Psychotherapist trained in an EU or EEA Member State
In order to be allowed to use the title of psychotherapist in Finland, you must register this protected occupational title with the Finnish Supervisory Agency. On application, the Finnish Supervisory Agency grants the right to use the occupational title of psychotherapist to professionals trained either in Finland or abroad. Other people who have sufficient education, experience and professional skills can also be employed in a profession that has a protected occupational title. However, you must not use a protected occupational title unless you have been granted the right to do so by the Finnish Supervisory Agency.
In order to qualify for the title of psychotherapist in Finland, you must have:
- appropriate background training
- background work experience
- psychotherapist training
Your training is evaluated as a whole, meaning that your background training and work experience prior to your actual psychotherapist training are also considered. For evaluation purposes, we will request a statement concerning your training from an educational institution / university in Finland that trains psychotherapists. Based on the statement received, the Finnish Supervisory Agency will specify the supplementary training that you will need to complete, if any.
Applying for the right to practise
Fill in the application form (pdf). Enter the occupational title you are applying for, your personal details and your contact details. Your personal details must include at least your name and date of birth.
Send the application and the documents listed below to the Finnish Supervisory Agency as e-mail attachments or by mail. The processing period is calculated from when the Finnish Supervisory Agency receives all the required documents. If you submit all the relevant documents with your application, the application process will be quicker. Please do not send your application or attachments by both e-mail and post. This will slow down the processing of your application.
Send your completed application and appendices by e-mail to: kirjaamo(at)lvv.fi.
The processing of an application in the Finnish Supervisory Agency is subject to a fee. By submitting an application, you agree to the fees. Please check the prices at the bottom of the page under Fees.
Please note that e-mail is not recommended for sending confidential information. You can send a secure e-mail via the Finnish Supervisory Agency secure message service. See our website for further information on how to deliver material to the Finnish Supervisory Agency by e-mail.
Or send your completed application with attachments by post to:
Finnish Supervisory Agency
P.O. BOX 20
13035 LVV
Courier mail (e.g. DHL or Fedex) is to be sent to:
Finnish Supervisory Agency
Wähäjärvenkatu 6
FI-13100 Hämeenlinna, Finland
Append copies of the following documents to your application
1. Document verifying your identity and nationality
- passport or
Attach a copy of the double-page spread in the passport containing personal data. (page showing personal data and a photo). - ID card issued in an EU/EEA Member State or
Attach a copy of both sides of the ID card. - alien's passport or
Attach a copy of the double-page spread in the alien’s passport containing personal data.
Also attach a separate copy of the Additional entries page, which shows any special conditions and restrictions.
(Note: the alien’s passport contains the holder’s personal data and additional entries on different pages.) - refugee travel document
Attach a copy of the double-page spread in the refugee travel document containing personal data.
Please note that only the above-mentioned documents are accepted as proof of identity.
For example, a residence permit card or a driving licence cannot be used as proof an identity in this application.
2. Degree certificate (diploma) and its appendix on background training
- for example, diploma supplement or academic transcript
3. Certificate of the right to practise the profession
- A certificate verifying that your right to practise the profession in question has not been restricted or revoked (e.g. Certificate of Current Professional Status).
- This certificate must be no more than three months old when received.
- You must submit such a certificate from every country where you have been legalised to practise your profession.
- If you have practised the profession in a country that does not register these professionals, please provide a certificate from the competent authority of the above-mentioned country stating that the country does not register these professionals or another reliable account of the matter.
- The Finnish Supervisory Agency can check the information directly with the competent authorities of EU and EEA Member States, in which case you do not need to submit this document. The review may delay the processing of the application. If the Finnish Supervisory Agency does not receive information from the competent authority, you must provide the relevant certificate yourself.
The certificate of the right to practise the profession must be submitted at the latest in connection with the final application for the protected occupational title once you have completed any required compensatory measures.
4. Consent document
- Freeform consent stating that the Finnish Supervisory Agency has your permission to submit your application documents to a Finnish educational institution for an expert opinion if necessary, which is subject to a fee charged to you.. By giving your consent, you agree to pay a statement fee in addition to the processing fee.
5. Certificate of sufficient language proficiency
- A list of approved certificates of sufficient Finnish or Swedish language proficiency is available on our website. These include the Civil Service Language Proficiency Certificate and the National Certificate of Language Proficiency. Further information on language proficiency certificates is available on the Finnish National Agency for Education website.
The certificate of sufficient language proficiency must be submitted at the latest in connection with the final application for the protected occupational title once you have completed any required compensatory measures.
