It is "high time" to legally protect the title of psychotherapist and establish a better quality framework, the Belgian Federation of Psychotherapists (BFPT) stated on Saturday.
The Flemish Association of Clinical Psychologists expressed the same opinion on the same day, sounding the alarm in an open letter to VRT about the rise of lifestyle, burnout and resilience coaches who lack the proper qualifications to provide assistance.
They also highlighted the proliferation of coach training programmes without any quality control. In this context, the Flemish organisation is calling for better regulation of access to mental health care.
Anyone can call themselves a therapist
BFPT emphasises the same issues and highlight the fact that while the practice of psychotherapy is protected by law, there is no legal recognition of the title.
As a result, anyone can call themselves a (psycho)therapist.
"A large part of this chaos stems from existing legislation that does not recognise the title of psychotherapist," the organisation stated. "This makes it difficult, if not impossible, for patients to differentiate between qualified providers and unqualified practitioners."
The federation therefore calls for a revision of the mental health care law to include recognition of their title. They also advocate for the establishment of an independent committee to handle accreditations and quality control of training programmes.
This committee could also serve as an ombudsman for complaints and violations.
BFPT concludes that such a system would make it easier for patients to find the right care provider through official channels.
