Mental Health Licensing & Regulation in Qatar: 2026 Guide

In Qatar, one regulator licenses every mental health practitioner. It is the Department of Healthcare Professions, part of the Ministry of Public Health.

But the law behind those licences is not a psychology law. There is no Psychology Act in Qatar.

This guide sets out which titles are licensed, what each one may and may not do, and how to check a practitioner before you book. It is written for care-seekers and families.

By Team TherapyRoute.

The short answer: who is licensed, and under which law

Every healthcare practitioner in Qatar needs a licence from the Department of Healthcare Professions, known as DHP.⁷ DHP is the working arm of the Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners, which an Emiri Decree established in 2013.⁴ Older documents and circular numbers still carry the QCHP name.

Two different statutes sit behind the licences.

Qatar also has a Mental Health Law, Law No. 16 of 2016.⁵ It is not a licensing law. It deals with the rights of the mental health patient, with voluntary and involuntary admission, and with treatment and care. Al Meezan, Qatar's official legal portal, publishes it in Arabic only, and this guide makes no claim about its article-level content.

Why Qatar has no psychology statute

This is the structural fact that shapes everything else.

Law No. 8 of 1991 governs the allied medical professions. As published in Arabic on Al Meezan, its Article 2 names eleven of them: nursing, midwifery, and technician roles in optics, dentistry, radiography, physiotherapy, laboratory work, audiology, prosthetics, paramedic work and public health.²

None of them is psychology.

The same article carries a twelfth item. It reads, in this reading of the Arabic, as any other profession designated by decision of the Minister. Qualifications, conditions and duties for each profession are left to ministerial decision.²

That clause is where Qatar's psychology titles live. They are not named in any statute. They were created by DHP circular, one at a time, under the minister's power to designate.⁹¹⁰

So Qatar runs a regulator-defined system rather than a profession-specific one. If a source tells you Qatar has a Psychology Act, it is wrong. What Qatar has is a 1991 statute that does not mention psychology, plus a regulator that defines the scopes underneath it.

One consequence for readers: the scopes can change by circular, without a change in the law. They have changed twice in recent years, and both changes are covered below.

The 1991 law has been amended once in a way worth knowing about. A 1994 amendment allows an allied practitioner employed by the state to also work in the private sector, subject to conditions that include Qatari nationality, at least ten years in the profession, and practice outside official hours.³ So a practitioner you see privately in the evening may hold a public hospital post by day.

Psychiatrists are licensed as doctors

A psychiatrist in Qatar is licensed under the medical statute, Law No. 2 of 1983, not the allied health one.¹

That law requires a recognised degree and an internship. It sets up a Standing Committee for licences, which may set examinations, and it makes the licence valid for one year and renewable.¹

It also puts a wait on private practice. A doctor must complete five years in practice after qualifying before practising privately, and may run one clinic only.¹ So on the face of that statute, a psychiatrist in private practice in Qatar is not newly qualified.

DHP runs a psychiatry examination through Prometric for doctors who need one. It is 150 multiple-choice questions with a pass mark of 65 percent, and it covers psychiatry together with child and adolescent psychiatry.⁸

Clinical psychologists, and the exam that became compulsory in 2024

DHP's scope document for the psychology family sets the Clinical Psychologist requirements: a master's degree in clinical psychology.⁶

Applicants qualifying outside Qatar need two years of clinical experience after that degree. Someone short of the two years can enter as an Assistant Psychologist and apply to change scope later.⁶

The document describes clinical psychologists as autonomous practitioners. Their scope covers assessment and diagnosis, psychological testing, individual, family and group therapy, and the supervision of junior colleagues.⁶

Then a circular changed the entry route. On 29 December 2024 DHP made a Clinical Psychologist examination, delivered by Prometric, a compulsory requirement for registration and licensing.¹¹

The exam is 150 multiple-choice questions with a pass mark of 50 percent.⁸¹¹ Its length is stated differently in two DHP sources. The DHP examination page gives three hours;⁸ the circular that created the exam gives three and a half.¹¹ We name both rather than choose between them. Five attempts are permitted, whatever the gap between them.⁸

Not everyone sits it. Under the current registration and licensing policy, Qatari nationals, the offspring of Qatari women, and graduates of universities and higher education institutions inside Qatar are exempt from the qualifying examination. Graduates of universities outside Qatar take it.¹²

