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Psychologists Law, 5737-1977

חוק הפסיכולוגים, תשל"ז-1977

Published: 1977-03-29Consolidated Hebrew text as of 2025-04-06 · Last amended 2025-04-03✓ Amendment status checked against the Knesset legislation record on 2026-09-29
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Unofficial English translation — for reference only. It may contain errors or omissions and cannot be relied on as a legal text. Only the Hebrew text published in Reshumot is legally binding.More

This English text was translated from the official Hebrew using a range of translation tools, and it undergoes ongoing checks and updates. It is not a certified translation.

Despite these checks, it may contain errors, omissions, or imprecise renderings of legal terminology and cross-references, and it may not yet reflect the latest amendments. It cannot be relied upon as a legal text.

The Hebrew text as published in Reshumot (ספר החוקים) and on the Knesset website is the sole authoritative and legally binding version. In any discrepancy, the Hebrew text prevails.

This translation is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For use in legal proceedings, request a certified Expert Legal Opinion.

Chapter IV: Disqualification on Health Grounds

Medical Committee§

20.
(a)For the purpose of examining the medical fitness of an applicant for registration or of a person practising psychology, the Director shall appoint, either generally or for a particular case, a medical committee of three members, namely: two specialist physicians as defined in the Physicians Ordinance [New Version], 5737-1976, and a specialist psychologist.
(b)The committee shall submit its findings and reasoned conclusions to the Registration Committee.

Medical Examination of an Applicant for Registration§

21.

Where the Registration Committee has reasonable apprehension that an applicant for registration in the Register has an impaired capacity, including by reason of illness, which may, in the circumstances of the matter, deprive him, wholly, temporarily or partially, of the ability to practise psychology, or which may, in the circumstances of the matter, harm the health of persons in his care, it may require the applicant to appear before the medical committee for examination.

Prevention of Registration§

22.

If the applicant refuses to comply with the requirement of the Registration Committee, the committee shall not register him in the Register for as long as he has not appeared and been examined.

Medical Examination of a Person Practising Psychology§

23.
(a)Where the Registration Committee finds that a person practising psychology has an impaired capacity within the meaning of section 21, it may require him to appear before a medical committee for examination, at the time and place it shall determine.
(b)(Repealed)

Exemption from Duty to Appear§

24.

A person required to appear before a medical committee is exempt from the duty to appear if he applies for the deletion of his name from the Register, or returns the permit, or ceases his professional practice, in whole or in part, permanently or temporarily, to the satisfaction of the Registration Committee.

Suspension of Registration§

25.

Where a psychologist who has been required to appear before a medical committee fails to appear at the time and place determined, the Registration Committee may suspend his registration in the Register until he has been examined; and it may publish such suspension in any manner it deems fit.

Receipt of Evidence§

26.
(a)Where the Registration Committee has grounds to presume that information capable of attesting to the state of health of a person practising psychology or of an applicant for registration is held by a medical institution or a physician who treated him, or that a document capable of so attesting is held by a particular person, it may, before deciding to require him to appear before a medical committee, require the holder of the information or document to deliver it to the committee, and the person so required is obliged to do so.
(b)Information or a document referred to in subsection (a) shall not be required except to the extent necessary for the purpose of the matter.

Suspension§

27.
(a)Where the Registration Committee is satisfied that an impaired capacity of a person practising psychology, including by reason of illness, gives rise to imminent danger such that it is not possible to wait for the conclusion of the proceedings before the medical committee, it may suspend him until the final decision under section 29, but for no more than three months, provided that it refers the matter to the medical committee for its attention promptly upon making its decision.
(b)If the medical committee has not concluded the proceedings by the end of the suspension period, the Registration Committee may, with the consent of the medical committee, suspend him for a further three months.
(c)If the proceedings have not been concluded by the end of the second period referred to above, the Registration Committee may, with the consent of the medical committee and if the urgency of the suspension persists, suspend him for a further three months.

Duty of Confidentiality§

28.

