Mental Health Licensing & Regulation in Ireland: 2026 Guide

In Ireland, the rules for who may call themselves a mental health professional are changing. The psychologist, counsellor and psychotherapist titles are not protected yet, because those registers have not opened. What you can check today is medical registration: the Mental Health Act ties consultant psychiatrist status to the Medical Council's Register of Medical Specialists.

This guide gives a straight answer for each profession. It covers what "regulated" means right now, whether a title is protected, who may prescribe, and how to check a practitioner.

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The short answer, per profession

Here is where each profession stands right now.

The Mental Health Act defines a consultant psychiatrist as one employed by the Health Service Executive or an approved centre, or listed on the Register of Medical Specialists.¹ That register is maintained by the Medical Council in Ireland.

"Psychologist" is a designated profession under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005.² Counsellors and psychotherapists are named for regulation too. Being named for regulation does not yet mean the title is protected.

"Therapist" is not a regulated title at all. Anyone may use the word, so on its own it is not proof of training.

Why "designated" is not the same as "protected"

CORU is Ireland's multi-profession health and social care regulator. CORU was created by the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005.³ The Act sets up a registration board for each designated profession, including a Psychologists Registration Board.⁴

Entry onto the register allows a person to use the title of that profession.⁵ Under the Act, a person may not use one of these titles unless they are entitled to, or unless they are a service provider pursuing that profession on a temporary and occasional basis under the Professional Qualifications Regulations.⁶

Until CORU opens a profession's register, its title is not protected and anyone may use it.

Who can prescribe medication?

In mental-health care, medication is normally prescribed by a doctor. A psychiatrist is a medically registered doctor, so if medication may be part of your care, a psychiatrist can prescribe it.

Psychologists, counsellors and psychotherapists are not medical doctors. They do not prescribe medication.

How to check a practitioner today

Psychiatrists. Search the Medical Council's register online. The listing to look for is the Register of Medical Specialists, in the division of psychiatry or the division of child and adolescent psychiatry. This is a live, statutory check.

Psychologists, counsellors and psychotherapists. There is no statutory register to search yet. In the meantime, these steps help:

• Ask which professional body the person belongs to, then check that membership with the body directly.
• Ask about their qualifications and supervised training.
• Remember that professional-body membership is voluntary right now, not a legal requirement.

Professional bodies in this space include the Psychological Society of Ireland for psychologists, and the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy or the Irish Council for Psychotherapy for the talk therapies. These are professional associations, not the statutory regulator.

What is coming, and what makes a title protected

For psychologists, CORU plans to open registration in two phases. The first phase opens three registers, for clinical, counselling and educational psychologists.⁷ A fourth register for other psychology specialisms follows in the second phase. Together these registers will protect the title "psychologist".

The Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board was established on 27 February 2019.⁸ CORU states that the registers for counsellors and psychotherapists are not yet open,⁹ so no application can be made yet.

When the registers for counsellors and psychotherapists open, those already in practice can apply through a grandparenting route, known as a Section 91 application. This route is open only for the first two years after a register opens.⁹

There are no fixed public dates we can rely on here. Statutory registration is meant to protect the public by making sure professionals are properly qualified.⁵ Check the current position with CORU before you count on any date.

If you are training to become a psychologist, counsellor or psychotherapist, today's routes run through recognised courses and professional bodies. For new entrants after the two-year transitional period, entry will run through training courses the registration board has approved. The Psychologists Registration Board has published its pre-registration education and training requirements for entry onto each of the three registers for clinical, counselling and educational psychologists.⁷ For counsellors and psychotherapists, their registration board is responsible for assessing, approving and monitoring training courses under the Act.⁸

If something goes wrong

Your options depend on the profession.

• A psychiatrist: complain to the Medical Council, which has statutory powers over registered doctors.
• A psychologist, counsellor or psychotherapist: complain to their professional body. These bodies can act on their own members, but they are not the statutory regulator.
• When CORU registers open: statutory complaints and fitness-to-practise processes will apply to registered members.

For inpatient or hospital care, only a registered approved centre may operate.¹⁰ These centres are overseen by the Mental Health Commission.

Choosing safely while the registers are closed

If you are holding off until the registers open, you do not have to. These three steps carry most of what matters.

• For medication or a medical assessment, see a psychiatrist you can find on the Medical Council register.
• For talk therapy, ask about qualifications, training and professional-body membership, then check what you are told.
• Notice how a first meeting feels. Fit matters too, alongside their qualifications.

To choose a practitioner, our guide on how to find the right therapist sets out the steps.

Team TherapyRoute

References

1. [1] Mental Health Act 2001 (revised), s 2 - Interpretation ('consultant psychiatrist' via the Medical Council Register of Medical Specialists) revisedacts.lawreform.ie.
2. [2] Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 (revised), s 4(1)-(2) - Designated professions (psychologist is designated at s 4(1)(h)) revisedacts.lawreform.ie.
3. [3] CORU, Psychologists Registration Board 2025 - Standards of Proficiency for Clinical Psychologists, About this Document (CORU role) coru.ie.
4. [4] Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 (revised), s 26 - Establishment of registration boards (incl. Psychologists Registration Board) revisedacts.lawreform.ie.
5. [5] CORU, Psychologists Registration Board 2025 - Criteria for Education and Training Programmes for Clinical Psychologists, Introduction (statutory registration purpose) coru.ie.
6. [6] Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 (revised), s 79 - Use of professional titles (title reserved to registrants) revisedacts.lawreform.ie.
7. [7] CORU, Psychologists Registration Board 2025 - regulatory model / introduction of statutory regulation (title protection comes only when the registers open) coru.ie.
8. [8] CORU, About the Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board (coru.ie, accessed 2026-07-17) - Board established 27 Feb 2019 under the HSCP Act 2005 (amended) to regulate counsellors and psychotherapists coru.ie.
9. [9] CORU, Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board FAQ (e) - Introduction to the Registration Process (coru.ie, accessed 2026-07-17) - the registers are NOT yet open; Section 91 grandparenting on opening coru.ie.
10. [10] Mental Health Act 2001 (revised), ss 63-64 - Prohibition of unregistered centres; Register of Approved Centres (Mental Health Commission) revisedacts.lawreform.ie.