Psychotherapist CE Requirements in Austria
This page summarizes the current CE requirements for the Psychotherapist (Psychotherapeut/in) license in Austria — renewal model, mandated topics, live/interactive rules, and home-study limits — with links to the official regulator.
Psychotherapist
- General continuing education (Fortbildung): regular attendance at domestic or foreign CPD events on current developments in psychotherapy science and other relevant sciences, plus supervision or intervision — 6 hStatutory minimum is 6 ECTS credit points per rolling 5-year period (PThG 2024 Section 41(2)). 1 ECTS = approx. 25 hours of learning workload, so approx. 150 hours over 5 years.
- Accompanying supervision during the first 5 years after entry in the Berufsliste — 2 hPThG 2024 Section 41(3): at least 2 ECTS of supervision within the first five years after registration (counts toward the 6 ECTS). Applies only to newly registered practitioners.
- Ethics in psychotherapy, legal framework and didactics (only for those teaching in the third training phase) — 1 hPThG 2024 Section 41(4): teachers must complete at least 1 ECTS on these topics per 5 years. Conditional requirement.
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How many CE hours does a Psychotherapist need in Austria?
A Psychotherapist must complete 6 CE / continuing-education hours every 5 years in Austria. That total includes 1 hour of ethics.
Are there required CE topics for Psychotherapist in Austria?
Yes. Austria requires the following CE topics for Psychotherapist: General continuing education (Fortbildung): regular attendance at domestic or foreign CPD events on current developments in psychotherapy science and other relevant sciences, plus supervision or intervision (6 h); Accompanying supervision during the first 5 years after entry in the Berufsliste (2 h); Ethics in psychotherapy, legal framework and didactics (only for those teaching in the third training phase) (1 h).
Can Psychotherapist CE be completed online in Austria?
Generally yes — Austria does not require live or interactive hours for Psychotherapist, so approved online / home-study CE can typically satisfy the requirement. Home-study note: Not capped by statute; domestic or foreign CPD events and (per Section 39) online-psychotherapy-related training may count. Up to 2 ECTS per 5-year period may be met by relevant CPD completed under other health-profession laws (Aerzte-, GuK-, MTD-, Musiktherapie- and Psychologengesetz 2013)..
What else should Psychotherapist renewals know in Austria?
Psychotherapy is a federally regulated health profession. Under the Psychotherapiegesetz 2024 (PThG 2024, BGBl. I Nr. 49/2024), which replaced the Psychotherapiegesetz 1990 (professional-duty provisions in force from 1 Jan 2025), practitioners entered in the federal Berufsliste (Psychotherapie) have a continuous statutory Fortbildungspflicht (Section 41): at least 6 ECTS credit points of continuing education/supervision within each 5-year period (approx. 150 hours of workload). Newly registered practitioners must include at least 2 ECTS of supervision in their first 5 years. There is no periodic license renewal tied to CPD submission; instead completed CPD must be evidenced to the Federal Minister for Health on request via a prescribed form. Professional associations (e.g. OeBVP) may award a quality seal (Guetesiegel) to CPD events but are not the statutory regulator. Measurement unit note: the statute expresses the CPD duty in ECTS credit points, not the 45-minute 'Einheit' used for training.