Mental Health Licensing & Regulation in Colombia: 2026 Guide

If you are choosing a psychologist in Colombia, for yourself or for a family member, it helps to know that psychology is a regulated profession there. The law says who may practise, and it gives you a concrete thing to check before you begin. This guide covers psychologists.

How psychologists are regulated in Colombia, in short

The governing law is Ley 1090 of 2006. Its own title says the law "se reglamenta el ejercicio de la profesión de Psicología", meaning it regulates the practice of psychology and sets out the profession's code of ethics. The same law places the psychologist firmly in the health field. It states that "se considera al psicólogo también como un profesional de la salud",¹ the psychologist is also considered a health professional.

The professional card you can check

Under Ley 1090, to practise a psychologist must hold "la Tarjeta profesional expedida por el Colegio Colombiano de Psicólogos", a professional card issued by the Colombian College of Psychologists, or Colpsic. The law requires the person to "acreditar su formación académica e idoneidad profesional",¹ to prove their academic training and fitness, and to present the relevant degree. The card stands for a verified qualification, and asking to see a current one is the simplest check you can make.

The national health register, and why a psychologist may not be on it

Colombia has a national register of health personnel, the Registro Único Nacional del Talento Humano en Salud, known as ReTHUS. It was created by Article 23 of Ley 1164 of 2007, and registration means the person is "certificado para el ejercicio de la profesión u ocupación", certified to practise the profession or occupation. The register must also record sanction information reported by "los tribunales de Ética y Bioética", the ethics and bioethics tribunals.²

Psychologists are not currently required to be on ReTHUS, so a psychologist may not be listed.

Colpsic puts it plainly: "a los psicólogos no le es exigible el RETHUS", ReTHUS is not required of psychologists as things stand. On Colpsic's account, Article 12 of Ley 1090 delegated ReTHUS for psychologists working in clinical and health areas to Colpsic, and the procedures between the Ministry of Health and Colpsic have not concluded. Part of what is still being worked out is the registration obligation itself, because "no todos los psicólogos se consideran como del área de la salud",² not all psychologists are treated as belonging to the health area.

What is required of psychologists working in clinical and health areas is registration with the Secretarías de Salud, the regional health secretariats. Colpsic states that this certificate of registration carries the same binding force as ReTHUS. Those already registered with a secretariat are enrolled in ReTHUS automatically.²

The Ministry runs a "Consulta al ciudadano" where "los ciudadanos pueden verificar si el personal de salud ha cumplido con los requisitos" for practising. But the sanction information it shows covers professionals "en medicina, odontología y enfermería", in medicine, dentistry and nursing.³ Psychology is not in that list.

For a psychologist the professional card is the check that always applies, and the health-secretariat registration is the one that matters if they work clinically. A psychologist registered with a Secretaría de Salud holds a certificate of registration, so you can ask to see that certificate alongside the card. An absence from ReTHUS on its own tells you very little.

What a psychologist is trained and allowed to do

Ley 1090 also describes the work itself. It includes "programas de diagnóstico, evaluación e intervención psicológica", meaning programmes of psychological diagnosis, assessment and intervention across the applied fields. It goes further and names clinical work directly. The law lists "Evaluación, pronóstico y tratamiento de las disfunciones personales",¹ the assessment, prognosis and treatment of personal dysfunctions in the different contexts of life. A Colombian psychologist is legally recognised to assess and treat.

The ethics the law requires

Ley 1090 binds every psychologist to a code of ethics, and confidentiality is one of the basic obligations it imposes. The law states the psychologist has "una obligación básica respecto a la confidencialidad de la información" obtained from the people they work with. The code also requires competence. Psychologists must recognise the limits of their competence and the limitations of their techniques, and offer only those services and techniques for which they are qualified. It also protects the professional's independence within that code. It provides that "Dentro de los límites de su competencia, el psicólogo ejercerá sus funciones de forma autónoma",¹ the psychologist practises autonomously within the limits of their competence, while always respecting the principles and rules of professional ethics.

Quick reference

Ask whether the psychologist holds a current Tarjeta Profesional from the Colegio Colombiano de Psicólogos, and treat that card as the confirmation that they are trained and entitled to practise.

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References

1. [1] Ley 1090 de 2006 (Congreso de Colombia, secretariasenado.gov.co) - regula el ejercicio de la profesión de Psicología; el psicólogo como profesional de la salud; el ejercicio profesional (diagnóstico, evaluación, intervención, tratamiento de las disfunciones personales); y el requisito de la Tarjeta profesional expedida por el Colegio Colombiano de Psicólogos. secretariasenado.gov.co.
2. [2] Colegio Colombiano de Psicólogos (Colpsic), "Rethus". Sets out Article 23 of Ley 1164 of 2007 creating the Registro Único Nacional del Talento Humano en Salud, which certifies health personnel for practice and must also record sanctions reported by the Ethics and Bioethics tribunals. States that Article 12 of Ley 1090 of 2006 delegated ReTHUS for psychologists working in clinical and health areas to Colpsic but that the procedures between the Ministry of Health and Colpsic have not concluded; that psychologists are not currently required to be registered in ReTHUS ("a los psicólogos no le es exigible el RETHUS"); that what is required of psychologists working in clinical and health areas is registration with the Secretarías de Salud, whose certificate has the same binding force as ReTHUS; and that the professional card is issued by Colpsic. colpsic.org.co/rethus.
3. [3] Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social (Colombia), "Registro Único Nacional del Talento Humano en Salud - RETHUS". States that ReTHUS registration means the person is authorised to practise a health profession or occupation under Ley 1164 of 2007; that ReTHUS also records sanction information reported by the ethical-disciplinary tribunals; and, for the citizen consultation ("Consulta al ciudadano"), that the public can check whether health personnel have met the requirements to practise and can see sanction information for those professionals "en medicina, odontología y enfermería" sanctioned by the ethical-disciplinary tribunals. minsalud.gov.co.