Law «On psychological assistance to the population in the city of Moscow»

This Law regulates relations in the field of providing psychological assistance to the population in the city of Moscow. The provisions of this Law do not apply to relations in the field of providing psychiatric and medical psychotherapeutic assistance to citizens.

Article 1. Basic concepts used in this Law

1. Psychological assistance is professional support and assistance provided to a person, family or social group in solving their psychological problems, social adaptation, self-development, self-realization, rehabilitation, overcoming a difficult psychological situation.
2. Persons providing psychological assistance are state institutions of the city of Moscow providing psychological assistance (hereinafter referred to as state institutions), as well as non-governmental organizations and individual entrepreneurs providing psychological assistance in the city of Moscow.
3. Psychologists are persons with higher professional education or who have undergone professional retraining in the field of psychology, working in government institutions, as well as other institutions and organizations of the city of Moscow.
4. The recipient of psychological assistance is a person who is in a difficult psychological situation, experiencing an unfavorable psychological state and who has turned to a person providing psychological assistance or a specialist psychologist.
5. A difficult psychological situation is a situation that disrupts the normal life of a person, family or social group, which cannot be overcome by them on their own.

Article 2. Purpose and tasks of this Law

1. The purpose of this Law is to ensure the availability and quality of psychological assistance to the population in the city of Moscow.
2. This Law is aimed at solving the following tasks:
3. a consistent increase in the level of psychological well-being and health of the population, the quality of life in the city of Moscow;
4. formation of a multi-level system of providing psychological assistance to the population in the city of Moscow;
5. ensuring the interaction of public authorities of the city of Moscow and persons providing psychological assistance to solve the psychological problems of recipients of psychological assistance;
6. organizing and monitoring compliance with the standard of providing psychological assistance to the population in the city of Moscow.

Article 3. State system of psychological assistance in the city of Moscow

The state system of psychological assistance in the city of Moscow includes the authorized executive authorities of the city of Moscow, which carry out state management and control in the field of psychological assistance, the Council for the Coordination of Activities in the Sphere of Providing Psychological Assistance to the Population in the City of Moscow, government agencies and psychologists working in the institutions of the city of Moscow.

Article 4

1. In order to ensure the coordination of activities in the field of providing psychological assistance to the population, the Moscow Government establishes a Council for the coordination of activities in the field of providing psychological assistance to the population in the city of Moscow (hereinafter referred to as the Council).
2. The procedure for the formation, composition and powers of the Council are determined by the Moscow Government.
3. The main activities of the Council are:
4. participation in the formation of the social policy of the city of Moscow in the field of psychological assistance;
5. interdepartmental coordination of the activities of persons providing psychological assistance to the population in the city of Moscow;
6. development of recommendations for social and professional support of psychologists;
7. development of measures to improve the state system of providing psychological assistance to the population in the city of Moscow.

Article 5

The main principles of providing psychological assistance to the population in the city of Moscow are:

• availability;
• voluntariness;
• targeting;
• confidentiality;
• complexity;
• consistency;
• professionalism.

Article 6. The main types of psychological assistance to the population in the city of Moscow

The main types of psychological assistance aimed at solving the problem of consistently improving the level of psychological well-being and health of the population, the quality of life in the city of Moscow are:

• psychological prevention and psychological education;
• psychological counseling;
• psychological support and support;
• psychological analysis and psychotherapy (non-medical);
• psychological diagnostics;
• psychological rehabilitation;
• psychological correction;
• psychological examination;
• psychological training.

Article 7

1. Psychological assistance to the population in the city of Moscow is provided in the following forms:
2. *full-time, part-time (by phone), remote (via the Internet);
3. *short-term, long-term, emergency;
4. *individual, group.
5. Psychological assistance can be provided on a reimbursable and non-reimbursable basis.

Article 8. Rights of the recipient of psychological assistance

1. Recipients of psychological assistance have the right to:
2. receiving professional, qualified and specialized psychological assistance, provided that they comply with the norms and rules established by the person providing psychological assistance;
3. choice of the person providing psychological assistance, the type of psychological assistance and the form of its provision;
4. maintaining the confidentiality of personal information that has become known to a specialist psychologist in the process of providing psychological assistance, except in cases where such information is provided in the manner prescribed by federal law.
5. The collection of data and the presence of third parties in the process of providing psychological assistance is allowed only with the consent of the recipient of psychological assistance.
6. The recipient of psychological assistance has the right to refuse to receive it at any stage.
7. Psychological assistance is provided on the basis of a voluntary personal appeal of the recipient of psychological assistance, his guardian, custodian, other legal representative.

Article 9

1. Emergency psychological assistance in emergency situations is a set of short-term measures aimed at:
2. providing psychological assistance to persons affected by emergency situations;
3. prevention and prevention of the development of mental conditions that pose a danger to the individual and society.
4. The procedure for providing emergency psychological assistance in emergency situations is determined by the Moscow Government.

Article 10

1. The standard for providing psychological assistance in the city of Moscow (hereinafter referred to as the standard) is the standards for the quality and volume of psychological assistance established by legal acts of the Russian Federation and legal acts of the city of Moscow.
2. The application of the standard is mandatory for persons providing psychological assistance using funds from the budget of the city of Moscow.
3. The standard should include;
4. categories of recipients of psychological assistance;
5. requirements for the forms of psychological assistance;
6. a list of grounds for refusing to provide psychological assistance and the procedure for referring citizens who need specialized medical care for health reasons, with their consent, to specialized medical and preventive institutions in the city of Moscow;
7. qualification and other requirements for psychologists;
8. the procedure for the extraordinary provision of psychological assistance in the event that the demand for psychological assistance exceeds the possibility of its provision;
9. requirements for information support for recipients of psychological assistance when applying for it and in the process of its provision;
10. features of the provision of psychological assistance to certain categories of recipients of psychological assistance (minors, disabled people, the elderly and other categories).
11. The standard is approved by the Moscow Government.

Article 11

1. Persons providing psychological assistance are voluntarily included in the Register of Persons Providing Psychological Assistance to the Population in the City of Moscow (hereinafter referred to as the Register), a body authorized by the Government of Moscow.
2. The procedure for maintaining the Register is determined by the Government of Moscow.

Article 12. Requirements for persons providing psychological assistance included in the Register

The persons included in the Register are obliged to:

• comply with the standard established in Moscow;
• provide gratuitous psychological assistance to the recipient of psychological assistance in the cases and in the manner established by the Moscow Government;
• provide free emergency psychological assistance to the population in emergency situations.

Article 13. Support for the activities of persons providing psychological assistance included in the Register

The public authorities of the city of Moscow, in accordance with federal legislation, laws and other legal acts of the city of Moscow, can support the activities of persons providing psychological assistance included in the Register in the following forms:

• organizing the exchange of experience, information and methodological assistance, advanced training of psychologists;
• assistance in holding conferences, seminars, consultations and other scientific and educational events.

Article 14. Social guarantees for specialists-psychologists of state institutions

1. Social guarantees for specialists-psychologists of state institutions are determined by the Government of Moscow.
2. The terms of remuneration for the work of psychologists of state institutions are determined by federal legislation, laws and other legal acts of the city of Moscow.
3. Psychologists in public institutions have the right to rehabilitation after working in an emergency.

Article 15. Financial support for the provision of psychological assistance

Financing of state budgetary institutions of the city of Moscow providing psychological assistance is an expense obligation of the city of Moscow.

Article 16. Entry into force of this Law

This Law shall enter into force 10 days after its official publication.

Mayor of Moscow Yu.M. Luzhkov

Moscow, Moscow City Duma

October 7, 2009 No. 43