Mental Health Licensing & Regulation in Italy: 2026 Guide

Short answer: yes. In Italy, psychology and psychotherapy are regulated by law.

To practise as a psicologo (psychologist), a person must do two things. They must pass the esame di Stato, the state qualifying examination. They must also be enrolled on the Albo, the official professional register.¹ Counselling is not a regulated profession in Italy, so a counsellor is not on this register.

This guide explains the four professional roles. It shows how to check a practitioner is registered. It sets out what protects you before you book.

Before you book, verify your practitioner's current standing on the Albo.

The four roles: who does what

People use the word therapist loosely. In Italy, four roles matter. The differences change the help you get.

The law describes the profession of psychologist (professione di psicologo). It covers prevention, assessment (diagnosi) and support (sostegno).¹ It also covers research and teaching.

Two distinctions matter most before you book.

First, psychotherapy is a protected activity. Its exercise (esercizio dell'attivita psicoterapeutica) requires a specific specialisation. That training runs at least four years. It follows a laurea in psicologia (a degree in psychology) or a degree in medicine.²

So a psicologo without this specialisation may assess and support you. Running psychotherapy itself needs the further training.

Second, prescribing medicine is a medical act. A psichiatra (psychiatrist) is a medical doctor and can prescribe.

A psicoterapeuta who is not a doctor faces a limit. They may not carry out acts of exclusive medical competence (competenza esclusiva della professione medica).² Prescribing medicine is one of them. A psicologo who is not a doctor may not prescribe either.

How to check your therapist is registered

Anyone practising as a psicologo must be enrolled on the Albo.¹ It is a public register, so you can check it yourself.

Here is a simple way to do it.

1. Ask which Ordine (regional Order) the practitioner belongs to, and their registration number.
2. Go to the national Order of Psychologists (psy.it) and use its public register (Albo) search.
3. Search by name, and confirm the person is listed and in good standing.
4. Check that any psychotherapist claim matches a recorded specialisation.

Registration confirms training and qualification. It does not confirm your safety in any single session. If you ever feel unsafe, you can stop and seek other help.

Protected titles and red flags

The protected roles sit behind the register. To use the titles psicologo or psicoterapeuta, a person must be qualified and registered. Someone outside the Albo should not use them.

Practising as a psicologo or psicoterapeuta without the qualification, or using those protected titles when you are not entitled to, is not permitted in Italy. This is known as esercizio abusivo della professione, the unauthorised practice of a profession.

Watch for these warning signs before you book:

• No Ordine registration, or no registration number you can check.
• Use of a protected title with no entry you can find on the register.
• A psychotherapist claim with no matching specialisation.
• Reluctance to share credentials you can verify.

If something goes wrong

Sometimes treatment goes wrong, or a practitioner behaves improperly. You have a route for that.

Complaints about a registered practitioner go to their Ordine (regional Order). The Order handles conduct and discipline for its members. Put your complaint in writing, and keep copies.

Working as a therapist in Italy

This section is for clinicians, not for people seeking help. It outlines how to qualify, and how foreign training is recognised.

The route to psychology practice has a few steps. You complete a degree in psychology and a supervised traineeship (tirocinio). You then pass the esame di Stato and enrol on the Albo.¹

Rules change over time, so confirm the current route with the Order.

To practise psychotherapy, a psychologist or doctor completes a specialisation. It runs at least four years.

The istituti running these psychotherapy corsi di specializzazione must be State-recognised.² The university scuole di specializzazione run cinque anni (five years), that is 300 CFU (training credits).³

These schools are abilitanti all'esercizio della psicoterapia (they qualify a person to practise psychotherapy). That holds when almeno 60 CFU are supervised psychotherapy work.⁴

Clinicians trained in another EU country can seek recognition in Italy. The rules for this change over time. Check the current procedure with the Order and the relevant Ministry.

You will also need to work in Italian. Confirm the language requirement with the Order.

Find a registered therapist in Italy

When you are ready to book, start by choosing the right person for you. Our guide can help. Then verify their standing on the Albo before your first session.

How to find the right therapist.

About this guide

Team TherapyRoute maintains this guide. TherapyRoute is a clinician-run directory used in more than 58 countries.

This guide is informational. It is not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm current details with the Order of Psychologists.

Last reviewed: 2026.

References

1. [1] Legge 18 febbraio 1989, n. 56, Art. 1 e Art. 2 (testo vigente, Normattiva).
2. [2] Legge 18 febbraio 1989, n. 56, Art. 3 (testo vigente dal 23-1-2001) normattiva.it.
3. [3] Decreto 24 luglio 2006 (Riassetto delle scuole di specializzazione di area psicologica), Art. 1 e Art. 2 gazzettaufficiale.it.
4. [4] Decreto 24 luglio 2006 (Riassetto delle scuole di specializzazione di area psicologica), Art. 5 e Art. 6 gazzettaufficiale.it.