A person to whom information has come pursuant to this Chapter is obliged to keep it confidential and not to disclose it except to the extent necessary for the implementation of the provisions of this Chapter, or if authorised to do so by the court before which the need to disclose information has arisen, or by virtue of a duty to answer questions put to him by a person authorised to conduct an investigation into the commission of offences.

Decisions of the Registration Committee§

29.

Where the medical committee has determined that a person practising psychology or an applicant for registration has an impaired capacity within the meaning of section 21 by reason of which he is not fit to practise psychology, wholly or temporarily, or by reason of which he is fit to practise psychology subject to certain restrictions or conditions, the Registration Committee shall refuse to register him in the Register, or shall delete his name from the Register, or shall prohibit or restrict his practice, in accordance with the recommendations of the medical committee.

30.§

(Repealed — תשס״ה־2)

Application to a Graduate§

31.

The powers and functions vested in the Registration Committee under this Chapter shall, in relation to a graduate under section 2(b), be vested in the Director.

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Chapter V: Disciplinary Adjudication

Application§

32.

In this Chapter, "psychologist" includes a "graduate" under section 2(b).

Disciplinary Offences§

33.

A psychologist is guilty of a disciplinary offence if he does any of the following:

(1)conducted himself in a manner unbecoming the profession of psychologist;
(2)obtained his registration or his permit by misrepresentation;
(3)displayed inability, irresponsibility or gross negligence in the discharge of his duties as a psychologist;
(4)persistently contravened a provision of this Law or a regulation made thereunder;
(5)was convicted of an offence that is such as to show that he lacks the responsibility required for practising psychology.
(6)contravened a provision of the Patient Rights Law, 5756-1996.
(7)was invited to appear before the complaints committee or the disciplinary committee and, without reasonable justification, failed to appear.

Criminal and Disciplinary Adjudication§

34.

Conviction or acquittal in criminal proceedings does not prevent the prosecution of a psychologist for a disciplinary offence in respect of the same act or omission, and conviction or acquittal in proceedings under this Chapter does not prevent his prosecution in criminal proceedings.

Complaints Committee and Disciplinary Committee§

35.
(a)The Minister of Health shall appoint a complaints committee and a disciplinary committee, each consisting of three members and their alternates.
(b)The members of the complaints committee shall be –
(1)a psychologist representing the Council, whom it has proposed to the Minister at his request, and if it has not proposed one within sixty days of the request – a psychologist who appears suitable to the Minister of Health;
(2)a psychologist who is a State employee, and also an advocate who is a State employee and who may also serve as prosecutor before the disciplinary committee.
(c)The members of the disciplinary committee shall be –
(1)a member of the Bar with five years' seniority, proposed by the Minister of Justice, who shall be the chairperson of the committee;
(2)two psychologists with ten years' seniority appointed by the Minister of Health, one of them a psychologist in the State service and one from a list submitted to him by the Council, and if the Council has not submitted such a list within sixty days of the delivery of the request – a psychologist who appears suitable to the Minister of Health.
(d)The appointment of committee members and their alternates shall be published in Reshumot (Official Gazette) and shall be for five years, and they may be reappointed, provided that after two consecutive terms of appointment a member may not be appointed to one of the said committees for a further term for at least five years; the expiry of a term of appointment does not disqualify a committee member from completing a matter that he has begun to deliberate.

Independence§

36.

A member of the disciplinary committee is subject to no authority in matters of adjudication other than the authority of the law.

Investigation and Prosecution§

37.
(a)Where the complaints committee has reasonable suspicion that a psychologist has committed a disciplinary offence, it shall assign one or more of its members to investigate the matter, and shall decide, based on the results of the investigation, whether to bring the psychologist before the disciplinary committee.
(b)An investigator under subsection (a) shall have, for the purposes of this Law, the powers of a police inspector under section 2 of the Criminal Procedure (Testimony) Ordinance, and section 3 of that Ordinance shall apply to his investigations by virtue of those powers, with the necessary modifications.
(c)Where the psychologist's name has been deleted from the Register at his request or for any other reason, the complaints committee may continue to act under subsection (a), or may direct that the disciplinary proceedings be stayed or cancelled.

