Regulatory landscapes of five mental health professions in Europe - a descriptive study based on the insights from the European Commission database

In European countries, the reform and transformation of mental health services towards a community-based service system is at different stages. It is evident that professionals working in this field have a pivotal role to play in this development. However, there is a paucity of information regarding these professionals, which makes it difficult to support and monitor the change from the perspective of the workforce. The aim of this study was to fulfil this knowledge gap by describing the currently available information on the regulation, the qualification and education levels, duration of education, and description of activities of the five mental health professions in Europe. The included professions were psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric and mental health nurses, social workers, and occupational therapists. Data was collected from the European Commission’s open database of regulated professions at the end of 2024 and analyzed using descriptive analysis methods. The results of this study demonstrate significant diversity across Europe among the five professions. This includes differences in regulatory practices and education, as well as differences in the description of activities for each profession. As a conclusion development of regulative practices is suggested as one solution to ensure the competence of the workforce and further the quality of mental health care. The results of this descriptive study highlight the need for further research into professional competency equivalence and professional development requirements, in order to support the transformation of mental health services in Europe.