Ban on Unapproved Psychological Treatments
Minister of Health Dr. Ahmed Al-Awadi issued Decision No. 225 of 2026 concerning the regulation of licenses and practice of psychotherapy and psychological counseling in the public and private sectors. The decision prohibits unapproved psychological treatments, while establishing controls regarding qualifications, experience, training, professional titles, facilities, and the protection of client confidentiality.
The decision restricts the role of psychologists holding a bachelor’s degree to conducting initial interviews, collecting data, administering assessments, and preparing reports, under the supervision of a “senior psychotherapist.” It prohibits them from providing treatment or developing treatment plans. In contrast, psychotherapists are responsible for assessment, case formulation, and the development, implementation, and monitoring of treatment plans within the limits of their license.
Practitioners are mandated to document assessments, interviews, tests, treatment plans, and case progress, while maintaining data confidentiality. The decision also requires client consent before recording sessions for training or educational purposes, as well as informed consent prior to the commencement of treatment.
The decision prohibits psychological practices not based on approved scientific foundations, including energy therapy, Reiki, crystal therapy, neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), the law of attraction, color therapy, vibration therapy, and chakra healing, among others. It also forbids non-specialists from prescribing medications or modifying medication plans.
It emphasizes the prohibition of providing any psychological services that lack recognized scientific or professional foundations, or that imply the ability to treat mental disorders without approved scientific evidence. This aims to confine psychotherapy to evidence-based methods and interventions, and to protect clients from misleading or unproven practices.
The decision requires psychological complexes to have rooms with a minimum area of 9 square meters, with at least two rooms, ensuring privacy, electronic records, insurance, and emergency systems. Surveillance cameras are restricted to waiting areas and corridors. It also mandates the presence of a full-time “senior psychotherapist” for technical supervision.
The decision prohibits the impersonation of professional titles or advertising psychological services by unlicensed entities. Facilities that have initiated licensing procedures are granted a six-month deadline to regularize their status, while practitioners in the public sector are given 18 months to comply with the new requirements.
