Mental Health Licensing & Regulation in Switzerland: 2026 Guide

Switzerland regulates its mental-health professionals in two layers. A federal law protects the professional titles. A cantonal licence then lets a person work on their own responsibility.

This guide explains what those titles mean. It shows how to check that someone is registered. It also covers how care gets paid for.

By Team TherapyRoute. Current in 2026.

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What this means for you, in one minute

Two things make a Swiss practitioner legitimate. The first is a federally protected title. The second is a cantonal licence to practise independently.

Only a recognised psychology graduate may use the title Psychologin or Psychologe.¹ To work independently in psychotherapy, they also need a cantonal licence.²

Your most useful step is simple. Look the person up on the federal register. We show you how below.

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Psychiatrist, psychologist, psychotherapist: who does what

These three words are often confused, yet they stand for different training and different powers.

The Medical Professions Act (MedBG) lists doctors among the university medical professions, and specialisation comes afterwards through postgraduate training.³ Doctors are trained to diagnose illness and treat it with medicines.⁴ So a psychiatrist can assess and prescribe.

Like other practitioners, a psychiatrist needs a cantonal licence to work on their own professional responsibility.⁵ Psychologists do not prescribe, and neither do psychotherapists holding the federal postgraduate psychology title. Their work is assessment and talking therapy. One caveat: a doctor can also be a psychotherapist. For holders of a Swiss medical diploma, psychotherapy training and practice fall under the Medical Professions Act, not the Psychology Professions Act. That practitioner holds the specialist title «Facharzt für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie» and can prescribe.

The Psychology Professions Act (PsyG) recognises federal postgraduate psychology titles.¹ They cover psychotherapy, clinical psychology and neuropsychology. They also cover health psychology and child and adolescent psychology.

Entry to psychotherapy training requires study in clinical psychology and psychopathology.⁶ Accredited courses set clear minimums.

• at least 500 units of knowledge and skills⁷
• at least 2 years of full-time clinical practice in a psychosocial care institution, at least 1 year of it in outpatient or inpatient psychotherapeutic-psychiatric care⁷
• at least 10 completed, supervised, evaluated and documented cases⁷
• at least 150 units of supervision and 100 units of self-experience (Selbsterfahrung)⁷

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How to check someone is properly registered

Start with the federal registers. The Federal Office of Public Health runs PsyReg.⁸

The federal register PsyReg lists holders of federal or recognised foreign postgraduate psychology titles, and holders of a licence to practise psychotherapy on their own professional responsibility.⁸ A psychology graduate who holds neither will not appear there. For a psychotherapy licence holder, PsyReg records the licence status, either granted or no licence. It also records which cantons granted it, with the date and any time limit. Doctors and psychiatrists are listed on MedReg. The medical register exists to inform and protect patients.⁹

To check a practitioner, take these steps:

1. Search PsyReg for a federal psychology title or a psychotherapy licence, or MedReg for doctors.
2. Confirm the cantonal licence for the canton where they work² by asking the cantonal health authority (Gesundheitsdirektion, Direction de la santé, Dipartimento della sanità) for that canton.
3. Treat professional-body membership as a bonus, not as proof.

The FSP (for psychologists) and FMH (for doctors) are professional bodies, but membership does not replace the legal licence, so check the register first.

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Will insurance pay, and do you need a referral?

The rules on who may bill basic insurance for psychotherapy changed in 2022, so the date matters.

Since 1 July 2022, basic insurance can pay for psychological psychotherapy. There is one condition. A doctor must order the treatment first.¹⁰

This is called the referral model, or Anordnungsmodell. It is the condition for billing psychological psychotherapy to basic insurance, and this page does not cover referral rules for other routes to care. On the practitioner's side, the psychotherapist must hold a cantonal licence to practise psychotherapy and have at least three years of psychotherapeutic experience.¹⁰

The older delegation model ended on 1 January 2023.¹⁰ Cover can change over time, so confirm the current position with your insurer.

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Protected titles and warning signs

The Psychology Professions Act protects the designation Psychologin or Psychologe and the federal postgraduate titles. Using one without the qualification is an offence.

