Psychotherapy is effective and beneficial, and its use in the protection and prevention of health significantly reduces economic and social costs related to mental health problems, for example by decreasing the number of medical visits, rehabilitation services, disability benefits, and the costs borne by families and the wider community (more information can be found in the publication “Psychotherapy – Vademecum”).

It should be noted that a person qualified to provide psychotherapy is one who holds a document called a psychotherapist certificate, issued by a professional association of psychotherapists after passing a certification examination. Psychotherapy may also be provided by a psychotherapist in the process of certification or during postgraduate specialist training in psychotherapy of at least 1,200 hours, for example in centers accredited or recommended by members of the Polish Psychotherapy Council. In the “Register of Psychotherapists” section, a list of associations authorized to issue psychotherapist certificates is available.

Postgraduate training in psychotherapy is a specialist form of education, separate from specialization in clinical psychology or psychiatry. The main therapeutic approaches in which psychotherapists are currently trained and practice include: psychoanalytic/psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, humanistic-experiential, systemic, and integrative approaches. These are evidence-based approaches supported by scientific research.