Criteria for Full Individual Membership

EABP Full Membership signifies accreditation as a Certified Body Psychotherapist. The criteria that have to be fulfilled for the EABP Full Membership include pre-education, quality and quantity of training, personal psychotherapy, supervision and professional practice.

Pre-education

The applicant’s pre-education should be either a university degree or relevant level of professional education in the field of humanities.

Relevant life experience or professional experience in other fields can be acknowledged as an equivalent. The description of pre-education should be included in the curriculum vitae as a part of the applicant’s documentation.

Training

Training should be completed at an established training institute accredited by The FORUM of Body-Psychotherapy Organisations. Training at other body psychotherapy training institutes will also be acknowledged as long as these institutes are well-known to EABP or the applicant can supply convincing description, documentation (curriculum details) and recommendations concerning these training institutes.

The required amount of training includes at least 600 hours of professional training as a psychotherapist over a period of at least four years, of which at least 400 hours in a recognized body psychotherapy modality.

If these criteria have not been sufficiently fulfilled, other documented forms of training and education that demonstrate the effort made for professional development can be acknowledged as an equivalent.

Personal Psychotherapy

A minimum of 250 hours of on-going individual or group body psychotherapy is required. At least 100 hours should be individual one-to-one sessions; ideally the therapist should not be the trainer. Individual and group sessions are both counted as one hour. If these criteria have not been sufficiently fulfilled, documented psychotherapy in other methods can be acknowledged as an equivalent.

Supervision

A minimum of 150 hours of professional supervision by a body psychotherapist in either an individual or group context is required. Individual and group sessions are both counted as one hour. If these criteria have not been sufficiently fulfilled, documented supervision in other psychotherapy approaches can be acknowledged as an equivalent. A minimum of 100 supervision hours should be within Body Psychotherapy.

Professional Practice

A minimum of 400 hours of professional practice as a body psychotherapist over a period of at least two years is required. If these criteria have not been sufficiently fulfilled, other professional experience in connected fields can be acknowledged as an equivalent on presentation of appropriate documentation.

The required hours of personal psychotherapy, supervision and professional practice may have been integrated in parts of the training program or may have been fulfilled outside, before or after the training.

Further requirements

Letters of recommendation from two EABP members.

Graduates of accredited FORUM Training Institutes may automatically become full members of the EABP on applying to the National Association if there is one in their country, or directly to the EABP. They must provide the following documentation:

  • FORUM Training Institute Certificate and one letter from the Training Institute confirming the certification and the professional practice
  • Documentation of Professional Practice after training: A minimum of 400 hours of supervised professional practice as a body-psychotherapist over a period of at least two years is required.
  • An up-to date curriculum vitae.

Extra conditions in some countries

”The EABP Full Membership Criteria specify ONLY the level of training that practitioners must have completed in order to be practising Body Psychotherapy in a safe and appropriate manner.
Some European countries require additional conditions to be met for therapists to be legally recognised as Body Psychotherapists and be allowed to practice as such. In these cases it is the law of the country that takes precedence, and we cannot therefore guarantee that all Full EABP Members on this Website are legally recognised Body Psychotherapists in their own country.

Please check the EAP website for details of how this applies in many European countries.