Report from EAP Board meetings in Vienna, 19-22 February 2020

Dear President, dear members of Executive,

In 2018 the European Association for Psychotherapy submitted the Psychotherapy Act to the EUROPEAN COMMISSION in order to gain recognition of the professional status of Psychotherapist.

I recommend that we have this document in pdf. file in EATA web site so that our members could see it.

Further steps of EAP are to submit the Common Training Framework for the Profession of Psychotherapist.

Please find enclosed this document that President elect of EAP Miss Pat Hunt created with working group for submission to the European Commission.  It is a long document of 40 pages.

I propose this document to be sent to Chairs of Committees of EATA and to Delegates.

If they have comments that they wish to make, I ask them kindly to send them directly to me to my e-mail address, I will assemble the comments of EATA and deliver them to Miss Hunt.

Many countries still struggle to prove the scientific validity of psychotherapy in their countries.

We had a recent situation in Spain where our colleagues asked and got the support of EAP.

The recommendation of the Chair of Research committee in EAP is that every association has the list of scientific publications on their web site. Such list is necessary for representatives of the National association when they assert the rights of psychotherapists in front of the Governments in their countries. This issue also has to be considered in TDRC and Communication committee of EATA which can collaborate in this matter.

The recommendation of the Vision and strategy group of EAP was that such list of scientific publications has to be a requirement in the answers to 15 questions that each modality has to submit to EAP in order to be accepted in EAP.

EAP pays special attention to social projects that demonstrate how psychotherapy can help people in crisis. In regard to that EAP created a working group for refugees. The result of their work was the 1st EAP conference for refugees that will be held in Pristina/Kosovo from 17th to 18th October 2020. Please find enclosed programme.

In order to inform all members about news in theory and practice in psychotherapy, EAP made decision that International Journal for Psychotherapy will be delivered in PDF file to all associations of EAP.

EAP will define requirements for getting the EAP Certificate for Supervision. With regard to that I need the pdf file from PTSC committee about EATA’s requirements for Supervisors, to deliver it to EATA Executive in order our standards to be included in EAP standards.

EAP discussed that each association has to pay attention to rules about training and certification, and that they should be democratically discussed and accepted by the relevant bodies. These rules should not question status that members already got by their certification. It is important to understand that CPD / Continuing professional Development which EAP defined that has to be 50 hours per year / have no defined topics. Content is chosen by professionals in regard to their professional interests and responsibility among forms that are in EAP list / courses, supervision, conferences, activities in associations, courses for trainers & supervisors/. EAP accepted that 20% of CPD could also be personal therapy.

EAP will vote in October 2020 for two amendments of Strasbourg declaration in psychotherapy:

1.Psychotherapy can be achieved through Academic education.

2. EAP psychotherapy modality cannot be copyright protected.

Since these changes can influence the work of psychotherapists and trainers in psychotherapy I need the opinion of Executive about EATA’s position. I recommend final decision about this matter to be voted by the EATA Council.

Marina Banic,

EATA Representative in EAP