October 2026-academization of psychotherapy training in Austria

According to the Psychotherapy Act 2024, a new psychotherapy training program will start in Austria in October 2026. This is a paradigm shift towards the academization of psychotherapy training. The new psychotherapy training program consists of three phases: various qualifications as the first training phase, a new master's program in psychotherapy at universities as the second training phase (500 study places at public universities across Austria will be funded annually by the government), and a postgraduate third training phase in one of the accredited psychotherapeutic methods or clusters at a licensed psychotherapeutic professional association. The new psychotherapy training program could reduce financial costs for trainees compared to the old psychotherapy training system in Austria. Moreover, the new master's program in psychotherapy may lead to more professorships and academic staff for psychotherapy at universities and university outpatient psychotherapy clinics. This could boost psychotherapy research in Austria with international visibility. Despite these opportunities, there remain challenges to be addressed in the future. This perspective describes the new psychotherapy training program in Austria and discusses its opportunities and problems.