National Awarding Committee (NAC) for EuroPsy in Estonia: Overview Introduction Each NAC is requested by the EAC to complete the following overview and submit this to the EFPA Office in Brussels by February each year. The completed forms will be placed on the EuroPsy webpage (http://www.europsy-efpa.eu/), and should also be placed on the national EuroPsy website. The answers on the form should be in line with the application of the NAC as approved by the EAC. Some items can be completed by providing a check mark or a brief answer (e.g., filling in a date, name, number or address). With other items further descriptive information is required from all NACs. There are also items which some NACs can answer by providing a tick while for other NACs there is a need to supply descriptive information. Further clarification will be needed whenever there is not a uniform arrangement for all fields of practice in a country. Each item has a number and you are asked to provide descriptive information in an Appendix of which the number corresponds with the number of the item. NB Please indicate with the item where you add an Appendix: see Appendix 1, see Appendix 2, etc. The form should be complete when all grey text has been completed. 1
National Awarding Committee (NAC) for EuroPsy in Estonia: Overview Date of submission of this report: 28-02-14 Date of approval of NAC by EAC: 08-03-13 Latest update of this overview: 26-02-14 Website of the NAC with documentation on EuroPsy in Estonian: www.epl.org.ee Name of contact person: Peeter Pruul E-mail address: peeter.pruul@keskhaigla.ee Postal address: Ehitajate tee 137 room 351, Tallinn 13517 Estonia 1. Composition of NAC and S-NAC 1a NAC composition and operation Number of members in the NAC: 5 Frequency and dates of meetings: 2 /year Names of the members: see Appendix 1 Number of EuroPsy Certificates issued that are listed in the Register: 21 1b S-NAC for Psychotherapy An S-NAC for psychotherapy has not been established 1c S-NAC for Work and Organization Psychology An S-NAC for work and organization psychology has not been established 2. Psychology programmes 2a. Recognition of university education programmes as meeting EuroPsy requirements: Under the auspices of NAC In cooperation with NAC (e.g. by universities) By a national accreditation authority, of which the judgements are accepted by NAC Other 2b Structure of accredited / recognized education programmes Programs follow the format of 3 years BA + 2 years MA Another format is followed 2
2c List of programmes that meet EuroPsy requirements Names of universities in alphabetical order + Names of programs /degrees at Master Level Name of University City Degree Programmes 1. University of Tartu Tartu MA Psychology 2. Tallinn University Tallinn MA Psychology 3. Supervised practice arrangements (for the EuroPsy Certificate) 3a Please describe the arrangements for one year (or equivalent) supervised practice Supervised practice has been applicants' own responsibility. One year of supervised practice is included into Estonian professional qualification system: Professional Standards of the Clinical and School Psychology, and the certification committees review the documents presented by applicants: official notice from employer about placement, overview of practice, one full case analysis and the evaluation from supervisor(s). In former educational system, specialized 4+2 applied Master Programs in Clinical and School Psychology both included 800 hours of supervised practice. For the applicants, who do not have aforementioned professional or educational certificates, NAC reviews the practice documentation. Beginning psychologists can find eligible supervisor, a certified psychologist, in the Estonian National Register of Professions, which includes all Clinical and School Psychologists, made available on the homepage of the Estonian Qualifications Authority (Kutsekoda) http://www.kutsekoda.ee/et/kutseregister/kutsetunnistused. 3b Training of supervisors National arrangement for training of supervisors is in place, arranged by the NAC arranged by the national psychologists association(s) offered by universities other Various arrangements for training of supervisors are in place There is no organised training program in the country 3c Level of training of supervisors (see Appendix V of the EFPA Regulations on EuroPsy) Most supervisors meet Level 1 criteria Most supervisors meet Level 2 or Level 1 criteria Most supervisors meet Level 3 or higher criteria Most supervisors meet Level 4 or higher criteria Most supervisors meet Level 5 or higher criteria 3
Most supervisors do not meet EuroPsy training requirements 4. Recognition of Title, Licence to Practice, Revalidation & Continued Professional Development (CPD) 4a Recognition of title Psychologist is not a legally recognized and protected title Psychologist is a legally recognized and protected title Psychologist is a legally recognized and protected title for some areas of practice (Appendix 2) 4b License to practice There is no license or entry in a register needed for practising psychology There is a license or entry in a register needed for practising in some areas of practice (Appendix 2) License or entry in a register is needed for practising psychology 4c Revalidation There is no license or registration (see 4b); hence there is no revalidation License or registration is not restricted in time (No revalidation is required) Revalidation of the license to practice or entry in a register is required after 7 years (Appendix 2) 5. Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Currently no requirements for CPD exist Requirements for CPD exist, but less stringent than for EuroPsy revalidation Requirements for CPD exist, at least as stringent as for EuroPsy revalidation 6. Transitional arrangements No transitional arrangements apply currently for any category of EuroPsy applicants (special cases like education and training in a foreign country are expected) Transitional arrangements apply until 31-03-16 4
Appendix 1 Members of the NAC Name M/F Area of expertise Term of office Association represented Merle Parmak F Work/Organisational 2013 2017 UEP Peeter Pruul M Health/Clinical 2013 2017 UEP Tiina Kompus F Health/Clinical 2013 2017 UEP Triin Liin (Hannust) F Educational/School 2013 2017 UEP Eve Kikas F Educational/School 2013 2017 UEP 5
Appendix 2 Legislation of psychologists in Estonia Titles Clinical Psychologist and School Psychologist are legally recognized, but not protected. As established by the law named Professions Act on professional certification in Estonia: 15. (2) Holding a professional certificate is not a precondition of working unless legislation has provided the requirement for a professional certificate in order to work in a certain post. (http://www.legaltext.ee/et/andmebaas/paraframe.asp?loc=text&lk=et&sk=en&dok=040. htm&query=kutseseadus&tyyp=&ptyyp=rt&pg=1&fr=no) In Estonia the certification for psychologists exists since 1994 and national register since 2003. Due to the pressure of the UEP, Ministry of Health set a qualification system for clinical psychologists in 1993; the accreditation panel of the clinical psychologists evaluated continuing education of applicants and based on their decisions the Ministry of Health issued qualification certificates in 1994-2001. When the Professions Act (Kutseseadus) was enforced in 2001 (renewed in 2008), the UEP applied to the Health Care and Social Work Professional Council and became the awarding body authorized to evaluate professional qualifications in the field of psychology. The EAP formed task forces to develop the Professional standard for Clinical Psychologists and the Professional standard for School Psychologists in 2003, and the Professional standard for Psychologists (specialties in counselling and organisational psychology) in 2005. The School Psychology and Clinical Psychology professional qualifications committees were formed in 2003. They announce certification once a year, review applications, organise qualification examinations and award the certificates. Certificates are valid 5 years, and certified psychologists are listed in National Register of Professions (kutseregister). Currently 110 certified clinical and 66 school psychologists are in the Register (http://kutsekoda.ee/et/kutseregister/kutsetunnistused). No licence is needed to practice psychology in Estonia, nor is the title psychologist protected. Psychology is listed as free profession by Estonian authorities. Some lower level legislative documents (e.g. regulations of the Minister of Social Affairs) set a prerogative of being in the National Register in order to have right to provide services (e.g. the Procedure for the assumption of a payment obligation of an insured person by the health insurance fund and the methods for calculation of the payment; the List of health services of the Health Insurance Fund). 6