You can access the online Register of psychotherapists from this site by clicking on Public Register from the homepage of the website.

The public register shows the registration and practising status of a psychotherapist. There are two lists of practitioners available; those registered and holding a practising certificate and those registered but holding a 'non-practising' status.

If you have trouble locating a psychotherapist using the online Register, please contact the Board's Registrar on 04 918 4727.

All the information that the Board is able to give out about a psychotherapist is shown in the Public Register.

The online Register is updated regularly.

To practise in New Zealand all psychotherapists need to be registered and also hold an APC.

Practitioners must not claim to be practising as psychotherapists or do anything to suggest that they are practising as a psychotherapist unless they hold a current practising certificate issued by the Psychotherapists Board of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Practising certificates should be displayed in a prominent position.

If a psychotherapist can't show you their practising certificate and you can't find their information using the online Public Register of Psychotherapists, we recommend that you:

• Go to a different psychotherapist; and
  
• Notify the Board

Psychotherapists are required to demonstrate their 'fitness for registration' before beginning practice in New Zealand. In this context, fitness for registration includes:

• Ability to communicate effectively
  
• Ability to speak and understand English
  
• Clean disciplinary record
  
• No serious criminal convictions
  
• No physical or mental impairment

Once a psychotherapist is registered, if it comes to the attention of the Board that a practitioner has a problem in one or more of the above categories, the Board may take action to protect the health and safety of the public.

Such actions may include; placing conditions on the practitioner's scope of practice, requiring the practitioner to undergo a competence review or health assessment, or suspending the practitioner.