MIRAN MOŽINA FOR PSYCHOTHERAPY AS AN AUTONOMOUS PROFESSION: WHAT IS HAPPENING IN EUROPE1 Information on the author: Mag. Miran Možina, MD, psychiatrist and psychotherapist Job: Slovenian Institute for Psychotherapy, Trg MDB 5, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia Home: Ulica Metoda Mikuža 16, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia mobile: 00386 41 748 812 email:
[email protected] Key words: regulation of psychotherapy, Strasbourg declaration of Psychotherapy, European Association for Psychotherapy, European Certificate of Psychotherapy, faculty study of psychotherapy, Sigmund Freud University. Abstract The European Association for Psychotherapy (EAP) was founded in 1990 on the consensus statement, the so called “Strasbourg declaration”, and has over the last two decades contributed hugely to the development of psychotherapy as an independent and autonomous profession. The European Certificate of Psychotherapy (ECP), which has been awarded to approximately 6,000 therapists from different European countries, defines the standards and criteria for the professional practice of psychotherapy. This article compares psychotherapy regulations in Austria, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, Finland, France, Hungary, Latvia, Malta, Bulgaria, United Kingdom and Belgium and shows their benefits and weaknesses. They can be seen as a learning opportunity and used in the process of developing an effective regulation of psychotherapy in countries where there is no such regulation yet, like for example in Slovenia. In 2005 a new phase in the development of psychotherapy in Europe and worldwide began with opening of the bachelor, master and doctor faculty study of psychotherapy science at Sigmund Freud Private University (SFU) in Vienna. Bachelor level is open for those who finish secondary school and decide to study psychotherapy as a first profession.