Psychological counsellors, and what they may not do

The Psychological Counsellor scope was created by circular on 16 May 2019. That circular states plainly that a DHP licence is required to practise it.⁹

Entry needs a master's or doctoral degree from an accredited institution, in psychological counselling, family therapy, mental health or a health-related field. The degree must include an internship and coursework in human behaviour and development, counselling strategies and ethical practice.⁶

Supervised hours follow the degree. An applicant whose terminal degree is a master's needs 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience after it, which is usually about two years. An applicant with a doctorate needs 1,500 hours, usually about one year.⁶

The limits on this scope matter more to a care-seeker than the entry route does. A Psychological Counsellor may not:

• prescribe or dispense medication;
• carry out psychological testing independently, including cognitive, intellectual and neuropsychological testing;
• treat severe mental illness;
• manage psychiatric or psychological emergencies.⁶

On that last point the scope document is specific. Where there is suicidality, an eating disorder, or a risk of harm to self or others, the counsellor must refer the person to an appropriate facility.⁶

This is worth knowing before you book. If what you need is a formal assessment, a diagnosis, or care for a serious and enduring illness, a Psychological Counsellor is not the licensed role for it in Qatar.

Assistant psychologists work under supervision

The Assistant Psychologist scope was created by circular on 22 July 2020.¹⁰

It is an entry-level route. A bachelor's degree in psychology or a mental health related field will do, as will a bachelor's in a health-related field with coursework in human behaviour, or current enrolment in a relevant master's.⁶

Two rules protect the people they see.

First, an Assistant Psychologist may not call themselves a psychologist, and may not practise independently. That includes offering any therapeutic service without supervision.⁶¹⁰

Second, the supervisor is defined. They must be licensed by DHP, they must work in the same setting, and they must be a doctoral-level Clinical Psychologist, a doctoral-level Psychological Counsellor, or a licensed psychiatrist. One supervisor may oversee no more than four Assistant Psychologists at a time.⁶¹⁰

The same 2020 circular did something else. It closed the generic "Psychologist" scope to new applicants. Practitioners who already held it may keep renewing, or move across to Psychological Counsellor or Clinical Psychologist if they meet those requirements.¹⁰

So a licence reading simply "Psychologist" was first granted before 22 July 2020, even if it has been renewed since. That is not a defect. It tells you the practitioner has held a Qatari licence for some years.

The titles Qatar does not license

Some familiar labels are not DHP scopes.

"Psychotherapist" is not a licensed title. We checked the two DHP scope documents that would hold it: the psychology scope document⁶ and the residual "other scopes" document.¹⁴ Neither lists it. The word appears in the psychology document only inside the descriptions of other titles. DHP's own guidance says the allied health list runs to more than seventy scopes,⁷ and we have not read every one. So this is a strong finding, not an exhaustive one.

"Counsellor" on its own is not a scope. The licensed title is Psychological Counsellor.⁹

There is no separate family or couples therapy licence. Family therapy appears as a qualifying degree for the Psychological Counsellor scope, and as an activity inside the Clinical Psychologist scope. It is not a scope of its own.⁶

DHP's public index of circulars records an Art Therapist scope added to the allied health list in 2022.¹⁵ We have not read that circular, so this guide says nothing about what it permits or requires.

One more absence is worth naming. Across DHP's psychology scope document and its allied health guidance there is no separate psychology board, no psychotherapy council, and no requirement to join a professional association.⁶⁷ One regulator holds the register.

Practising or posing without a licence is a crime

Both statutes carry criminal penalties, and both reach titles as well as acts.

Under Law No. 2 of 1983, practising medicine without a licence carries up to three years' imprisonment, a fine of up to QR 10,000, or both. The same article reaches obtaining a licence by false means, advertising in a way that leads the public to believe you may practise, and assuming the title or description of a doctor or a similar title ordinarily used by licensed doctors. Conviction also brings closure of the premises.¹

Law No. 8 of 1991 mirrors it for the allied professions. As published in Arabic, its Article 3 bars anyone from practising an allied medical profession in the government, public or private sector without a licence. Its Article 22 sets the same ceiling of three years and QR 10,000, and reaches false documents, employing an unlicensed person to do the work, advertising by signs or leaflets that suggests a right to practise, and assuming a title of the kind ordinarily used by licensed allied practitioners.²

Notice how those provisions are drafted. Neither one protects a particular word such as "psychologist". Both protect the class of titles ordinarily used by licensed practitioners. That is wider in principle than a list, and vaguer to apply. Qatar has published no schedule of protected titles, and this guide does not offer one.

