Kuwait has introduced new regulations governing psychotherapy, banning a wide range of practices that authorities say are not supported by established scientific evidence.
Ministerial Decision No. 225 of 2026 sets out licensing requirements for psychotherapy practitioners in both the public and private sectors while introducing additional safeguards for patients.
Under the new rules, practitioners are prohibited from providing or promoting treatments without a proven scientific basis. The banned practices include Reiki, energy and spiritual healing, pranic healing, astral projection, cosmic healing, “star seeds,” crystal and stone therapy, law-of-attraction treatments, chakra and aura practices, and so-called false hypnosis.
The regulations also prohibit neurolinguistic programming, pseudo therapies, unsupported therapeutic claims, color therapy, sound-vibration treatments and forms of psychological relaxation or mental guidance that lack a scientific basis.
Life coaching and self-development services can only be offered within an approved professional licensing framework.
The decision also establishes professional titles including senior psychotherapist, psychotherapist and psychologist, alongside separate categories for applied behavior analysts.
Applicants must hold recognized academic qualifications, obtain equivalency for foreign degrees, complete in-person academic study and undergo supervised clinical training. They must also document a required number of face-to-face therapy sessions at licensed healthcare facilities before receiving a professional license.
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