About the Standards and Criteria

The Standards of Proficiency set the threshold knowledge and skills that an individual must have on day one of their practice in order to be able to enter onto the register.

In setting the threshold knowledge and skills, each Registration Board recognises that proficiency to practice a profession can be described on a continuum. The threshold represents the point on this continuum that is the minimum level of proficiency for safe and effective practice.

For every professional, their knowledge and skill evolves over time and will change through their experience, engagement in continuing professional development, additional post-qualifying training. This means that the Standards of Proficiency set by the Board may not fully reflect how an existing practitioner sees his or her current practice. This is because the Standards of Proficiency articulate what is needed for entry onto the registers; what a practitioner must be able to do on day one of working as a counsellor or psychotherapist.

It is also useful to highlight what the Standards of Proficiency are not. They are not Standards of Practice.

Standards of Practice set the minimum acceptable levels of performance that a registered professional must meet in the delivery of services and care. These are set out in the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics.

Each Registration Board sets a Code that articulates the standards of conduct, performance and ethics which each member of the profession must adhere to throughout the course of his or her work. The Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board will, in advance of the opening of its registers, set its Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics. As part of this process, there will be a public consultation process.

When the registers for counsellors and psychotherapists are open, registrants will be subject to the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics set by the Board.

Finally, it is important to stress that the Standards of Proficiency will be used to determine eligibility for registration for new graduates (when the registers open)from approved education and training programmes and used to assess international qualified applicants seeking to practice in Ireland. The Standards of Proficiency do not apply to existing practitioners who will make their registration application through the grandparenting provision (Section 91 registration pathway). There are separate requirements for this registration pathway which are explained in FAQ (e) – Introduction to the Registration Process, along with other questions on the registration process.

The Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board has set what is known its pre-registration education and training requirements for entry onto its registers for counsellors and psychotherapists. These are the requirements that education providers use to design their programmes against to ensure they deliver on the threshold regulatory requirements. The requirements comprise two key documents:

• The Standards of Proficiency outline the threshold knowledge, skills and professional behaviours required for entry onto a professional register. Education providers must ensure through the curriculum design and assessment that its programme ensures students who complete the programme have achieved all the Standards.
• The Criteria for Education and Training Programmes describe the processes and mechanisms that education providers must have in place to ensure each student who completes the education and training programme has demonstrated achievement of all the Standards.

Copies of the Board’s Standards and Criteria for each of the professions are available on the CORU website here

The Standards of Proficiency articulate the threshold knowledge, skills and professional behaviours required of an individual seeking entry onto a register. They are used across a number of regulatory functions, including:

• Approval and Monitoring of Education and Training Programmes: education providers that prepare students to practise a profession upon graduation – and who seek approval from the Board – use the standards to design their education and training programmes. Upon completion of an approved education and training programme, all graduates must have demonstrated achievement of all the standards.
• Recognition of International Qualifications: if an applicant holds a qualification has been awarded outside of the Republic of Ireland, the qualification is assessed against the Standards of Proficiency to determine whether it meets the threshold level of knowledge and skill for safe entry into practice in Ireland. 

The Criteria for Education and Training Programmes set the Board’s requirements around how an education and training programme seeking approval from the Board is designed and managed. The Criteria is used as part of the approval and monitoring of education and training programmesto ensure a programme has a system in place to consistently and effectively produce graduates who meet the Standards of Proficiency.

The Standards of Proficiency for both professions outline the threshold level of practice for anyone wishing to work as a counsellor or psychotherapist. These standards do not focus on specific modalities of practice, meaning that educational programmes can specialise in a particular modality of counselling or psychotherapy, as long as they demonstrate how their curriculum meets the required threshold standards.

In developing the standards for both professions, the Board aimed to create high-level, outcome-focused standards that are concerned with the knowledge or skill a student must demonstrate upon completion of his or her education programme (the ‘what’ of learning), rather than prescribing the means through which this learning must take place (the ‘how’ of learning). This approach ensures the standards can be applied across diverse practice settings and demonstrated through various modalities of practice.

The Board’s Criteria for Education and Training Programmes for both professions outlines the quality assurance requirements that education and training programmes must follow to ensure all graduates demonstrate achievement of the Standards of Proficiency. The threshold level of qualification for entry onto the register (criterion 1.1) must align with the requirements set out in the Board’s Standards of Proficiency.

The Board has set the threshold level of qualification for entry into practice for both professions as follows:

Following the review and revision of its Standards of Proficiency for both professions, on the basis of the feedback received from stakeholders during the consultation process, the Board concluded the standards articulate differences at entry to practice for both professions.

