Public Consultation on draft Standards of Proficiency and Criteria for Education and Training Programmes for Psychologists

The Psychologists Registration Board has opened a public stakeholder consultation on draft Standards of Proficiency and Criteria for Education and Training Programmes for entry to its fourth register, the Psychologists Register. This register will, when opened, accommodate the regulation of all specialisms of psychology, with the exception of clinical, counselling and educational psychology. 

Committed to the objective of establishing regulation that will protect the professional title psychologist in Ireland, the Board’s bespoke regulatory model is progressing work across two phases, simultaneously:

·   Phase One: establishment of three registers for clinical, counselling and educational psychologists

·       Phase Two: establishment the Psychologists Register that will accommodate the regulation of all other psychology specialisms 

More detail on the introduction of statutory regulation for psychologists is available on the Psychologists Registration Board webpage here: Statutory Regulation of Psychologists - Coru

Standards and Criteria for Psychologists

The Psychologists Registration Board has prepared draft Standards of Proficiency and Criteria for Education and Training Programmes for entry to the Psychologists Register:

· Draft Standards of Proficiency for Psychologists : articulating the threshold knowledge and skills required for entry to the register

· Draft Criteria for Education and Training Programmes (for entry to the Psychologists Register) : the design, delivery and quality assurance requirements that an education and training programme must have in place in order to deliver on all the Standards of Proficiency. 

The Board’s drafting process has been layered and multi-faceted with input from national and international experts in professional regulation, education quality assurance and psychology, along with continued stakeholder engagement during late Autumn 2025 and Spring 2026. 

The Psychologists Registration Board is inviting feedback on its draft Standards of Proficiency and Criteria for Education and Training Programmes for entry to the Psychologists Register from all stakeholders, including members of the profession, education providers, employers, professional bodies, along with members of the public. 

This consultation process forms a key component of the proportionality assessment that the Psychologists Registration Board is undertaking in relation to the setting of Standards of Proficiency and Criteria for Education and Training Programmes for the Psychologists Register. 

How to submit your views

You are invited to submit your feedback – your personal views or on behalf of your organisation – on the draft Standards of Proficiency and the draft Criteria for Education and Training Programmes by:

·       Completing the online consultation feedback form, available here

·       Submitting written feedback via email to: strategyandpolicy@coru.ie

·   Submitting written feedback to: Strategy and Policy, CORU, Infinity Building, George’s Court, George’s Lane, Smithfield, Dublin 7, DO7 E98Y

Closing Date

The consultation process will close at 5pm, Friday 27 November 2026. Any submissions received after this date will not be considered. 

Consultation Resources

CORU has developed an eBook resource that explore a range of key issues associated with the Board’s setting of its Standards and Criteria, what both documents are and how they are used, explaining the process the Board undertook and its rationale in making its proposals. You are encouraged to read and review this eBook resource as you prepare your feedback.

·       Standards and Criteria Psychologists Register – eBook Resource 

In addition, CORU has developed a suite of resources to help explain the foundations of regulatory activity and allow for better understanding of CORU and its regulatory functions. Part of our Regulatory Essentials resources, these include videos and factsheets on a range of issues, including:

·       the difference between what the regulator and a professional body;

·       the different types of regulatory standards and what they are used for;

·       what is meant by principles-based Standards of Proficiency and how these are applied; and

·  an overview on the model to facilitate the introduction of regulation for psychologists. 

These are available on our dedicated Regulatory Essentials webpage here: Regulatory Essentials - Coru 

If you have any questions or if you require further information, please contact CORU by email strategyandpolicy@coru.ie