Review and farewell speech of the outgoing president of PAP, Photini Demetriou-Ipsmiller

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the Annual General Assembly of the Pancyprian Association for Psychotherapists.

Each General Assembly is an important milestone for our Association. It is a day when we evaluate our progress, reaffirm our principles and set our priorities for the day ahead.

The fact that we are all here today sends a strong message: that mental health is a key pillar of a modern society.

The Pancyprian Association for Psychotherapists is the foundation of this pillar. With consistency, with scientific responsibility, with professional ethics and with a clear vision: that psychotherapy be practiced with quality, safety and respect for every person.

It is therefore our honor that you are here today and we thank you.

In 2025, our Association took substantial and targeted steps to promote its most basic goal: the consolidation of psychotherapy in Cyprus.

In this effort, we placed particular emphasis not only on our positions and proposals, but also on the creation of cooperative relationships. Because, as in the therapeutic process, so in every collective effort, cooperation constitutes a living and unique space in which progress, change and development can occur - and for this reason it requires responsibility and consistency.

Through cooperation, a common space is formed, where we coexist, exchange views and formulate solutions. This space is gradually built on trust and mutual respect.

In this context, the meeting we had with the Ministry of Health, as well as the documents we have submitted before it with our positions, constitute - we hope - the first, solid foundations of a substantial cooperation.

A collaboration that is important to continue in the future.

Mental health is a key pillar of a healthy and functional society. Its protection is therefore a matter of public health and an act of social responsibility and solidarity.

Allow me here a brief conceptual reference, which is at the core of psychotherapy: the therapeutic process is not just a conversation. It is a relationship that develops in a particularly sensitive “space between” the patient and the therapist. A space of trust and vulnerability. Precisely for this reason, this space cannot remain institutionally unprotected.

Today, the absence of a comprehensive legislative framework creates serious gaps. Gaps that not only affect the credibility of the sector, but also put the very citizens who seek psychological support at direct risk. The lack of clear regulations and control mechanisms leaves room for arbitrariness and undermines public trust. And when trust is shaken, many people are discouraged from seeking the help they really need.

Just as the state regulates medical practice, education and work, so it must proceed with the regulation of psychotherapy. Not to control the therapeutic relationship, but to shield and protect it.

In this context, the Pancyprian Association for Psychotherapists asks the state to institutionalize and protect the field of psychotherapy. We demand clear and binding frameworks of education, supervision and accountability, which ensure the safety of vulnerable people.

We seek to formulate modern and effective legislation that ensures that only qualified professionals can practice psychotherapy, that professional titles are protected and that there are clear procedures for filing complaints.

The state must protect its citizens. The Ministry of Health has a decisive role and responsibility to prioritize this issue and lead an organized effort to secure and regulate the profession.

This effort will not start from scratch. The example and experience of other European countries – such as Austria, Germany, France, Sweden and Finland – shows that the regulation of psychotherapy is feasible and effective and ultimately necessary on a social as well as an economic level. Cyprus can and must utilize these good practices, adapting them to its own needs and specificities.

Our Association clearly emphasizes that the institutionalization of psychotherapy is not a matter of professional interest. It is a matter of democratic principles, social responsibility and solidarity. And this goal cannot be achieved by one body alone. It requires cooperation, sincere dialogue and shared commitment. It is the responsibility of all of us - the state, our Association, professionals in the field, but also society itself.

In this spirit, we want to assure the Ministry of Health, as well as all competent and involved bodies, that we are ready to cooperate substantially and to actively participate in the process of shaping policies and decision-making.

The European Association of Psychotherapy, which we represent in Cyprus, is watching with particular interest the developments in our country. Together with them, we put at your disposal our scientific knowledge and our many years of professional experience, with the aim of recognizing and regulating psychotherapy, in harmony with European quality standards.

Precisely because, today, it is not enough to simply recognize the problem, the Pancyprian Association for Psychotherapists, addresses an open call to all of you present here - mental health professionals, educators, academics, institutional representatives and active citizens - to shape together / collectively the framework that will contribute to the protection and improvement of the mental health sector in Cyprus.

Let us turn today's General Assembly into a starting point for cooperation and action. Let us work collectively to create a common ground of principles and conditions and a modern, clear and humane framework that effectively protects mental health and the therapeutic space.

Before closing, I would like to mention two individuals who have left an indelible mark on the course of our Association: Takis Evdokas and Sotos Michael.

In the photo you see behind me, they are depicted at the first General Assembly of the Pancyprian Association for Psychotherapists, in 2014. It is an image that does not simply capture a moment in time, but the beginning of a vision.

I feel the special need to thank them for the courage to envision and lay the foundations for the Association that is the voice of psychotherapists in Cyprus. The Pancyprian Association for Psychotherapists will always remember and honor them.

I would also like to warmly thank Irene Evdoka, wife and beloved companion of Takis, and Emma Michael, one of the two wonderful daughters of Sotos Michael, who are honoring us today with their presence.

Finally, on the occasion of the completion of my term as President of the Pancyprian Association for Psychotherapists, I would like to express my sincere thanks to the founding members of the Association, many of whom are still fellow travelers and are here with us.

A special thank you to all the members of the Board of Directors, to our associates and to all those who stood by the Association with trust, consistency and a common vision.

Thank you very much for your presence today and for your participation in this important moment for our Association.