Cap. 587 Art. 2Interpretation. 

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires:

"ability test" means a test, the purpose of which is to assess the person’s ability for him to be able to practice the psychotherapy profession in Malta as required by the Board under the provisions of this Act;

"adaptation period" means a period during which a person may exercise the profession of psychotherapy in Malta, under the supervision of a registered psychotherapy supervisor, which period may include the provision of such further training to such person, as may be required by the Board, at the end of which an ability test shall be held;

"aptitude test" means a test of the professional knowledge, skills and competences of the applicant, with the aim of assessing the ability of the applicant to pursue the psychotherapy profession;

"association of psychotherapists" means an association of ten (10) or more registered psychotherapists who shall not practise the profession of psychotherapy in their capacity as members of the association;

"the Board" means the Board of the Psychotherapy Profession in Malta established by article 4;

"ECTS" means European Credit Transfer System;

"higher education institution" shall have the same meaning as assigned to it by article 2 of the Mutual Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications in the European Region Regulations;

"higher education qualification" shall have the same meaning as assigned to it by article 2 of the Mutual Recognition of Higher

Education Qualifications in the European Region Regulations; "legal person" means a company, firm or partnership constituted under civil or commercial law, including a cooperative society, and any other legal persons governed by public or private law, except for not for profit organisations, formed in accordance with the law of a Member State and having their registered office, central administration or principal place of business within the European Union;

"migrant" shall have the same meaning as assigned to it by article 2

of the Recognition of Professional Qualifications Regulations;

"Minister" means the Minister responsible for the psychotherapy profession;

"National Umbrella Organisation" means an organisation of psychotherapists having the largest membership and reflecting the broadest range of psychotherapeutic approaches;

"practical training" means training of not less than six hundred

(600) hours consisting of personal psychotherapeutic experience and practical training under continuous supervision in a mental health or psycho-social facility or in both;

"practice" in relation to the psychotherapy profession, means:

(a) exercising or practising the profession of psychotherapy against remuneration, whether through a legal person or otherwise; and

(b) the right to use, in the course of such pursuit, the professional title ''Registered Psychotherapist'', followed by the modality studied, by a person having in his possession a warrant to practise the psychotherapy profession;

"prescribed" means prescribed by means of regulations made by the Minister under this Act;

"profession" unless otherwise indicated, means the psychotherapy profession;

"professional qualifications" shall have the same meaning as assigned to it by article 2 of the Recognition of Professional Qualifications Regulations;

''psychotherapy'' means the comprehensive, deliberate, and planned treatment, or therapeutic intervention, given on the basis of general and special psychosocial, psychosomatic and behavioural disturbances, or states of suffering, training, by means of scientific psychotherapeutic methods, through an interaction between one or more persons being treated, and one or more psychotherapists, with the aim of relieving disturbing attitudes that lead to change, and to promote the maturation, development and health of the treated person; "registered psychotherapist" means a person who is in possession of warrant to practice the profession of psychotherapy and is registered in the official register of warranted psychotherapists kept by the Board;

"theoretical training'" means training of not less than eight hundred

(800) hours for a continuous period of not less than four (4) years consisting of training in basic principles of psychotherapy and personality theories; basic methodological principles of research and science; ethical practice and the relevant social and legal framework; theories of personality development and pathology; and psychotherapeutic methods and techniques;

"training in a specific psychotherapeutic modality" means training, which consists of theoretical and practical training, in a psychoterapeutic modality, which may be in one of the following:

(a) psychoanalytic/ psychodynamic;

(b) cognitive/behavioural psychotherapy;

(c) systemic/ family psychotherapy;

(d) humanistic psychotherapy;

(e) hypno-psychotherapy;

(f) integrative psychotherapy;

"warrant" means a warrant issued under article 3.