The European Association for Psychotherapy (EAP) is a non-profit civil society organisation and competent authority founded on 30th June 1991 in Vienna, Austria, on the basis of the “Strasbourg Declaration of Psychotherapy 1990”. The EAP is an umbrella organisation for some 460 European psychotherapy organizations (including 33 national associations, 18 European associations and some 80 EAP accredited training institutes) from 43 countries. The EAP represents some 200,000 psychotherapists, either directly or indirectly, and has sponsored much of the European effort toward the professionalisation of psychotherapy and the formation of pan-European training standards, ethics and guidelines. The EAP pursues the following aims:

  • The EAP will seek to promote for the benefit of the public the relief of involuntary emotional suffering, the prevention of mental illness and disorder and the improvement of quality of life and well-being.
  • The EAP is a professional body that aims to promote high standards of ethics, training and education for the benefit of the general public.
  • The EAP endeavours to influence the development and regulation of psychotherapy standards in European countries and the European Union and to make available information and documentation to political organisations and Government Departments.
  • For the benefit of the general public, the EAP establishes a European Certificate of Psychotherapy “The European Certificate of Psychotherapy” (ECP) and issues it to properly qualified psychotherapists throughout Europe. The EAP also establishes a European Register of ECP holders (ECP-R) and ensures that the high quality of the ECP is maintained. The EAP establishes a European Certificate of Psychotherapy Document (ECP Document) to provide guidelines for the procedures and criteria of training and qualifications.
  • The EAP also publishes ‘A Statement of Ethical Principles’ and requires that all ECP holders, Member Organisations and Individuals conform to this.
  • The EAP promotes collaboration and exchange of ideas among the different psychotherapy organisations, encourages contact with related services, and supports practical and relevant research.