Psychotherapists 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 Valvira. On application, Valvira 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 Valvira.

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, Valvira 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 appendices to Valvira as e-mail attachments or by mail. The processing period is calculated from the time when Valvira has received 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, because this will slow down the processing of your application.

Send your completed application and appendices by e-mail to: [email protected].

Please note that e-mail is not recommended for sending confidential information. You can send a secure e-mail via the Valvira secure message service. Further information on how to deliver material to Valvira by e-mail can be found on our website.

The processing of an application in Valvira is subject to a fee. A fee is also charged for a withdrawn application. By submitting an application, you agree to the fees. Please check the prices at end of the instructions, under “Fees”. 

OR send your completed application and appendices by mail to:
National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira)
PO Box 43
FI-00521 Helsinki

Please attach the following documents to your application:

  1. Passport or ID card issued in an EU/EEA Member State (proof of your identity and nationality). Please read the instructions on our website if you do not have a Finnish personal identity number.
  2. Your degree certificate (diploma) for your background training, with appendices (e.g. diploma supplement, academic transcript). 
  3. Freeform consent stating that Valvira has your permission to submit your application documents to a Finnish educational institution for an expert opinion if necessary.

    The appendices listed below in points 4 and 8–10 are not necessarily mandatory, but they are recommended, because they may be required for obtaining an expert opinion. In order to evaluate an application, information regarding the completed education is needed. This information needs to be comprehensive enough to allow determining the possible differences between the completed education and the education required in Finland.
  4. A more detailed description of the courses and training periods listed in the academic transcript (learning outcomes, contents and number of hours; and operating environments and duties in the case of training periods) concerning your background training. 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 directly to Valvira by e-mail. 
  5. Certificate of at least 30 credits in studies in psychology or psychiatry, if such studies were not included in your background training.
  6. 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 job duties and the duration of your employment.
  7. Degree certificate for your psychotherapist training, with appendix (e.g. diploma supplement, academic transcript). 
  8. A more detailed description of the courses and training periods listed in the academic transcript for your actual psychotherapist training (learning outcomes, contents and number of hours; and operating environments and duties in the case of training periods) concerning your psychotherapist training. 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.
    Please supply 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 directly to Valvira by e-mail.
  9. Employment certificates for work in the profession following completion of your training. Employment certificates must have been issued by your employer, and they must state at least your job title, your job duties and the duration of your employment.
  10. A certificate of any supplementary professional training and continuing education.
  11. 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 by Valvira. You must submit such a certificate from every country where you have been legalised to practise your profession.
    Valvira may also be able to verify the information directly with the competent authority in the relevant EU or EEA Member State, and you do not need to submit these documents. This verification may delay the processing of your application. If Valvira is unable to verify the information with the competent authority, then you must submit the relevant certificate yourself.
  12. Translations into Finnish, Swedish or English of the documents listed in points 2–11.
    The translations must have been produced by an authorised translator in Finland or in another EU/EEA Member State. Authorised translators in Finland can be found through the online service of the National Agency for Education. If the translator is not an official or authorised translator in an EU/EEA Member State, the translation may nevertheless be acceptable if the translator’s status is confirmed by Apostille or Grand Legalisation.
  13. Certificate of sufficient language proficiency in Finnish or Swedish.
    Further information on language proficiency requirements is available on our website. If you do not submit a certificate of language proficiency, Valvira 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. Further information on the recognition of professional qualifications.

Valvira may request further clarifications if necessary. The application documents will remain in Valvira, 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 while the application process is ongoing, the processing of your application will be significantly slowed down.