The psychologists education

Here you can find information about the organization of Danish education in psychology.

You can find information on obtaining approval of a non-Danish basic or continuing education, on the European diploma in psychology and the European specialist diploma in psychotherapy, as well as information about the Danish Psychological Association’s overall efforts regarding education of psychologists.

The Danish Psychology Degree

Basic Education

Authorization

Specialist Degree

Supervisor degree

Approval of non-Danish Psychology Degree and Continuing Education

Approval of basic Education

Approval of non-Danish Continuing Education and Authorization

Approval of non-Danish Continuing Education and Specialist Degree

European Diplomas

The European Psychology Diploma

The European Specialist Diploma in Psychotherapy

The Danish Psychology Degree

Basic Education

• The Master’s degree in psychology can be earned at the universities of Copenhagen, Aarhus, Aalborg and Odense (Syddansk Univeritet). Subsequently, you are entitled to call yourself a MSc in psychology and to perform the services of a psychologist. Please note that teaching is conducted in Danish.
• Individuals holding Master’s degrees from former and presently discontinued educational programs, who have earned the titles of MA in psychology and Master in Educational Psychology may likewise call themselves psychologists and perform appropriate services.
• The title of psychologist is protected. Only psychologists with the above basic degrees are entitled to call themselves psychologists and perform the services of psychologists in Denmark.
• No other degrees in Denmark entitle an individual to call himself a psychologist and perform the services of a psychologist.

For more information, see the homepages of the universities or contact the student counseling offices directly.

Authorization

• After having earned a Master’s degree, a psychologist can attain public authorization by performing practical work and undergoing supervision.
• A psychologist may be authorized at the earliest 2 years after having completed a Master’s degree in psychology and must have received at least 160 hours of supervision.
• Guidelines are developed and administered by the Danish Supervisory Board for Psychological Practice. Authorization of psychologists is also administered by the Danish Supervisory Board for Psychological Practice under the Ministry of Social Affairs.

For more information, see the homepage of the Danish Supervisory Board of Psychological Practice.

Specialist Degree

• In addition to the Master’s degree and authorization, the Danish Psychological Association has developed a number of specialist degrees as complementary courses.
• A specialist degree takes approximately 5 years whereupon the psychologist can call himself, for instance, a Specialist Psychologist in Clinical Child Psychology.
• The Danish Psychological Association aims at having the specialist degrees publicly approved.
• Courses for the specialist education are offered by the Danish Psychological Association and other institutions. Teaching is conducted in Danish.
• The areas of specialization are organized into three main areas: Child Psychology, Adult Psychology and Work and Organizational Psychology.

See here for more information on the 10 specialist degrees

Supervisor Degree

• A specialist psychologist can, over a two-year period, expand his specialist degree with a supervisor degree.
• The supervisor degree enables the specialist to supervise other psychologists and evaluate the personal and professional development of the supervisee.
• Theoretical teaching is conducted in Danish.

Approval of non-Danish Psychology Degree and Continuing Education

Approval of non-Danish Basic Education

• If you hold a non-Danish psychology degree, it must be evaluated and approved by the “Center for non-Danish Education”. For more information, see their homepage www.ciriusonline.dk/anerkendelse.
• Please note that in most psychology jobs it is a prerequisite for the psychologist to be able to speak, read and understand Danish. Similarly, Danes, although being familiar with English, must not be expected to conduct a psychological analysis or treatment in English or any other foreign language.

Approval of non-Danish Continuing Education and Authorization

• The Danish authorization of psychologists is administered by the Danish Supervisory Board for Psychological Practice under the Ministry of Social Affairs.
• If you wish to have your non-Danish continuing education approved or equated as part of the Danish authorization, please contact the Danish Supervisory Board for Psychological Practice.

For more information, see the homepage of the Danish Supervisory Board for Psychological Practice.

Approval of non-Danish Continuing Education and Specialist Degree

• The specialist degrees in Denmark are administered by the Danish Psychological Association.
• If you wish to have your non-Danish continuing education approved or equated as part of a Danish specialist degree, please contact the Danish Psychological Association.

Please contact regarding approval of non-Danish continuing education as part of a Danish specialist degree.

European Diplomas

EuroPsy - The European Certificate in Psychology

Since January1, 1999, the Danish Psychological Association has participated in the EC financed Leonardo project. The objective of the project is to develop shared European minimum standards for the psychologist’s degree, so that mutual recognition of psychologists is simplified and mobility of psychologists in Europe is promoted.

The first stage of the project was completed in 2001 and included reaching an agreement on shared minimum standards consisting of 3 years (Bachelor segment) + 2 years (Master’s segment) + 1 year supervised practice).

The Danish Psychological Association has participated in the continued efforts for the second stage of the project which was completed in 2005. The focus of the second stage was to provide a more explicit specification of the requirements for the one-year supervised practice.

The third stage of the project was started in the fall of 2005. This is a pilot project involving 6 countries working on implementation of the diploma. The Danish Psychological Association is part of an advisory group but does not take part in the pilot project itself.

The efforts of the Leonardo group have taken place as a parallel to EC efforts to amend the directive on the approval of professional qualifications. The draft directive has now been adopted and entails that from now on it must be possible for European professional organizations to formulate so-called “platforms” which represent shared minimum standards of education. The field of psychology is for the present the field which, with the Leonardo project, is furthest ahead in developing a shared platform.

The Danish Psychological Association Education and Research Committee have concluded that the Danish psychology degree and authorization more than meet the requirements of the European psychology diploma.

The European Specialist Diploma in Psychotherapy

The Standing Committee on Psychotherapy under the EFPA has developed the educational requirements for a specialist diploma in psychotherapy. The Danish Psychological Association has set up a National Committee of Approval which met in May of 2007.

The National Committee of Approval has stated that the requirements for the Danish specialist degree in psychotherapy just about match the requirements of the European specialist degree. This statement has been forwarded to the EFPA along with a list of 35 Danish psychologists holding a specialist degree who were approved by the National Committee of Approval in a test project.

If the EFPA approves the recommendations of the National Committee of Approval, it implies that all Danish psychologists who are approved specialists of psychotherapy according to the Danish regulations also meet the requirements of the EFPA. According to an EFPA decision, specialist diplomas cannot be issued until the basic diploma, EuroPsy, is in place. This is expected to be the case in 2009.