Update on Statutory Regulation of Psychologists

Update on Timelines for the introduction of regulation of clinical, counselling and educational psychologists

June 2025

The Psychologists Registration Board is progressing towards the introduction of statutory regulation for the psychology profession.

With support of the Department of Health, the Board has developed a regulatory model that will facilitate the protection of the title ‘psychologist’ in Ireland. This model will establish a single register comprised of four divisions: one division each for clinical, counselling and educational psychologists and a fourth division for all other psychology specialism. More detail on this regulatory model can be found below.

Regulation will be introduced in two phases. The first phase will open three divisions for clinical, counselling and educational psychologists, with the second phase establishing the fourth division.

CORU had planned to open the first three divisions of the register - clinical, counselling, and educational psychology - in October this year. However, this timeline depended on advancing several factors, including legislative changes that are currently being progressed by the Department of Health.

Significant progress has already been made in preparing for the opening of the three divisions of the register - clinical, counselling, and educational psychology. This includes the development of Standards of Proficiency for entry to the registers, which are expected to be published in September. The Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics is at an advanced stage, having undergone a public consultation process, and the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements have also been developed following a consultation that concluded in March.

The remaining regulatory requirements to enable opening of the divisions will be implemented once the legislative changes are made, progressing with consultations and the establishment of the Registration Bye-Laws through statutory instruments.

The legislative process remains ongoing and the opening of the first three divisions of the register is now expected in early 2026.  

CORU will continue to keep all stakeholders updated on the progress of the Psychologists Registration Board through our website, newsletter, social media channels and direct engagement with the professional body, relevant unions and employer organisations and other key stakeholders.  

Update December 2024

As part of the Psychologists Registration Board’s progress towards introducing statutory regulation for the psychology profession, it has developed a bespoke regulatory model that will facilitate the protection of the title ‘psychologist’ in Ireland. This model will establish a single register comprised of four divisions: three divisions for Clinical, Counselling and Educational Psychologists and a fourth division – the ‘Psychologists Division’ – for all other psychology specialisms. More detail on the regulatory model can be found here.

The Psychologists Registration Board is progressing opening of the three divisions of its register for Clinical, Counselling and Educational Psychologists. As part of this work, the Board must establish its pre-registration education and training requirements that will set the threshold knowledge, skills and professional behaviours for entry to each of the three divisions of the register (the Standards of Proficiency) and the quality assurance requirements for education and training programmes seeking approval from the Registration Board (the Criteria for Education and Training Programmes).

The Board prepared three distinct sets of draft Standards and Criteria and launched a public consultation on 7 October 2024, inviting feedback from a range of stakeholders including members of the profession, education providers, employers, professional bodies and members of the public. The consultation closed on 29 November 2024.

The Board received a significant amount of detailed and comprehensive feedback from a wide range of stakeholders during the consultation process. CORU thanks all those who took the time to submit feedback through the online questionnaire or via email.

The Board will now take the time to review and analyse the individual submissions received during the consultation, following which it will revise and publish its draft Standards and Criteria for the three specialisms.

Following this process, the Board will communicate the next steps in the process towards the introduction of statutory regulation for Clinical, Counselling and Educational Psychologists.

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Regulatory Model to protect the title ‘psychologist’

Update: October 2024

Background The Psychologists Registration Board was established in 2017 to regulate psychologists in Ireland. Its goal is to protect the public by introducing statutory regulation to the psychology profession. This will protect the title of psychologist meaning that only qualified people, who have registered with CORU can use that title.

The Board has developed an approach to regulate the profession effectively that will enable the protection of the title psychologist.

One Register, Four Divisions

Since its establishment, the Board has been developing a model that both protects the title psychologist and acknowledges that in Ireland, psychologists typically enter the profession through different specialist fields.

To address this, the Board conducted a detailed risk analysis, evaluating different areas of psychology based on the potential harm they could cause, the complexity of the work involved, and the readiness of education programs to meet regulatory standards.

Based on this analysis and public feedback from consultations the Board decided on a regulatory structure that includes one main register with four divisions: Clinical, Counselling, and Educational Psychologists, which are considered higher-risk areas, and a general division for all other psychologists.

This structure will ensure that all practising psychologists meet a consistent level of professional competence, while also protecting the public by safeguarding the use of the title psychologist.

Education and Training Requirements

To register, psychologists must meet specific education and training standards set by the Board, which ensure they have the necessary knowledge and skills for safe and effective practice.

The Board will also assess and approve education and training programmes to make sure they consistently produce graduates who meet these standards.

Each division - Clinical, Counselling, Educational, and the general Psychologists Division—will have its own set of pre-registration requirements, determining eligibility for registration. This process ensures that only those with approved qualifications can enter the profession.

Psychologists Division

The Psychologists Division will include the various psychology specialisations not covered by the Clinical, Counselling, or Educational divisions.

The Board will set core competencies - key knowledge, skills, and professional behaviours - that apply across all specialisations. These core competencies will be flexible, allowing the competences reflect the different fields of psychology, being applied ‘as appropriate to the specialism’.

Education programmes will need to meet these standards to be approved, ensuring they provide both academic learning and practical experience.

Education and Training Pathways The Board establishes a qualifications-based register, this means that new graduates in Ireland will need to hold a qualification approved by the Board to be added to the register once it opens.

There are separate registration processes for existing practitioners and for applicants with international qualifications.

Once the Board sets its education and training requirements for each division, it will work with education providers, giving them time to adjust their programmes to meet these standards. The Board will then assess these programmes and create a list of approved qualifications. Graduates with these qualifications can register in the appropriate division.

Pathways for Clinical, Counselling, and Educational Psychologists Divisions Currently, the education and training programmes for Clinical, Counselling, and Educational Psychology combine classroom learning with practical placements. This structure helps students gradually build the skills and knowledge needed for safe practice. The Board will evaluate these programmes to ensure they meet its standards before adding them to the list of approved qualifications.

Pathways for the Psychologists Division Recognising the variety of education and training routes for different psychology specialisations, the Psychologists Division will offer two qualification options:

• Single Qualification Route: Some psychology programmes already combine academic learning with practical training. The Board will review and approve these programmes, listing them as a pathway to registration.
• Two Qualification Route: For psychology specialisations that currently offer only academic learning, the Board allows for a second qualification focused on practical experience. Both the academic and practical qualifications must meet the Board’s standards to be approved as pathways to registration.

In both routes, the Board will assess all programmes against the same pre-registration education and training requirements to ensure they produce competent, safe practitioners.

Implementation Timelines Regulation will be rolled out in two phases: one for the specialisms of Clinical, Counselling, and Educational Psychologists, and one for the general division.

This is because the Board has determined that these specialisms, as well as being higher risk, are closer to being ready for regulation due to their preexisting education and training programmes.

The first phase to open three divisions of the register for clinical, counselling and educational psychologists is expected to begin in October 2025, while the general division could take 2 to 4 years to fully implement, depending on how quickly education providers adapt to the new qualification requirements.

Please also access our frequently seen questions for further details on the approach to regulating psychologists.