For practitioners already licensed, Law No. 8 of 1991 sets out a disciplinary ladder: a warning, suspension for up to a year, and cancellation of the licence with removal from the register.²

How to check a practitioner on the public register

DHP publishes a free register of licensed practitioners. Anyone can search it.¹³

You can search by profession, and the categories include Allied Health Practitioner, Physician, Dentist, Nurse, Pharmacist and Complementary Medicine. You can also search by name, by licence number, or by place of work.¹³

Three things are worth doing before a first appointment.

• Ask which scope the licence names. "Psychologist" is not the same as Clinical Psychologist, and neither is the same as Psychological Counsellor.
• Search the register yourself rather than relying on a screenshot or a certificate on a wall. DHP notes that it is not responsible for practitioner data published on other websites.¹³
• Look for a psychiatrist under Physician, not under Allied Health Practitioner. The two are licensed under different laws, so they appear under different professions in the search.

If a search returns nothing, treat that as a reason to pause and ask questions rather than as proof of anything. Names transliterate from Arabic in more than one way, so try the licence number as well.

Red flags, and who to raise a concern with

Watch for these:

• A licence is mentioned but never shown, and no licence number is offered.
• Someone licensed as an Assistant Psychologist is seeing you alone, with no named supervisor in the same setting.
• A Psychological Counsellor offers psychological testing, or takes on a severe illness or a crisis instead of referring.
• Any title is used that does not match a scope on the register.

The Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners was set up with the function of evaluating applications, granting and revoking licences, setting ethics requirements, and investigating complaints against practitioners.⁴ DHP, as its working arm, is where a concern about a licensed practitioner belongs.

Where a person is practising with no licence at all, that is a criminal matter under the statutes described above, not only a regulatory one.¹²

Common questions

Is my therapist in Qatar regulated? If they hold one of the licensed scopes, yes, by DHP. If they describe themselves as a psychotherapist or simply a counsellor, those are not DHP scopes, so ask what their licence actually says and check it on the register.¹³

Why does one person's licence say "Psychologist" and another's say "Clinical Psychologist"? Because the generic scope closed to new applicants on 22 July 2020. A "Psychologist" licence was first granted before that date, even if it has been renewed since.¹⁰

Does a Qatari licence mean an exam was passed? Not always. Since 29 December 2024 a Clinical Psychologist applicant must pass the Prometric examination,¹¹ unless they fall in an exempt group, which includes Qatari nationals and graduates of institutions inside Qatar.¹²

Can a Psychological Counsellor diagnose me? Independent psychological testing sits outside that scope, as does treating severe mental illness.⁶ For assessment and diagnosis, the licensed roles are Clinical Psychologist and psychiatrist.

What documents does a practitioner have to produce to be licensed? DHP's allied health guidance lists a passport, a Qatari ID, a CV, all academic certificates with official transcripts, work experience certificates, a primary source verification report, and a qualifying examination pass certificate where one applies. Primary source verification replaces attestation by other authorities.⁷

Is there a Qatari psychology law? No. Psychology titles rest on the 1991 allied professions law and the minister's power under it to designate further professions.² Law No. 16 of 2016 is a mental health law, but it deals with patients' rights and admission, not with licensing.⁵

Find a registered practitioner

When you are ready, choose someone you can verify. You can browse therapists in Qatar on TherapyRoute and filter by language and fee.

Our guide on how to find the right therapist is a good place to start.

This guide is general information, not legal or medical advice. Qatar's psychology scopes are set by regulator circular and can change without a change in the law, so check the current DHP documents for your own situation.

