Tashkent, Uzbekistan – Podrobno.uz. The Association of Psychologists of Uzbekistan has officially begun certifying specialists engaged in private practice within the country. This became possible after the Law “On Providing Psychological Assistance to the Population” came into force, granting professional associations the right to issue qualification certificates.

Under the new legislation, psychological assistance is now strictly regulated and must comply with uniform standards approved by the Ministry of Health. For private practice, having a certificate issued by a registered public association of psychologists is mandatory. Psychologists without such a document are deprived of the right to use the word “psychologist” in advertising their services or in their company name.

The law sets clear requirements for market participants: only individuals with a higher education in “psychology” have the right to provide psychological assistance. Specialists with other higher education backgrounds are allowed to work only after completing retraining courses and obtaining a certificate. For private practitioners with non-core education, activities are limited to counseling and training.

Administrative liability is introduced for violating the procedure: fines for citizens range from 5 to 10 times the basic calculation value (BCV), and for officials from 10 to 15 BCV. For repeated violations within a year, the fine is doubled.

The association urges all colleagues to carefully review the established requirements and certification procedure. It is important to remember that information about seeking help constitutes professional secrecy and is equated to medical confidentiality.

Earlier, Uzbekistan planned a large-scale reform of the mental health care system. Psychiatrists, narcologists, medical psychologists, and suicidologists may have their salaries doubled, and the personnel training system will be completely updated.

Source: podrobno.uz