France
The situation of Psychotherapy in France
Legal status
In France, the title of “psychotherapist” is protected since 2010, without any definition, whereas the practice is not regulated by French law
- The use of the title of psychotherapist is restricted for professionals registered in the national register of psychotherapists.
- This register is established by the regional authorities (ARS) in the district of the professional practice. For more information http://www.ars.sante.fr/Qu-est-ce-que-l-ARS.89783.0.html
To register, the applicant must be
- medical doctor,
- psychologist (master degree)
- and/or psycho-analyst regularly registered in a psychoanalysis association directory.
All new students must have these titles to begin any specialised training required by the law.
Apart from psychiatrists and clinical psychologists, all must undergo some additional training: 200 to 400 hours of psychopathology, and 2 to 5 months of practice in a institution (fieldwork).
The former psychotherapists who have been officially practicing for more than 5 years before the 20th of may 2010 can apply to be registered, after a control by a regional committee of 6 professionals: 2 psychiatrists, 2 psychologists and 2 psychoanalysts; 2 of them must be professors in University.
The applicants can be required to follow a complementary training in psychopathology and/or 2 to 5 months of field training (fieldwork).
Some private institutes can ask to be accredited (by the same committees) for the training in psychopathology. They must have a scientific committee and a research team.
To read the texts of the law (in French), click the links below:
- LOI n° 2004-806 du 9 août 2004 relative à la politique de santé publique,
- Décret n° 2010-534 du 20 mai 2010 relatif à l’usage du titre de psychothérapeute,
- Arrêté du 9 juin 2010 relatif aux demandes d’inscription au registre national des psychothérapeutes,
- Décret n° 2012-695 du 7 mai 2012 modifiant le décret n° 2010-534 du 20 mai 2010 relatif à l’usage du titre de psychothérapeute.
FF2P – Fédération Française de Psychothérapie et Psychanalyse
The FF2P http://www.ff2p.fr was founded 17 years ago in order to provide a framework and regulations for the practice of psychotherapy at a time when no regulation and supervision of the practice existed. Our concern has always been the protection of users. We agree with EAP criteria and the Strasbourg Declaration on Psychotherapy of 1990.
The FF2P has defined specific criteria to give the people living in France a guarantee of the training and professionalism of practitioners trained by institutes accredited training by FF2P.
It is also for these reasons that well before the proposed legislation and the adoption of the 2010 law, the FF2P had established a register that users can refer to to find a practitioner or a training institute.
1 500 psychotherapists, 21 associations and 36 training institutes (including 16 EAPTIs) are registered by the FF2P and listed in its directory.
Other information:
Payment: the clients pay around 60 euros for one session
Psychotherapy is not reimbursed by the Social security system, except, in hospitals and in some cases, when it is practiced by medical doctors (very partly).
Some private insurance companies may reimburse partially.
The minister of Health is responsible for psychotherapy.
The 2010 law recognizes no psychotherapy methods or modalities. It only mentions psychopathology.
01/2014
Hello, I am Anne Poulton, welcome to Counselling In France. Having worked in school health and NHS community mental health as a professional counsellor before I took early retirement, I realised that the waiting lists were so long in the UK that there had to still be a need when people moved to France.
I moved to France in 2000 and started the website in 2003 to provide details of qualified therapists and life coaches who offer therapy and coaching in English from all over France and in some other European languages, working face-to-face, over the telephone and online.
This website is the main website in the group of websites comprising the Counselling In France association 87/1382. To see a list of sister websites, please click here.
If you are a qualified therapist of any type or a qualified life coach and would like to join the website, the steps are detailed below.
1) Download the submission form by clicking on the graphic. If you do not have Microsoft Office, Open Office is HERE. Please complete the form and send back in Word .doc or .docx form. 2) Please pay here
. Subscriptions are payable from September 1st until September 1st in a year. If you join the website after April 1st in a subscription year, it is free to be on the main website until September 1st of that year. 3) Send me details for your page and a photograph in a jpeg or gif. If you have a website link, it can only be clickable if you provide a reciprocal link. If you want to be on the telephone page, Talking Online or Life Coaching In France, you must provide a photograph of your face. All siret numbers/work statuses must be shown in full on your page. Please try and include the following in your page details:
○ An email address & phone number
○ A siret number or registration status
○ A photograph of yourself
○ Whereabouts in France you live ○ About you and what you are offering clients
○ Your qualifications and experience
○ If you work face to face, telephone, online etc.
○ If you offer a free assessment session 4) If you are offering online therapy, please indicate how you can work i.e. Skype, Zoom, Facetime, VSee, DoxyMe, by email. To be on Talking Online, a photo and valid siret number, association or registration must be provided and a subscription paid. You can then be shown on these websites below.
talking-online.com ~ talking-online.co.uk ~ therapists-online.com
online-counsellors.com ~ online-counsellor.com 5) If you have your own website shown on your page and you want clients to be able to click on it to be taken to your website, you will need to provide a reciprocal link. The details are HERE. 6)
- If you provide telephone counselling, there is a telephone therapy page HERE.
- Workshops and courses can be shown HERE
- Retreats can be shown HERE (also accessible from www.retreats.fr)
- If you would like to submit any articles or information for clients, you can be shown HERE
- If you would like a therapy website (free, with exceptions, with your subscription) go HERE
- If you are a supervisor, you can be shown on this page HERE
7) It will be assumed that by joining this website, you accept total responsibility for the text you send in to be on your web page and also for your legal work position. If you are not registered with the Chambres des Metiers, you might be working as/for an association or be employed in a French establishment. (see how to create an association here) or you may not be charging for counselling, but Counselling In France cannot accept any responsibility for your work status. 8) If you are a psychotherapist, please ensure that you adhere to the current regulations in France. Since 2010, the title of ‘psychotherapist” has been protected and is restricted for professionals on the French national register of psychotherapists. Counselling In France cannot accept responsibility for misrepresentation by any therapist who joins the website. Please consult E.A.P.for the guidelines: HERE. If you are a psychotherapist, you can offer counselling and if you do not qualify to be on the French national register of psychotherapists, you cannot refer to yourself as a psychotherapist or that you offer psychotherapy on your page, but you can state that you are a counsellor and that you offer counselling.
ABOUT RECIPROCAL LINKS
OUR ASSOCIATION STATUTES
N.B. To be shown on this website, you must either be resident in France or have a residence in France where you can offer therapy to clients (or on the borders of France). Once subscriptions have been paid, the website cannot give refunds for the subscription for any reason. If the details you provide to be on the website do not include your qualifications, what you offer, contact details etc., within a month of submission, your page may be suspended or removed. Please read the Disclaimer and the Terms and Conditions.
BACK
National Requirements France
Applying for EuroPsy in France? Visit website
- Psychology Education
Psychology education is arranged through a 3 year BA followed by 2 year Masters degree.
- Programmes that meet EuroPsy requirements
All the French universities that deliver a psychologist diploma meet the EuroPsy requirements
- Supervised practice arrangements (for the EuroPsy Certificate)
Supervision is organized in small groups. Supervised psychologists use their portfolio as their base of operations in the group. They present professional situations that posed them some problems to them. The supervisor regulates the functioning of the group. Supervisory time is 8 hours per month, or 4 hours per fortnight or 2 hours per week, depending on the group and the supervisor‘s agendas.
- Arrangements for the training of supervisors
This is arranged by the NAC. Most supervisors meet Level 5 or higher criteria
- Recognition of Title
“Psychologist” is a legally recognized and protected title for all areas of practice
- Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
There are no requirements for CPD.
The license to practise is not restricted in time and therefore there is no requirements for revalidation.