The Board determined that the practice of psychotherapy – at entry level – requires engagement with a broader spectrum of psychological presentations, working with severe and complex psychological distress – including the management of co-occurring psychological issues, engaging with both the conscious and unconscious, including working with trauma as part of the psychotherapeutic engagement – in order to support service user insight and understanding of the underlying personal dynamics impacting their psychological distress.

In contrast, counselling practice – at entry  level – requires practitioners to work with mild to moderate psychological issues, engaging therapeutically to target and address a specifically identified presenting issue. Indeed, where counsellors, at entry level into practice, work with service users in focused engagements to address a clearly defined presenting issue, psychotherapists, at entry to practice, typically engage in more open-ended engagements with service users.

After conducting comparative analysis of its Standards for both professions and mapping these findings against the NFQ Level Descriptors (that set out the general learning outcomes at each of the Levels of the National Framework of Qualifications as defined by QQI, available here), the Board determined  that the differences in the competencies required for threshold entry into practice were reflected in different NFQ Levels for both professions.

The Board concluded that, when reviewing the NFQ Level Descriptors, the application of knowledge, skills, and competency descriptors for NFQ Level 9 aligned with the level of demand outlined in the Standards of Proficiency for Psychotherapists.

Reflecting the level of demand identified in the Standards of Proficiency for Counsellors – set at entry to practice –the Board agreed that this aligned with the NFQ Level 8 descriptors.

As part of its Criteria for Education and Training Programmes for both professions, under criterion 2.2, the Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board has stipulated that students must complete a minimum number of hours in practice education as part of their education and training.

It is important to remember that the Criteria stipulates the minimum number of hours a student must complete in practice education in order to demonstrate achievement of the Standards of Proficiency. This is the goal of practice education – exposure to practice of the profession in order for a student to develop his or her skills, translating the knowledge into practice, ultimately leading to achievement of the Standards.

Achievement of the Standards then is the threshold for entry onto the register. A student may require more exposure to practice in order to demonstrate achievement of the Standards; this will be determined by education providers on a case-by-case basis. While criterion 2.2 stipulates the minimum number of practice placement hours, this is not the metric that is used to determine eligibility for entry to the register; the Standards of Proficiency – and the demonstration of their achievement – is the means through which an individual is assessed as proficient and safe for practice.  

Criterion 2.2 for both professions have been articulated as follows:

For both professions, then, a student must complete a minimum of 200 hours in direct therapeutic engagement with service users during practice placements.

This requirement has been revised and clarified in light of the feedback received from stakeholders during the consultation process 

Criterion 2.2 specifies the minimum number of hours a student must be assessed in practice by members of the practice education team.

Practice education plays a central role in a student’s development of professional proficiency. During their practice placement, students are directly engaged in therapeutic interventions with service users. It is crucial that this practice is assessed to ensure students have achieved the required standards and are ready to practice as independent, autonomous professionals.

To assess a student’s achievement of the Standards of Proficiency, it is not sufficient for students to self-report their experience. Self-reporting does not provide reliable evidence of whether the standards have been met and does not offer the necessary regulatory assurance that an individual is safe to practice with the public.

The Board acknowledges that the practice of counselling and psychotherapy differs from other health and social care professions due to the nature of one-on-one or group engagement with individuals, many of whom may be vulnerable and have complex needs. Therefore, the assessment of students on placement must consider the most appropriate methodologies for each individual case, ensuring that assessment does not risk disrupting the therapeutic relationship or make service users feel uncomfortable.

Given the complexity of the professional environment, the Board has provided flexibility in how student assessments are conducted.

Direct observation involves real-time evaluation of a therapeutic session. This may include, but is not limited to, the following methods:

• Observation: The placement supervisor observes the therapy session without interacting with the student or service user.
• Co-Therapy: The placement supervisor participates in the session alongside the student and service user.
• Two-Way Mirrors: A member of the practice education team observes the session from another room, without being physically present.
• Case Conferences: Both the student and placement supervisor attend and actively participate in the same case conference.

Given the sensitive nature of therapeutic engagement, service user consent must always be obtained before using any direct observational method.

Indirect observation involves the asynchronous evaluation of student competency by a practice education team member. The placement supervisor does not observe the session in real-time but instead reviews recorded materials such as transcripts or recordings to assess the student’s achievement of the standards.

Examples of indirect observation methods include:

• Transcription: The student provides a formal written record of a session, including verbatim dialogue and any relevant emotional or physical observations.
• Video/Audio Recording: The session between the student and service user is recorded and made available to the placement supervisor for review.

As with direct observation, service user consent is required for the use of indirect observation methods, including recordings or transcriptions.

