Finding therapy in English or another language in Spain

Key rules

• Where to look: Choice in your language is widest in Madrid, Barcelona and coastal expat areas, and thin in rural areas and small inland cities.
• Public system: There is no general right to an interpreter in public mental health care, and therapy in foreign languages is rarely offered.
• Registration: Ask for the therapist's colegiado number before you book.
• Foreign licence: A therapist licensed only abroad who treats you while you live in Spain is generally considered to be practising in Spain.

Where to find therapists in your language

You can find English-speaking therapists and therapists in other languages in Spain, but mostly in big cities and on the coast. Online sessions fill the gaps elsewhere.

The widest choice is in Madrid and Barcelona. Valencia, Seville and Bilbao also have options. On the coast, look at the Costa del Sol (Málaga, Marbella, Fuengirola), Alicante province, the Balearic Islands (Palma, Ibiza) and the Canary Islands (Tenerife, Gran Canaria). French, German, Dutch and Scandinavian-language therapists are most common in those coastal expat areas. Rural areas and smaller inland cities have few options.

How to search

• Directories with a language filter. Doctoralia lets you filter by specialty, city and spoken language. Psychology Today lists Spain-based therapists and also has a language filter. Psicología y Mente and Top Doctors are other places to look.
• Online therapy services. Several Spain-based platforms match you with a therapist and run sessions by video. Compare prices and the therapist's registration before you book.
• Expat groups. Local expat directories and social-media groups for your city are a good source of personal recommendations.
• Professional colleges. The Colegio Oficial de la Psicología (COP) and its regional branches, such as COP Madrid or COPC in Catalonia, keep registers of licensed psychologists. Some also offer referral services.

Check the therapist is qualified

Ask for the therapist's colegiado number. This is their registration number with the professional college, and you can check it with the college. For clinical work, a properly trained psychologist should have the Master in General Health Psychology or PIR training (the Spanish hospital-based specialist route). Ask which they hold if it is not on their profile.

What the public system offers

The public system has no general right to an interpreter in mental health care. Appointments are normally in Spanish, or in the co-official language of your region (Catalan, Basque, Galician or Valencian). Staff in those regions generally work in both languages.

Some regions and hospitals offer telephone or video interpreting or cultural mediators, mainly for immigrants and refugees. Examples are Catalonia, Madrid, Andalusia and the Basque Country. Availability is patchy and often depends on NGOs or ad hoc arrangements. Ask your local health centre or mental health unit what exists in your area. Therapy in English or other foreign languages is rarely available in the public system, so most people who want it go private.

Therapists licensed only abroad

Be careful with a therapist who is licensed only in another country and treats you online while you live in Spain. Spain has no specific law on cross-border online therapy. Practising psychology or psychiatry in Spain requires Spanish recognition of the foreign qualification, and health psychology also requires the Master in General Health Psychology or an equivalent.

A therapist licensed only abroad who treats clients living in Spain is generally considered to be practising in Spain. That may breach the rules against unqualified practice (intrusismo profesional). Enforcement is uncommon, but you could be left without proper protection if something goes wrong.

Two things can change the picture:

• Some therapists offer coaching or counselling that falls outside regulated health activity. Ask them clearly which one they are offering.
• Providers from other EU countries may offer services temporarily after notifying the Spanish authority. Ask whether they have done so.

The safest choice is a therapist registered in Spain, even if the sessions are online. If you want to keep a therapist from your home country, ask them how they are allowed to treat you while you live in Spain.

The questions below cover the most common points.

Frequently asked questions

Can a therapist licensed only abroad treat me online while I live in Spain?

Not safely, because a therapist licensed only abroad who treats clients living in Spain is generally considered to be practising in Spain. Spain has no specific law on cross-border online therapy, and practising psychology here normally requires Spanish recognition of the foreign qualification. Enforcement is uncommon, and some therapists offer coaching or counselling that falls outside regulated health care, so ask what they are licensed to do.

Which languages can I find therapists in, and where?

French, German, Dutch and Scandinavian-language therapists are most common in coastal expat areas such as the Costa del Sol, Alicante province, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands. Barcelona and Madrid have the widest range of languages. Rural areas and smaller inland cities have few options, so online sessions with a therapist based in Spain can fill the gap.

How do I check that a therapist in Spain is properly qualified?

Ask for their collegiate (colegiado) number, which shows they are registered with the professional college of psychologists. You can check it with the national or regional college, such as the one in Madrid or Catalonia. For clinical work, also ask about their training in health psychology.