- Статьи
- Society
- Psychologist by name: 300 thousand such specialists do not have the necessary education
Psychologist by name: 300 thousand such specialists do not have the necessary education
More than 300,000 people in Russia are undergoing psychological counseling without having a specialized education, Viktor Makarov, Vice President of the World Council on Psychotherapy, said at a meeting of the Presidential Human Rights Council on June 8. Most of these "experts" have completed only two-week courses in psychology, many had previously studied esotericism or folk healing. Unqualified psychologists can cause serious harm to clients, but there is currently no special responsibility for providing psychological assistance without specialized education, experts explained. About how to solve the problem and what else pseudopsychologists are dangerous, see the Izvestia article.
How many pseudo-psychologists are there in Russia
Currently, there are about 100 thousand qualified psychologists working in the private sector in Russia, and in 2027-2028 their number will grow to 140-150 thousand. But at the same time, there are more than 300,000 unqualified psychologists who do not belong to professional communities and advise people, often without specialized education.
These figures were cited by Viktor Makarov, President of the All-Russian Professional Psychotherapeutic League and Vice-President of the World Council for Psychotherapy, speaking at a meeting of the HRC's core working group on June 8.
— We mildly call such specialists non-aligned. In order for a psychologist to be accepted into the professional community, he must have a specialized education, he must undergo personal therapy and supervision. But they (pseudo-psychologists. — Ed.) most often there is no education. Most of them are former esotericists or healers who considered themselves to be folk medicine. They cast a shadow on our professional community," Makarov said.
Pseudopsychologists and unqualified specialists are capable of harming citizens, said Sergei Leonov, chairman of the State Duma Committee on Health Protection.
— Since competent specialists are now in short supply, many decide to take two—week courses and consider themselves accomplished psychologists, — said the deputy. — They do not recognize psychiatric pathology in clients, which can end badly.
In 2025, more than 40% of Russians turned to psychologists at least once, Yana Lantratova, the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, cited statistics.
— There are now a huge number of bloggers who offer psychological services on the Internet. There are professionals among them, but there are a lot of scammers," she said. — I am approached by families who began to break up after going to pseudo-psychologists. This is a serious problem, and it is important that consultations should be conducted only by a person with a state-issued higher education diploma.
In the first four months of 2026, more than 1 million Russians turned to medical psychologists, said Rafael Shavaliev, director of the Department of Medical Care for Children, Maternity and Public Health Services of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.
"Psychological help is available in all regions of the country today," he said. — We have a draft law on the regulation of psychological activity in the works. We have come a long way conceptually and expect it to be discussed in the first reading.
Why regulation is needed
The qualification requirements for psychologists are set out in the professional standards "Psychologist in the social sphere" and "Psychologist in professional activity", approved by the Ministry of Labor in 2023. To work as a psychologist, you need a specialized higher education or professional retraining in your specialty, Ekaterina Baturina, a lawyer and medical lawyer, told Izvestia. Short-term courses are not enough for this.
According to her, there is currently no special responsibility for providing psychological counseling without specialized education.
— There are a number of legislative initiatives, but, in fact, nothing has been adopted yet, — she explained. — Such "specialists" are responsible for their work within the framework of labor legislation or within the framework of civil law relations, if there are no signs of fraud.
At the same time, education is necessary precisely for official employment as a psychologist, said Alexey Goryainov, a medical lawyer.
— If a person does not officially hold the position of a psychologist and provides information and consulting services, for example, as a private individual, there is no direct ban on such activities now, - he noted. — There are also no educational requirements for consultants. That is why there are a large number of business coaches, coaches and others who have completed short-term courses on the market.
Nevertheless, psychological health is protected by the law "On the Basics of Public Health Protection," Ekaterina Baturina added.
— Poor education is poor—quality care in 80% of cases, which is confirmed in practice. A layman does not see the essence of the problem, approaches its solution formally, according to a template, he lacks thinking," she explained.
The market is not strictly regulated, medical lawyer Ivan Pechey confirmed to Izvestia. However, in his opinion, it is not worth introducing additional restrictions.
— In the conditions of modern technologies, any consumer can independently choose the specialist he likes and start working with him. This is not medicine," Ivan Pechey emphasized.
According to Alexey Goryainov, it is important to maintain a balance: to protect citizens from unscrupulous coaches, without creating unnecessary restrictions for the consulting services market. He noted that not all the help provided by consultants belongs to the field of professional psychology. In addition, in case of tightening, it is necessary to introduce a transition period so that specialists can prepare for new requirements.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
