The Department of Health has prepared draft regulations to extend statutory regulation to counsellors and psychotherapists. The minister of health expects them to be adopted by the Oireachtas later this year.

Speaking at a Fórsa conference on the future of the health and social care professions last week, Simon Harris said he expected registration boards of all 14 professions cited in the Health and Social Care Professionals Act, 2005 to be in place by the end of 2018.

The minister said he was also aware that other professions – including play therapists, audiologists and creative arts therapists – had also made a case to be included in the regulatory regime run by CORU.

The regulatory regime sets standards of professional conduct and establishes investigation procedures for cases where a practitioner’s ‘fitness to practise’ is questioned. Fórsa members in the regulated professions have free access to an insurance-based protection scheme that guarantees legal advice and representation in such situations.