Czech Republic

In the Czech Republic, psychology has a long history and so there is also the potential for further growth of the counselling sector in the country (cf. Simons/Durcikova 2013, p. 164). Moreover, counselling is the second largest department of the Czech Moravian Psychological Society (cf. ibid., p. 164). The number of counselling services in the Czech Republic always seems to continue to increase. However, laws and regulations still need to be passed to support the current movements (cf. Simons/Durcikova 2013, p. 170). These include, for example, the provision of more services by counsellors and psychologists at schools, better coordination and establishment of psychological counselling centers at universities, and greater attention to the cultural differences of the population in counselling settings, taking into account the rising problem of alcoholism (cf. ibid. p. 170). Furthermore, the example of non-Czech counsellors (for example, from the other European countries) can be used to show the Czech people that adding and expanding training programs for counsellors can be beneficial (cf. Simons/Hutchison/Baštecká 2012, p. 236). The counsellors* in other countries, where counselling already exists as an independent profession, can help to establish the counselling profession in the Czech Republic as well (cf. ibid., p. 236). In addition, they can help answer important questions such as whether there are fundamental differences between psychology and counselling, which educational approaches best serve Czech society, what standards of competence should be established, and finally, what counselling practices are most useful for people living in the Czech Republic (cf. ibid., p. 236). Answering these questions would significantly advance the development of the profession.