Mix of Methodologies

In practice, a combination of both direct and indirect observation methods will likely be used, depending on the range of practice experiences and the complexity of service user presentations. This mixed approach ensures a comprehensive assessment while respecting the sensitive nature of therapeutic work.

Practice education is an essential aspect of pre-registration education and training, offering students the  opportunity to engage in professional practice in a safe and managed environment.

The purpose of practice education serves two key objectives:

• Public Protection: By allowing  students to practice at a level appropriate to their training, they can bridge the gap between theory and practice. This ensures that the future workforce meets high standards, ultimately enhancing the quality of care provided to service users.
• Opportunity to demonstrate achievement of the Standards of Proficiency: Practice education provides students with the hands-on experience needed to develop the necessary skills and knowledge to practice effectively and safely.

For these reasons, appropriate supervision is crucial during placements.

Having a supervisory presence at each placement site doesn’t mean students are under constant observation. Instead, it ensures that students have access to a qualified professional, either a counsellor or psychotherapist, who has been trained by the education provider to offer guidance, support, and training to the student(s). This supervisor is responsible for overseeing and helping the student (or number of students) navigate their practice experience.

In short, on-site supervision, as practised in regulated professions, involves a practitioner being responsible for the support, training, learning and development of the student. This ensures that the student progressively develops develops their proficiency, meets the required standards of proficiency and safeguards the well-being of service users they engage with. This responsibility can only be effectively carried out by a professional who is present in the placement setting.

Clinical supervision is understood and practised in the counselling and psychotherapy professions as a formal process of professionally facilitated reflection on clinical practice and experience that contributes to individual development. In the context of practice placement arrangements, as they are currently delivered in education and training programmes for the professions of counselling and psychotherapy, clinical supervision is a relationship established by a student with a clinical supervisor outside of the practice environment the student is practising in.

While the Board’s Standards of Proficiency for both professions requires that students have the skills to be able to engage in clinical supervision as part of their practice upon entry onto the register, its Criteria does not stipulate any requirements around clinical supervision. Rather, the Criteria requires that students are supervised during the course of their practice placement on-site. Fundamentally, on-site supervision combines the intended purpose of clinical supervision – reflection on and learning from practice experience – with the purpose of practice education – the assessment of a student’s proficiency.  

Purpose of On-Site Supervision

The purpose of on-site placement supervision is to ensure that the student has access to a practitioner of the profession the student is training in to provide appropriate guidance, support and training. This guidance, support and training are directly related to the student’s professional development of the threshold skills and knowledge required to practice the profession safely and the associated assessment of the student’s progressive achievement of the standards of proficiency.

Structure of On-Site Supervision

Each student at a placement site must be assigned an on-site supervisor who is available to the student when he or she is on placement. The placement site is responsible for identifying supervisors on its site. The education provider is responsible for ensuring that the supervisors identified are trained and suitably proficient in the practice of the profession to undertake supervisory responsibilities.

An on-site supervisor must be:

• of the profession the student is training in;
• situated in the placement setting the student is undertaking his or her placement in;
• available to the student during the course of his or her placement experience; and
• trained by the education provider in how to assess students’ achievement of the standards of proficiency.

The responsibilities of an on-site supervisor will include, for example:

• working with the student in the development and implementation of a Placement Learning Plan
• observing – through direct and/or indirect methodologies – the student in practice
• providing feedback and guidance to the student about their achievement of the Standards of Proficiency
• leading regular supervisory meetings with the student
• completion of administrative duties – e.g. signing off timesheets
• engaging with a programme team member (from the education provider) throughout the placement to assist with assessing the student’s achievement of the standards.

Therefore, on-site supervision is a formal process between the student, the practice placement supervisor, and the education provider.

Yes. Given the role and responsibilities placement supervisors have in providing support and guidance to students and support in assessing their achievement of the standards of proficiency, Placement Supervisors should be based at the placement site and accessible during the student placement experience.

It is important to highlight that practice education is a developmental process whereby a student progresses towards independent practice. Different levels of on-site supervision will be required at different stages. For example, on his or her first placement, a student would require specific direction, support and guidance around all aspects of practice. Conversely, a student practising at a higher level of proficiency in their final placement would not require the same level of support and guidance.

Yes. The responsibilities a placement supervisor, which include providing professional support and guidance to help a student develop proficiency in the practice of the profession and support in the assessment of whether a student has demonstrated achievement of the standards of proficiency, can only be appropriately undertaken by a member of the profession the student is training in.

The education provider is responsible for ensuring that all placement supervisors are of the appropriate profession.

