Motion to dismiss psychotherapy consultant. Dr. Müldner-Nieckowski denies allegations
- The Sejm is working on a bill on the profession of psychotherapist
- The community is divided on the issue of regulating the profession
- Several industry organizations have submitted a joint request to the Minister of Health, Jolanta Sobierańska-Grenda, to dismiss the national consultant for psychotherapy, Dr. Łukasz Müldner-Nieckowski.
- In a letter to the ministry, they presented a list of their allegations, including a possible conflict of interest.
- Dr Łukasz Müldner-Nieckowski does not agree with the allegations made by the signatories of the application to the Ministry of Health.
- "I'm looking forward to meeting with the new ministry leadership and I hope this appeal will speed up our meeting. We have a lot to talk about," he says.
- He emphasizes that he wants to integrate the community and adopt the law on the profession of psychotherapist.
Several industry organizations – the Polish Society for Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy, the Polish Psychological Association, the Polish Society for Behavioral Psychology, the Polish Society for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy (EBP), the Polish Professional Association of Psychologists, and the Polish DBT Society – have submitted a joint request to the Minister of Health, Jolanta Sobierańska-Grenda, to dismiss the national consultant for psychotherapy, Dr. Łukasz Müldner-Nieckowski.
In a letter to the ministry, they presented a list of their accusations against the consultant, including failure to meet statutory obligations, in particular the delay in preparing and approving the psychotherapy specialization.
They noted, among other things, that although 15 months have passed since Dr. Müldner-Nieckowski's appointment, a specialization in psychotherapy has not yet been prepared and approved. Consequently, this prevents the launch of the specialization and the admission of several thousand eligible individuals to the state specialization examination.
The signatories also commented on the consultant's media statements, noting his assertion that therapeutic activity "is not always medical in nature." According to the authors of the motions, this contradicts the definitions in force in Polish law and recognized international standards.
"This type of position undermines the process of integrating psychotherapy with the healthcare system and is contrary to the goals of the state's health policy," they wrote.
They also pointed out that despite the obligation to exclude himself from the activities and actions specified in the Act on Consultants in Health Care, Dr. Müldner-Nieckowski chairs the work of an informal body, the working group for the Act on the Psychotherapist Profession.
"Lobbying for these solutions clearly affects the rights and obligations of the consultant, which is contrary to the letter of the law," they stated.
They also accused the consultant of taking actions that polarized the psychotherapist community and limited the space for dialogue.
Dr Łukasz Müldner-Nieckowski does not agree with the allegations made by the signatories of the application to the Ministry of Health.
"I'm looking forward to meeting with the new ministry leadership and I hope this appeal will expedite our meeting. We have a lot to discuss at the ministry, as a lot has happened in recent months in the work on the specialization and regulations governing the psychotherapist profession," the consultant told PAP.
He explained that work on the specialization program lasted several months because it was created from scratch.
"The program is ready, currently being technically developed at the Center for Postgraduate Medical Education. The issues surrounding the introduction of specializations have been determined, and we know what we want to do in this area," he announced.
He added that the specialization program is to be approved by the end of October, and the first recruitment for the specialization is to be possible in the spring, with the first training courses starting in 2027.
Dr. Müldner-Nieckowski also responded to the accusation that he separates psychotherapy from health care and says that the therapist's actions are not always of a medical nature.
"It's the opposite. I advocated for the act on the psychotherapist profession to be governed by the Ministry of Health, not the Ministry of Labor, even though the previous decision on this matter was defensible. My intention is that all individuals using psychotherapy, not just those with indications for therapy due to diagnosed disorders, should be afforded the same protection as all patients. Unfortunately, this is not the case today, and I am working to change this," he noted.
This mainly concerns people who use therapy privately (approximately 80% of therapies).
He also stressed that he was keen to integrate the community of psychotherapists and adopt the act on the profession of psychotherapist.
The Polish Press Agency (PAP) has asked the Ministry of Health to respond to the request to dismiss the consultant. As of the time of dispatch, we have not received a response.
In February of this year, a private members' bill on the psychotherapy profession was submitted to the Sejm. It was jointly presented by 120 MPs from the Civic Coalition, the Left, the Polish People's Party-TD, and Poland 2050-TD. Representatives of the Polish psychotherapy community worked on the bill's content.
The bill calls for, among other things, the creation of a central register of psychotherapists, professional secrecy, and disciplinary liability. It also stipulates that anyone wishing to practice psychotherapy will not be required to have a medical or psychological education. 1,200 hours of training would be sufficient to practice.
7,575 participants participated in the public consultation, and over 30,000 comments were submitted. The following organizations voted to reject the bill: the OZZL Residents' Agreement, the Supreme Council of Nurses and Midwives, and the Supreme Medical Chamber. According to the medical self-government, it fails to guarantee patient safety and quality standards.
The bill is currently in the parliamentary standing subcommittee on mental health.
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