At the plenary session of the Senate on September 20, the law on “Providing Psychological Assistance to the Population” was approved.
In Uzbekistan today, the activity of providing psychological assistance in a private order through counseling in the field of psychology, conducting training, seminars in both online and offline formats is widespread. The law defines the main principles, tasks, types, forms, and standards of providing psychological assistance to the population.
The law stipulates that the standards for providing psychological assistance should be developed and approved by the Ministry of Health and that the head of the legal entity engaged in the activity of providing psychological assistance must have a higher education in the field of psychology.
Identifying the rights and obligations of participants in the field of psychological assistance, clarifying the categories of persons to whom free psychological assistance is provided, creating legal grounds for the activities of professional associations in the field of psychological assistance to the population are envisaged.
Also, individuals with higher education in fields other than psychology are required to undergo retraining for the psychology specialty before engaging in the activity of providing psychological assistance in a private order.
Permission to engage in the activity of providing psychological assistance in a private order is granted to psychologists who have been issued a qualification certificate by the professional association in the field of psychological assistance in accordance with the established procedure.
Additional norms are being integrated into the Administrative Liability Code, which envisages liability for providing psychological assistance by a person not authorized to do so or for non-compliance with the restrictions established by the legislation on providing psychological assistance to the population.
As noted in the plenary session, the adoption of this law will serve to create legal grounds for providing psychological assistance to the population, to meet the citizens' needs for psychological help, and to ensure the legal practice of psychologists working privately.