References

1. [1] Law No. 2 of 1983 on the Practice of the Professions of Human Medicine and Dental Medicine and Surgery, State of Qatar. Art. 3 (degree and internship), Art. 5 (Standing Committee for Licences; examinations; one-year renewable licence), Art. 9 (five years in practice before private practice in medicine; one clinic), Art. 20 (professional conduct and advertising), Art. 21 (penalties for unlicensed practice and for assuming a doctor's title). Al Meezan, Qatar Legal Portal, English text. almeezan.qa.
2. [2] Law No. 8 of 1991 on Regulating the Practice of the Auxiliary Medical Professions, State of Qatar. Art. 2 (the eleven named allied professions, plus item 12, any other profession designated by decision of the Minister), Art. 3 (no practice without a licence in the government, public or private sector), Art. 22 (penalties, including assuming a title ordinarily used by licensed allied practitioners), Art. 24 (warning, suspension, cancellation and removal from the register). Al Meezan publishes this law in Arabic only; the renderings in this guide are our reading of the Arabic text and are not an official translation. almeezan.qa.
3. [3] Law No. 14 of 1994 amending Law No. 8 of 1991, State of Qatar. Adds Article 3-bis, permitting government-employed allied practitioners to work in the private sector subject to conditions. Arabic text. almeezan.qa.
4. [4] Emiri Decree No. 7 of 2013 establishing the Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners, issued 24 February 2013. Art. 3(2) (evaluating applications, granting and revoking licences), Art. 3(3) (committees to evaluate certificates and conduct examinations), Art. 3(8) to 3(9) (ethics requirements and investigation of complaints). English PDF published by the Department of Healthcare Professions. dhp.moph.gov.qa.
5. [5] Law No. 16 of 2016 on Mental Health, State of Qatar, 35 articles, published in Official Gazette issue 15 of 29 December 2016. Chapter structure covers definitions, the care and rights of the mental health patient, voluntary and involuntary admission, judicial placement, treatment and care, and penalties. Al Meezan holds no English text; only the structure and metadata were read. almeezan.qa.
6. [6] Psychology and Related Scopes, Department of Healthcare Professions, Ministry of Public Health, State of Qatar. Per-title definitions, education, experience, scope of practice and supervision rules for Clinical Psychologist, Psychological Counsellor, Assistant Psychologist, Clinical Social Worker and related scopes. PDF creation date 1 September 2021. dhp.moph.gov.qa.
7. [7] Guidelines for Allied Health Professions, Department of Healthcare Professions, Ministry of Public Health, State of Qatar. Registration, evaluation, temporary licence, licensing and renewal; the document list including primary source verification; the statement that the allied health list counts for more than seventy scopes of practice. PDF creation date 20 May 2025. dhp.moph.gov.qa.
8. [8] Qualifying Examination, Department of Healthcare Professions, Ministry of Public Health, State of Qatar. Clinical Psychologist: 150 multiple-choice questions, three hours, cut score 50 percent. Psychiatry specialty examination: 150 questions, cut score 65 percent, covering psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry. Five attempts permitted. dhp.moph.gov.qa.
9. [9] Circular 07/2019, approval of the Psychological Counselor scope within the allied health professions scopes list, dated 16 May 2019. States that a licence issued by the Department of Healthcare Professions is mandatory to practise the scope. dhp.moph.gov.qa.
10. [10] Circular 11/2020, approval of the Assistant Psychologist scope, dated 22 July 2020. Creates the Assistant Psychologist scope with its supervision conditions, and closes the generic Psychologist scope to new applicants, with existing holders able to renew or to change scope if qualified. dhp.moph.gov.qa.
11. [11] Circular DHP/2024/24, introducing new examinations for Clinical Psychologist, dated 29 December 2024. Makes the Clinical Psychologist examination a mandatory registration and licensing requirement from the date of the circular, and states 150 multiple-choice questions, three and a half hours, cut score 50 percent. dhp.moph.gov.qa.
12. [12] Circular DHP/2025/24, update to the Registration and Licensing Policy. Exemption from the qualifying examination for Qatari nationals, the offspring of Qatari women, and graduates of public and private universities and higher education institutions in the State of Qatar; graduates of universities outside Qatar sit the examination. dhp.moph.gov.qa.
13. [13] Find a Registered Healthcare Practitioner, Department of Healthcare Professions, Ministry of Public Health, State of Qatar. Free public register, searchable by profession, name, licence number and place of work, with the notice that the department is not responsible for practitioner data published on other websites. dhp.moph.gov.qa.
14. [14] Other Scopes, Department of Healthcare Professions, Ministry of Public Health, State of Qatar. The residual allied health scope list, covering anaesthesia, dialysis, pharmacy, endoscopy, urology, surgical, dental assistant and dental hygiene scopes. It contains no psychotherapy, counselling or family therapy title. PDF creation date 21 November 2024. dhp.moph.gov.qa.
15. [15] Circulars index, Department of Healthcare Professions, Ministry of Public Health, State of Qatar. The published list of circulars from 2015 onwards, recording the addition of an Art Therapist scope to the allied health professions list in 2022. dhp.moph.gov.qa.