Suspension§

38.
(a)Where the complaints committee has reasonable suspicion that a psychologist has committed a disciplinary offence, or that criminal proceedings are being conducted against him in respect of an act or omission as described in section 33, and having regard to the cause and gravity of the disciplinary offence the committee considers it necessary to suspend the psychologist, it shall bring the matter before the Director, who may, if satisfied as to the necessity of the suspension, suspend him from his practice for a period not exceeding one month.
(b)The psychologist may appeal against the suspension and also against the decision of the Director under the provisions of section 39, within fifteen days of the date of delivery of notice thereof, before the District Court in whose jurisdiction the place of practice of the psychologist is situated.

Extension of Suspension§

39.

The Director may, upon the recommendation of the complaints committee and after hearing the psychologist, extend the period of suspension until the conclusion of the disciplinary proceedings or the criminal proceedings, once no further appeal lies against them.

Confidentiality of Proceedings§

40.

The disciplinary committee shall deliberate in camera.

Presence at Hearing§

41.
(a)A disciplinary hearing shall be conducted in the presence of the prosecutor and the accused; however, the Committee may conduct a hearing in the absence of the accused if the accused's defence counsel appears in his place, or if the accused is absent from a session without sufficient cause, even though he was warned that if he absents himself without sufficient cause the Committee is entitled to deliberate on the matter in his absence.
(b)The prosecutor at the disciplinary hearing shall be the legal adviser of the Ministry of Health, or an advocate who is a State employee whom the prosecutor has authorised for that purpose; the Attorney General or his representative may serve as prosecutor, if the Attorney General has so decided in accordance with the circumstances of the matter.

Law of Evidence§

42.

The Disciplinary Committee is not subject to the law of evidence except to the extent prescribed in this Law or in Regulations made by the Minister of Justice for this purpose.

Disciplinary Measures§

43.
(a)Where the Disciplinary Committee finds a psychologist guilty of a disciplinary offence, it shall take against him one or more of the following measures:
(1)a warning;
(2)a reprimand;
(3)a fine as referred to in section 61(a)(1) of the Penal Law, 5737-1977 (in this Law – the Penal Law);
(4)suspension of his registration in the Register for a fixed period not exceeding 5 years; where the Disciplinary Committee has decided on suspension of registration as aforesaid, it may, for reasons to be recorded in its decision, direct that the suspension shall apply only to part of the registration, and may also direct that the suspension, in whole or in part, shall be conditional for a period that it shall specify;
(5)erasure of his name from the Register.
(b)Where a psychologist's name has been erased from the Register under this section, his application for fresh registration shall not be considered until after the expiry of seven years from the date of the decision to that effect and after he has demonstrated the existence of special circumstances justifying the renewal of registration; fresh registration requires the approval of the Disciplinary Committee.
(c)Where a psychologist's name has been erased at his own request, the Disciplinary Committee may determine that the erasure shall be deemed to have been made under this section.
(d)In relation to the holder of a permit, cancellation of the permit shall replace erasure under this section.

Appeal§

44.

The prosecutor and the accused may, within thirty days after service of the decision of the Disciplinary Committee, appeal against it to the District Court within whose jurisdiction the psychologist's place of practice is situated.

Mentally Ill Psychologist§

45.

Where the Disciplinary Committee has reasonable grounds for concern that, by reason of mental illness, the psychologist is not capable of standing trial or is not responsible for the act or omission that is the subject of the charge, it may request the Registration Committee to act in accordance with the provisions of Chapter IV; if the Registration Committee decides not to erase the psychologist's name from the Register, the Disciplinary Committee shall continue with the disciplinary proceedings.

