Kuwait’s Ministry of Health has officially introduced a strict regulatory framework aimed at cleaning up the nation’s mental health sector. Under Ministerial Decision 225, all psychotherapists and counselors are now prohibited from offering treatments that lack rigorous scientific backing. The new rules establish comprehensive standards for licensing, professional training, and facility operations. While existing government facilities have been granted an 18-month window to align with these requirements, private offices currently seeking licenses must reach compliance within six months.

The directive explicitly targets a wide range of alternative practices, including energy healing, Reiki, crystal therapy, neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), and the law of attraction. Furthermore, the decision places life coaching and self-development under strict oversight, requiring practitioners to hold valid professional licenses. To ensure patient safety, the government has also restricted the use of electroconvulsive therapy and medical interventions to specialized doctors, while mandating that non-physician counselors immediately refer patients showing signs of severe distress or suicidal ideation to clinical psychiatric care.