registered as a psychologist or as a doctor.

A person who is not registered with the Conselhos and who, through any form of publicity, offers themselves for practice of the profession of psychologist faces the penalties for exercício ilegal da profissão; the Conselhos Regionais apply the penalidades, with appeal to the Conselho Federal.⁶

The penalty applies to a person who is not registered and who advertises, in any form, that they will practise as a psychologist. What matters is the work the person offers to do, not only the title they use.

Social work (assistente social) and occupational therapy (terapeuta ocupacional) are named professions in their own right, with their own separate councils. Brazil's medical law expressly preserves the competências próprias of both. The bare title terapeuta, standing alone, is not one of those named professions. They are not the roles you check when choosing a therapist.

How to check a provider is really registered

Checking a psychologist

1. Open the national register, the Cadastro Nacional de Psicólogas(os), run by the CFP.
2. Search by full name or by CRP number.
3. Check that the record returned is the person you mean. The Conselho Regional issues a Carteira de Identidade Profissional on inscrição, so you can also ask to see it.
4. The public register may not show disciplinary status. Suspensão and cassação do exercício profissional are applied by the Conselhos Regionais, so ask the Conselho Regional for the area if you need that confirmed.

A valid record shows an active registration and a CRP number. A record that is missing, or that does not show an active registration, is a reason to pause and ask questions.

Checking a psychiatrist

Psychiatrists are checked as doctors, not through the psychology register.

Use the public doctor search run by the medical councils (CFM and the regional CRM). Search the name and confirm an active medical registration.

The ethics code, and what to do if something goes wrong

Registered psychologists are bound by a professional ethics code, the Código de Ética Profissional do Psicólogo.

Breaching the Código de Ética Profissional is one of the infrações disciplinares, and penalties run from Advertência up to Cassação do exercício profissional.⁵

If you have a serious concern, you can raise a complaint (denúncia).

You complain to the Conselho Regional where the psychologist is registered. That is the council for the area in which they work, because that is where the law requires them to register. For a doctor, you complain to the regional Medical Council (CRM). Each council investigates conduct and can apply the penalties above.

If you trained abroad as a psychologist, or want to train as one in Brazil

Practising as a psychologist in Brazil runs through inscrição with a Conselho Regional.²

To be accepted for inscrição with a Conselho Regional you must satisfy the qualification requirements of Lei no 4.119 of 1962, not be impeded from practising, and be of good public repute.

If you qualified outside Brazil, the Conselho Regional must still be satisfied that you meet the requirements of Lei no 4.119 of 1962. The article that sets the conditions for inscrição does not say how a degree earned outside Brazil is assessed against them, so confirm what your Conselho Regional requires before you rely on a foreign qualification.

If you plan to train, a recognised psychology degree is the starting point. See also our guide to academic credentials for mental health professionals in Brazil.

Choosing an accountable practitioner

Registration is not a formality. It is what allows a council to investigate a complaint and apply a penalty.

A registered psychologist or psychiatrist can be checked, and can be held to account. A person with no registration cannot be checked on any register, and there is no professional licence for a council to suspend or withdraw.

You can search our directory of therapists in Brazil, and run the check above on anyone you are considering. If you want help narrowing the choice, read how to find the right therapist.

Quick reference and common questions

• Psychologists: register with a CRP; verify on the CFP national register.
• Psychiatrists: register as doctors with a CRM; verify through the medical councils.
• Psicoterapeuta, terapeuta, coach: not separately protected titles.

Red flags to watch for

• Cannot give a valid CRP number, or a CRM number for a psychiatrist.
• Registration that is not shown as active, or that is shown as suspended or withdrawn.
• Vague or shifting claims about their qualifications.
• Reluctance to be checked on the official register.

Frequently asked questions

Is a psicoterapeuta a regulated title in Brazil?
No. It is not a separately protected title. Ask whether the person is a registered psychologist or doctor.

Can a psychologist prescribe medication?
No. Lei no 4.119 gives the psychologist the use of psychological methods and techniques as their exclusive function, and prescribing is not among the purposes it lists. Decisions on hospital admission and discharge are reserved to doctors.

How do I check a psychologist quickly?
Search their name or CRP number on the CFP national register.

This guide is general information, not legal or clinical advice. For your own situation, please consult a registered professional.

References

1. [1] Lei no 5.766, de 20 de dezembro de 1971, arts. 1o-2o (Presidencia da Republica, Brasil) planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/l5766.htm.
2. [2] Lei no 5.766, de 20 de dezembro de 1971, arts. 10-14 (Presidencia da Republica, Brasil) planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/l5766.htm.
3. [3] Lei no 4.119, de 27 de agosto de 1962, art. 13 (Presidencia da Republica, Brasil) planalto.gov.br.
4. [4] Lei no 12.842, de 10 de julho de 2013, arts. 2o e 4o (Presidencia da Republica, Brasil) planalto.gov.br.
5. [5] Lei no 5.766, de 20 de dezembro de 1971, arts. 26 e 27 (Presidencia da Republica, Brasil) planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/l5766.htm.
6. [6] Lei no 5.766, de 20 de dezembro de 1971, arts. 29-31 (Presidencia da Republica, Brasil) planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/l5766.htm.