Publications§

46.
(a)
(1)Where the Disciplinary Committee finds that a psychologist has committed a disciplinary offence and its decision has become final, the Director shall make the decision of the Disciplinary Committee, stating the name of the psychologist but concealing the name of the patient concerned or the complainant and omitting details that could identify them, available for public inspection on the website of the Ministry of Health, and in any additional manner the Director may direct, and shall enable those interested to obtain a copy thereof, all unless the Disciplinary Committee has directed otherwise for special reasons to be recorded by it;
(2)Where the Disciplinary Committee finds that the psychologist has not committed a disciplinary offence and its decision has become final, the Director shall make available for public inspection on the website of the Ministry of Health, and in any additional manner the Director may direct, the text of the decision that the Disciplinary Committee has permitted to be published, and shall enable those interested to obtain a copy thereof; the Disciplinary Committee shall determine the text to be permitted for publication, concealing the name of the psychologist and omitting details that could identify him, and concealing the name of the patient concerned or the complainant and omitting details that could identify them, all unless it has directed otherwise for special reasons to be recorded by it; at the request of the psychologist, the Committee shall publish its decision stating his name.
(b)In every case where a psychologist has been charged following a complaint, the Complaints Committee shall notify the complainant of the decision of the Disciplinary Committee.

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Chapter VI: Psychologists Council

The Council§

47.

A Psychologists Council of 27 members shall be established, consisting of –

(1)the Minister of Health or a specialist-supervisor psychologist whom the Minister shall appoint for that purpose, who shall be the chairperson;
(2)four representatives of departments of psychology at institutions of higher education recognised by the Council for Higher Education;
(3)three representatives – including at least two psychologists – for each of the Ministers of Health, Interior and Education and Culture, and one representative for each of the Ministers of Welfare, Labour, Defence, Finance and Absorption;
(4)eight members to be appointed by the Minister of Health on the recommendation of the organisation that, in his opinion, represents the largest number of psychologists, and if no recommendation has been submitted within sixty days after a demand to submit it – eight psychologists who appear suitable to the Minister of Health.

Restriction on Appointment and Service on the Psychologists Council§

47a.
(a)Where a complaint has been submitted to the Complaints Committee against a psychologist who is a member of the Council, the Committee shall decide on his matter within 90 days from the date of receipt of the complaint.
(b)A psychologist against whom a complaint is pending before the Complaints Committee shall not be appointed to the Council.
(c)Where a psychologist who is a member of the Council is brought before the Disciplinary Committee, the Committee shall decide on his matter within 60 days.
(d)For as long as the proceedings before the Disciplinary Committee are ongoing, the psychologist shall be suspended from his membership of the Council.
(e)A person found guilty by a Disciplinary Committee shall not serve as a member of the Council.
(f)The Minister of Health may, in special circumstances, extend each of the periods listed in subsections (a) and (c) to up to 120 days.

Functions of the Council§

48.

The functions of the Council are –

(1)to advise the Minister of Health on matters in respect of which he is required under this Law to consult the Council and on other matters relating to the practice of psychology in Israel;
(2)to recognise places of employment under sections 2(b) and 15(3);
(3)to submit lists of candidates for membership of the Registration Committee and the Disciplinary Committee;
(4)to elect a member of the Examinations Committee and the Council's representative on the Complaints Committee.

Term of Office§

49.

A member of the Council shall serve for three years and may be reappointed, provided that after two consecutive terms of appointment a member of the Council shall not be appointed for an additional term for at least three years; where a vacancy arises, another member shall be appointed in the same manner to serve until the end of the term of office of his predecessor.

Rules of Procedure§

50.

The Council may determine in plenary session its rules of procedure to the extent that these have not been prescribed by law or by Regulations.

Committees§

51.
(a)The Council may –
(1)appoint from among its members standing committees and committees for specific matters and determine their powers and functions;
(2)delegate to such committees any of its powers.
(b)On the recommendation of the Council, the Minister of Health may appoint a person who is not a member of the Council to be a member in an advisory capacity at proceedings of the committee.

Participation of the Chairperson of the Registration Committee§

52.

The Council and its committees may invite the chairperson of the Registration Committee to participate in an advisory capacity at a session at which a matter within the scope of his functions is being discussed, and he may, by direction of the Minister of Health, participate in an advisory capacity at any session of the Council or of any of its committees.

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