If you do not submit a certificate of language proficiency, the Finnish Supervisory Agency can only recognise your professional qualifications. In order to be eligible for this, you must be a citizen of an EU or EEA Member State or a person of comparable status, and you must have completed your training in an EU or EEA Member State. Recognition of professional qualifications does not automatically entitle you to practise your profession or to use a protected occupational title in Finland. Read more about the recognition of professional qualifications on our website.
6. Certificate of studies in psychology or psychiatry
- Certificate of at least 30 credits in studies in psychology or psychiatry, if such studies were not included in your background training.
7. Employment certificates for your background work experience
- Employment certificates must have been issued by your employer, and they must state at least your job title, your duties and the duration of your employment.
8. Certificates for psychotherapist training
- Degree certificate for your psychotherapist training, with appendix (e.g. diploma supplement or academic transcript).
The following documents mentioned in points 9-12 are not necessarily mandatory. They are mandatory if, without them, it is not possible to establish any significant differences with regard to the education required in Finland.
9. Detailed description of the background education
- A description issued by the educational institution of the courses and training periods listed on the academic transcript. The document must detail the learning outcomes, contents and scope in hours of the units included in your degree and the operating environments in which you completed your practical training and your duties therein.
- For the purposes of the statement to be returned by the university consulted, you must indicate when you completed the applicable background training and when you began your actual psychotherapist training.
- If the educational institution supplies a general study programme to provide this information, the institution must separately confirm that you have completed the units required. The educational institution may deliver the report to the Finnish Supervisory Agency by e-mail (contact details below).
- We need sufficiently comprehensive information about the education to establish any significant differences between the education required in Finland.
10. Detailed description of the psychotherapist education
- A description issued by the educational institution of the courses and training periods listed in the academic transcript for your actual psychotherapist training. The document must detail the learning outcomes, contents and scope in hours of the units included in your degree and the operating environments in which you completed your practical training and your duties therein.
- For the purposes of the statement to be returned by the university consulted, you must indicate when you completed the applicable background training and when you began your actual psychotherapist training.
- Certificates of supervised clinical psychotherapy work included in your actual psychotherapist training (number of hours, dates) and of your personal psychotherapy (including the psychotherapy orientation in addition to the above details).
- If the educational institution supplies a general study programme to provide this information, the institution must separately confirm that you have completed the units required. The educational institution may deliver the report to the Finnish Supervisory Agency by e-mail (contact details below).
- We need sufficiently comprehensive information about the education to establish any significant differences between the education required in Finland.
11. Employment certificates
- Any employment certificates for work in the profession following completion of your training
- Employment certificates must have been issued by your employer, and must state at least your job title, duties and the duration of your employment
- Please note that employment contracts are not accepted as employment certificates.
12. Certificates of any supplementary training and continuing education
- Certificates of any supplementary professional training and continuing education.
13. Translations of the documents listed in points 2-11
- If the original documents are not in Finnish, Swedish or English, please also provide official translations.
- The translations must have been produced by an official or authorised translator in Finland or in another EU/EEA Member State. Authorised translators in Finland can be found through the online service of the Finnish National Agency for Education.
- The translations must be accompanied by the document in the original language certified by the translator.
- An official translator outside the EU/EEA may be acceptable if the translator’s status is confirmed in the translation with an Apostille or Grand Legalisation.
The Finnish Supervisory Agency may request additional clarifications if necessary. Please do not attach any original documents that you may need later to your application. The application documents will remain in the Finnish Supervisory Agency and it is not possible to get them back after a decision has been made. If you request for documents to be returned to you before a decision is made, we can return them. In this case, you must provide corresponding copies of the documents. However, this will slow down the processing of your application.
Psychotherapist training in Finland is continuing education that is only available to persons who have already completed an appropriate degree or qualification. The following are examples of such an appropriate degree or qualification:
- An applicable master’s-level degree at a university, or an applicable qualification in health and social services at a university of applied sciences. The degree must include, or you must have otherwise completed, 30 credits of studies in psychology or psychiatry.
- A post-secondary nursing qualification plus a specialisation in psychiatry if the qualification did not include studies in psychiatry.
- Any other training comparable to point 1 or 2 above, completed abroad.
Please note that the training regime for psychotherapists may differ from one country to another. For example, what is described above as background training and psychotherapist training may be contained in a single degree or qualification.
After completing your background training, you must have had at least two years of work experience in mental health services or similar duties before you may apply for psychotherapist training. Please note that, as a rule, volunteer work in mental health services is not acceptable as such work experience.