The Board does not stipulate any specific qualifications that an on-site supervisor must have to supervise a student. The Board's Criteria requires that any individual involved in teaching, supervising and/or assessing students – which includes placement supervisors – have the appropriate qualifications, expertise and knowledge to undertake this role.  Following the end of the transition period (2 years following the opening of the registers), the Board requires under criterion 2.13 that all placement supervisors are registered with the appropriate registration board.

In terms of training, it is the education provider's responsibility to provide regular support and training for supervisors. This training must include guidance around the assessment tools and methodology the education provider uses on placement, how the supervisor will complete the assessment, and training on providing feedback to students during placement.  All placement supervisors must have completed the training provided by the education provider before undertaking responsibility for a student on-site.

The placement supervisor is a key member of the practice education team, which, as defined in the Board’s Criteria, includes individuals responsible for overseeing a student’s education during their practice placement.

In collaboration with other members of the practice education team, the placement supervisor helps assess whether a student has met the identified standards of proficiency for the specific placement experience. Each placement will likely have a different set of proficiencies for the student to achieve, and these standards will be outlined by the education provider.

Given their direct involvement with the student throughout the placement, including regular supervisory meetings and ongoing support, the placement supervisor plays an essential role in the assessment process. Using their professional experience and judgment, the placement supervisor works with the education provider and follows the assessment methods identified to evaluate the student’s progress and achievement of the standards.

It is important to note that the placement supervisor is not responsible for assessing a student’s academic performance or determining whether the student has passed the practice placement module. These decisions are made by the education provider.

The education provider is responsible for identifying suitable practice placement sites where each student will undertake practice education.

As outlined in the Board’s Criteria, the education provider must have clear requirements for the suitability of placement sites and a clear process around how these requirements are applied in selecting each placement site. In evaluating the appropriateness of the site, the education provider ensures that the environment is appropriate to provide each student with exposure to and practice of the profession and the opportunity to develop and demonstrate achievement of the standards of proficiency.

For all sites where a student is undertaking a placement, the education provider should have a written agreement with the site that identifies the responsibilities of all parties involved in the practice placement (i.e. the placement site, the education provider and the student).

The placement provider must identify suitable on-site supervisors at each placement site. The education provider is responsible for ensuring that the identified supervisors are appropriate and that each is trained to understand the purpose of practice education, their role on-site, how to assess student achievement of the standards, and how to provide feedback to students.

Throughout the practice placement, the education provider and the placement site engage in ongoing communication. Typically, the education provider assigns a designated person from the institution (sometimes referred to as an academic mentor or practice tutor) to engage with the student and the on-site supervisor in one-to-one meetings with each and, as well, in a group meeting with all three.

It is important to note that the education provider does not determine the service users a student will engage with during the placement experience. The on-site supervisors will use their professional assessment and judgement to identify the appropriate service users. The education provider approves the placement site (based on the selection criteria it has identified); it does not approve individual service user allocation to students.  

While personal therapy is not a requirement set by the Registration Board, it is recognised as a valuable tool for practitioners and, for many, an essential part of their practice across various modalities within both professions.

The Board's primary regulatory focus is on ensuring that all graduates meet the Standards of Proficiency, which outline the knowledge and skills required to ensure public protection at the point of entry to the register. The Board is concerned with the outcomes achieved by graduates and acknowledges that education providers are best positioned to determine the methods by which these proficiencies are developed and assessed.

When establishing its Criteria for Education and Training Programmes, the Registration Board ensures that the requirements are directly linked to achieving the Standards of Proficiency. The purpose of the Criteria is to ensure that education providers have the necessary systems and mechanisms in place to demonstrate that students graduating from the programme have met the Standards of Proficiency.

However, it is not the role of the Criteria to specify how particular standards are to be achieved or assessed. Each education provider must have the flexibility to design their curriculum in a way that best suits their approach to teaching, and they are free to choose the most appropriate assessment strategy and methods. Personal therapy is one method used, among others, to assess whether a student has developed the threshold skills of self-reflexivity specific to counselling and psychotherapy practice. It is not the regulator’s role to prescribe the specific method an education provider uses.

From a regulatory perspective, personal therapy should not be viewed as an end in itself, but as a means to enhance the practitioner’s self-awareness and understanding of their role in the therapeutic process. This deeper understanding ultimately contributes to the safety and well-being of the service user. The proficiencies linked to these outcomes are reflected in the Board’s Standards of Proficiency, ensuring that practitioners possess the necessary skills for safe practice.

Therefore, while the skills of self-reflexivity and understanding and management of the self in a therapeutic relationship are set as threshold standards for entry into practice, the Board cannot determine or set the method used to assess achievement of these skills.