Only a recognised psychology graduate may use the title Psychologin or Psychologe.¹ In psychotherapy, «eidgenössisch anerkannte Psychotherapeutin» is a protected designation.¹² A practitioner who trained abroad must have their postgraduate psychotherapy title recognised as equivalent before using the designation.

Misusing a protected title is punishable by a fine. In German this offence is called Anmassung von Titeln. The cantons prosecute these cases.¹¹

Treat these as warning signs:

• a title that matches no entry in the register
• no cantonal licence for the canton of practice
• vague or changing claims about qualifications

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If something goes wrong: complaints and oversight

The cantonal health authority grants the licence.² It is the first place to raise a concern.

Serious title misuse is a matter for cantonal prosecution.¹¹ If the person belongs to a professional body, that body may also act.

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Working in your language

A cantonal licence requires command of the canton's official language.² In practice that usually means German, French or Italian.

Switzerland has four official languages, and you can look for a therapist who works in yours. Our directory of therapists in Switzerland lets you filter by language and by fee.

For clinicians trained abroad

A foreign qualification must be recognised before you practise. For psychology titles, the PsyKo commission decides.¹² For medical diplomas, MEBEKO decides.¹³

A recognised foreign qualification then counts like a Swiss one.¹³ You still need the cantonal licence to practise.²

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Choosing the right professional for your need

The right professional depends on what you need. A few simple pointers help.

• For talking therapy, a psychotherapist or a therapy-trained psychologist fits well.
• If medication may help, a psychiatrist can assess and prescribe.
• For formal testing, a clinical or neuropsychologist carries out assessment.
• For a child or teenager, look for a child and adolescent specialist.

Once you know the type you need, the next step is finding the person. Our guide on finding the right therapist can help.

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Sources and how current this is

This guide reflects Swiss federal law and the 2022 insurance reform. It is current in 2026.

It draws on federal statutes and official health-authority guidance. It is general information, not personal advice.

Confirm the current position with your canton and your insurer.

References

1. [1] Psychologieberufegesetz (PsyG), SR 935.81, Art. 4 und Art. 8 fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/2012/268/de.
2. [2] Psychologieberufegesetz (PsyG), SR 935.81, Art. 22 und Art. 24 fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/2012/268/de.
3. [3] Medizinalberufegesetz (MedBG), SR 811.11, Art. 2 fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/2007/537/de.
4. [4] Medizinalberufegesetz (MedBG), SR 811.11, Art. 8 (Humanmedizin) fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/2007/537/de.
5. [5] Medizinalberufegesetz (MedBG), SR 811.11, Art. 34 und Art. 36 fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/2007/537/de.
6. [6] Psychologieberufegesetz (PsyG), SR 935.81, Art. 7 fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/2012/268/de.
7. [7] Verordnung des EDI über Umfang und Akkreditierung der Weiterbildungsgänge der Psychologieberufe (AkkredV-PsyG), SR 935.811.1, Anhang 1 lexfind.ch/tolv/206028/de.
8. [8] Verordnung über das Psychologieberuferegister (Registerverordnung PsyG), SR 935.816.3, Art. 1, 2 und 10 lexfind.ch/tolv/198907/de.
9. [9] Medizinalberufegesetz (MedBG), SR 811.11, Art. 51 und Art. 53 fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/2007/537/de.
10. [10] Bundesamt für Gesundheit (BAG), 'Neuregelung der psychologischen Psychotherapie ab 1. Juli 2022' (Anordnungsmodell; KVV SR 832.102 Art. 50c; KLV SR 832.112.31 Art. 11b) bag.admin.ch.
11. [11] Psychologieberufegesetz (PsyG), SR 935.81, Art. 45 fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/2012/268/de.
12. [12] Bundesamt für Gesundheit (BAG), 'Anerkennungen von Psychologieberufen' (PsyKo; PsyG Art. 3 und Art. 9) bag.admin.ch.
13. [13] Medizinalberufegesetz (MedBG), SR 811.11, Art. 15 fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/2007/537/de.