In Finland, psychotherapist training is continuing education completed at a university. Persons applying for this training must satisfy the background training and background work experience requirements. The scope of the training is at least 60 credits, divided between theoretical studies, supervised clinical psychotherapy with clients, personal psychotherapy and final written project work. This competence is proved by a proficiency test. Applicants who trained abroad are also required to have completed similar training modules, including the student’s personal psychotherapy and supervised clinical psychotherapy.
In the case of training completed abroad, the Finnish Supervisory Agency will compare that training to the requirements for background training, background work experience and psychotherapist training. Training as a psychotherapist involves supplementing and improving students’ existing professional competence, and for this reason the Finnish Supervisory Agency basically requires that applicants must have the required background training and background work experience. The comparison takes into account all of the diplomas, certificates of supplementary training and continuing education and other documentation of formal qualifications, as well as the relevant work experience. The Finnish Supervisory Agency compares the qualifications of these certificates and experience with the knowledge and qualifications required in Finland. For comparison purposes, and for the information of the university consulted for a statement, the Finnish Supervisory Agency must have detailed content descriptions of all the units included in the studies you have completed. It is also important to submit details of your supervised clinical psychotherapy work and personal psychotherapy (background training of the instructors, psychotherapy orientation, number of hours and dates).
- Applying for the right to practise
- Request for further information if necessary
- Request for comments if necessary
- Hearing if necessary
- Conditional decision of recognition of professional qualification or decision on right to practise
- Completing compensatory measures, if any
- Applying for professional qualification after completing compensatory measures
- Decision on the right to practise
Within 30 days of receiving the application, the Finnish Supervisory Agency will ask the applicant to submit any missing documents. The processing period is calculated from the date when the Finnish Supervisory Agency receives all the required documents.
The processing period for applications is four months, as specified in the Act on Health Care Professionals. The processing period is laid down in the relevant EU Directive and is the same in all Member States.
A fee is charged for every decision concerning licences to practise a profession, including when an application is denied. Half the processing fee is payable if you withdraw your application.
Types of fees include:
- Fee for expert opinion 100–400 euros.
- Registration of protected occupational title 710 euros.
- Decision on conditional recognition 710 euros.
- Recognition of professional qualifications or protected title registration after an adjustment period or completing supplementary studies 180 euros.
- Recognition of professional qualifications 470 euros.
- Registration of protected occupational title once proof of language proficiency is received after recognition of professional qualificatio 240 euros.
The decision on the right to practise a profession will be issued in Finnish or Swedish. The invoice will be sent after the decision. If the Finnish Supervisory Agency has requested an expert opinion, the invoice for the fee for the expert opinion will be sent to you after the Finnish Supervisory Agency receives that opinion.
The decision on the right to practise a profession will be issued in Finnish or Swedish. The invoice will be sent after the decision. If the Finnish Supervisory Agency has requested an expert opinion, the invoice for the fee for the expert opinion will be sent to you after the Finnish Supervisory Agency receives that opinion.
If there are significant differences between the social welfare education that the applicant has received abroad or healthcare education received in an EU or EEA Member State and the education in Finland, the Finnish Supervisory Agency will issue a certificate of conditional recognition of professional qualification. The certificate of conditional recognition will specify the additional measures required to compensate for the differences. Additional measures include an aptitude test and an adaptation period. The applicant cannot be licensed to practise their profession until the additional measure specified has been acceptably completed. The applicant will need to reapply for a licence once they have completed the additional measure.
Rights to practise granted may be viewed in the public information services for social welfare and health care professionals (JulkiSuosikki and JulkiTerhikki, respectively) after the decision is issued or the registration is made. The register data is updated once a day.
A right to practise granted for a fixed term will be visible in the public information service only while it is valid. An example of such a right is the registration for an adaptation period.
The Finnish Supervisory Agency may send you any requests for further information, certificates, decisions and invoices electronically as a Suomi.fi message if you have registered in that service. Suomi.fi messages may only be used for matters that are currently pending. You may register for Suomi.fi messages at the suomi.fi website or by downloading the Suomi.fi mobile app.
In application matters, we will only deal with the applicants themselves. However, an applicant may authorise an agent or attorney to act on their behalf in the matter of their application. In this case, the agent or attorney must present a power of attorney authorising them to act for the applicant. The power of attorney may be an e-mail or physical document sent by the applicant, stating that the applicant authorises the person in question to act for them in the matter of the application. Attorneys-at-law and public legal aid attorneys do not need to present a power of attorney unless specifically requested.
Contact information
E-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: +358 295 256 932 (Monday–Friday 9:00–15:00)
Application documents to the address: [email protected]